Is your workplace planning to stay remote in 2021?
At Transition Solutions, we have been helping companies and individuals with workforce changes for 30 years.
Due to the pandemic, the majority of workplaces either required or encouraged their employees where possible to work from home. In fact, a Gartner, Inc. survey of 800 global HR executives in March 2020 found that 88% of organizations encouraged or required employees to work from home, regardless of whether or not they showed coronavirus-related symptoms.
Now as we are about to enter 2021, many companies are preparing to remain mostly remote as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Certainly there are benefits to employees allowing for more flexibility and better capacity to juggle increased personal commitments. For HR leaders there are also advantages such as the ability to draw from a wider talent pool as geographical restrictions are removed and less cost for office space.
The initial move to remote work for many was challenging due to technology issues, lack of office perks such as elaborate lunches, gyms, team building, etc. Many companies worked hard to adapt quickly and employees became adept at virtual meetings.
Still Gartner Emerging Risks Survey 3rd quarter survey suggested that managing remote employees was a top risk due to combating employee disengagement, managing new cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and reassessing how performance is managed and graded.
HRExecutive recently shared advice on three considerations for HR leaders as they prepare for remote teams in 2021 based on an interview with Job van der Voort, CEO and co-founder of HR technology provider Remote summarized below.
- Clarifying whether they are a remote-first or remote-friendly company. As a longer-term strategy, remote work can only be successful if everyone is remote, so if some employees choose to return to the office whilst others continue to work remotely, this will inevitably have implications on the efficiency of the business, productivity and overall culture. Remote-first means providing all employees with the necessary tools and equipment to do their job from anywhere in the world.
- The standardization of benefits and compensation for employees. To attract and retain talent, employees expect perks and benefits, and this is just as relevant for remote teams. However, remote employees are not able to visit an on-site gym or take advantage of free Friday office breakfasts. To create an appealing environment for remote workers, businesses need to embrace benefits designed for a remote-first culture. Research from earlier this year revealed that almost half of organizations believe that positive workplace culture is essential to success and that the most sought-after perks include healthcare, home office allowance and personal development plans/learning development allowances.
- Decide how to maintain fair salaries for employees who are distributed among different areas in the world. Hybrid work models will inevitably cause friction between those that are office-based and receive certain salaries, benefits and perks, and those that choose to work remotely. This year, we’ve already seen some businesses such as VMware and Stripe implementing pay-cut policies for employees who choose to work from locations that have a lower cost of living. In 2021, businesses will need to prioritize addressing the challenges around remote salaries, whether this is implementing flat-rate salaries across the world or choosing to offer salaries according to location.
Since remote work will remain prevalent as we begin 2021, HR and business leaders will need to continue to adapt to meet the needs of their companies and teams. When difficult staffing changes need to take place, Transition Solutions is here to help.
At Transition Solutions, we’ve been helping organizations and individuals with outplacement needs for 30 years. We have developed a robust personalized and customized approach to every situation. Our strong reputation for consistently delivering exceptional service at value sets us apart.
If you would like more information on our services please check out our website at http://www.transitionsolutions.com or you can contact us directly at 888-424-0003 or email us at info@transitionsolutions.com