As remote communications and cloud-cased technologies become more popular, the trend of telecommuting continues to gain legitimacy in the business sector. Once thought as having a detached role in a company’s environment, work-from-home employees can now stay in touch and contribute consistently without the hassle of getting all the way into the office. However, the practice isn’t perfect.
This has been as apparent as ever in the wake of recent moves from companies like Yahoo and Best Buy, which recently put an end to their prior telecommuting practices. The justification behind the move was based around the idea that working from home is not as efficient as in the office and did little to improve workplace morale.
In a recent column for Inc. magazine, contributing editor John Brandon, who has had over 12 years of telecommuting experience, says that there is some merit to the argument that these companies are making. However, he says that there are ways to address all these problems with the right technology.
“They want to create a close-knit community again. I get that,” Brandon wrote. “The question that comes to my mind, though, is: Why can’t they figure out how to do this with modern technology? In some ways, a failed remote worker policy speaks to a different problem: Your technology has failed you. But it doesn’t have to be that way.”
The key to creating a positive workplace atmosphere, Brandon continued, is to use community-oriented, cloud-based solutions such as Google Hangout that allow co-workers to interact face-to-face, even when they’re not in the same room.
The best way to make telecommuting work is to incorporate HR software solutions that can help make your workplace more efficient and a place where co-workers are more willing to communicate. With the help of an HR consulting firm, it’s easy to start using these ideas.