managing remote workers training

Managing remote workers training is a one day course which concentrates on the guidelines, the communication and how to manage them

We recently read that - "Managers must put in extra effort to cultivate a positive team dynamic and ensure remote workers feel connected to other colleagues and to the business overall. It requires a “proactive” approach by the manager". Shouldn't managers be doing this anyway?

The move to managing remote workers and a flexible team has been a slow one. It was probably on the agenda for senior management and leadership teams, throughout the country, to discuss and think about towards the end of 2019 and early 2020 but forced to be more widespread during the 2020 pandemic. 

The lack of a trusting environment is probably the cause of this and this needs to be addressed before  team can truly be remote.

Our one day managing a remote and flexible team training course will certainly help your management and leadership team come to terms with the "new way" of working and help them organise an effective communication and accountability system to enable team members to work efficiently and successfully from home (where possible).

Contact one of the team for further information and our prices. 

With respect to building trust, that takes a little longer. We have created an Action Focused Leadership and Management Program that holds you management and leadership teams accountable for achieving their part of the vision.

It creates a positive high performance culture inline with your vision and core values

Managing Remote Workers Training Course - Contact Us

Managing Remote Workers Training

What is flexible working

‘Flexible and remote working’ describes a type of working arrangement which gives a degree of flexibility on how long, where, when and at what times employees work

Flexible working practices include:

  • Part-time working: work is generally considered part-time when employers are contracted to work anything less than full-time hours
  • Term-time working: a worker remains on a permanent contract but can take paid/unpaid leave during school holidays
  • Job-sharing: a form of part-time working where two (or occasionally more) people share the responsibility for a job between them
  • Flexitime: allows employees to choose, within certain set limits, when to begin and end work
  • Compressed hours: compressed working weeks (or fortnights) don't necessarily involve a reduction in total hours or any extension in individual choice over which hours are worked. The central feature is reallocation of work into fewer and longer blocks during the week
  • Annual hours: the total number of hours to be worked over the year is fixed but there is variation over the year in the length of the working day and week. Employees may or may not have an element of choice over working patterns
  • Working from home on a regular basis: workers regularly spend time working from home
  • Mobile working/teleworking: this permits employees to work all or part of their working week at a location remote from the employer's workplace
  • Career breaks: career breaks, or sabbaticals, are extended periods of leave – normally unpaid – of up to five years or more
  • Commissioned outcomes: there are no fixed hours, but only an output target that an individual is working towards
  • Zero-hours contracts: an individual has no guarantee of a minimum number of working hours, so they can be called upon as and when required and paid just for the hours they work. Find out more in our factsheet on zero-hours contracts

The list above isn't exhaustive. Flexible working can include other practices for example employee self-rostering, shift-swapping, or taking time off for training.

What isn’t it

  • Just working at home – it could be satellite offices, a coffee shop, a hub etc
  • A way to look after dependants
  • Unproductive, it can be hugely motivational
  • Parental or dependency leave

The benefits of managing remote workers and a flexible team

  • Some flexibility: Depending on the arrangement with the employer, an employee may have some say over where and when they work, but as a general rule should work the organisation’s standard hours – particularly core hours – to meet business needs
  • Improved productivity: Many staff working from home report getting more work done than they would in the office as they have more energy through not having to commute and are able to concentrate better at home because there may be fewer interruptions and less noise
  • Greater job satisfaction: An employee working from home may receive less supervision and have more control over their job. The research (undertaken by ACAS) shows that employees who worked from home tended to be happier in their roles than staff in the office
  • Saving on travel costs: Not having to pay for daily trips to and from work or parking
  • Improved work-life balance: In saving time if not having to commute

Flexible working is on the rise, giving employees flexibility on where, when and the hours they work (and with new technology managing remote workers is becoming easier). It's traditionally been associated with the needs of parents and carers, but increasingly organisations are recognising the business benefits of a more flexible way of working.

In this session we discuss managing remote workers and flexible working as a strategic tool an organisation can use to improve performance and productivity. It outlines the different types of flexible working arrangements available, including part-time and compressed hours, mobile working and career breaks. It looks at the potential benefits of flexible working, both direct and indirect. Finally, it offers the legal perspective and some ideas on how flexible working can be implemented, how common barriers can be overcome, and how HR can support staff opting for more flexible working arrangements.

Flexible working arrangements can play a vital role in an organisation's performance. It’s HR‘s remit to identify how flexible working options can benefit both the organisation and individuals, as well as working with the business, and in particular line managers, to put the options in place. In particular, HR should consider the behavioural and attitudinal barriers to flexible working, and promote mutual trust in the flexible working arrangements adopted, supported with appropriate people management systems and processes.

Managing remote workers and flexible working has become excessively associated with the needs of parents and carers to the detriment of its positive role in enabling employers to manage their business more effectively. While the statutory right to request flexible working has been extended to all employees, for some years, many employers have been proactively looking at opportunities to find win-win solutions that recognise the needs of employees and the business, and the direct and indirect benefits of flexible working provision. HR can make a strong case for using flexibility as a strategic tool to support improved individual and business performance through greater diversity, brand competitiveness and increased levels of engagement from workers at all levels.

Managing Remote Workers Training Course - Contact Us

Managing Remote Workers Training Course - Contact Us

As well as lots of smaller businesses and organisations, below are examples of some larger organisations who have received training from our director of learning at Ultimate Leadership Training:


spring care

arches
Zeelo

branded
Gatwick School

Please contact us to discuss any training requirements you have, we either deliver for you or sell you the course for your trainers to deliver to your team


Thanks for visiting our managing remote workers training course page, here's a link to our homepage. At the end of the managing remote workers training course we recommend the following further reading - The one minute manager managers high performing teams, here's a link.

Managing Remote Workers Training Course - Contact Us