Holistic approach key to telework success

When implementing a telework program it is important to look at it from all angles. Nina Sochon explains it’s more than just about HR and IT working together.

When it comes to starting a flexible or remote work program, the problem is often that surprises can pop up along the way.

An overstressed worker, a technology glitch – nothing ever goes quite as planned and Murphy’s law is never far away. One of the reasons for this could be that our thinking is too narrow.

I hear organisations talk about the ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ issues, which is such a good place to start. There are several great reports available on the importance of bringing together Human Resources and IT teams to create effective flexible and remote work programs that consider both sides of the equation. Only, this approach isn’t quite enough.

The risk with seeing flexible work and remote work programs as “Human Resources plus IT” is the same risk that presents itself when you choose a bike to take you long distances, rather than a car. A two-wheeled vehicle certainly has a lot going for it but the more sophisticated option will take you much further and be a more enjoyable ride.

So what is the sophisticated option when it comes to flexible work and remote work implementation? It is seeing effective flexible work as a work system. A work system has many moving parts, all of which come together to create an output that your organisation is looking for.

The work system approach is a much better description of what happens in organisations that implement flexible work effectively: they take care of implementation from the top down and the bottom up, seeing it as a leadership, management and employee issue.

They look at their processes and activities, people, flow of information, technologies, and their environment and infrastructure and consider how flexible work will interact with these. Human Resources and IT teams play a starring role – and it is important that they work together if you’re going to get great outcomes – but neither is tasked with the lead.

Don’t let your thinking about your flexible or remote work program be limited to the marriage of HR and IT. Failing to recognise flexible work as a system that is sustained by not just two but many aspects of your organisation could jeopardise its success.

Nina Sochon is a Remote Work Consultant and the Managing Director of Teleworking Enterprises Pty Ltd. Nina led the Federal Government’s telework initiatives and now assists organisations to use flexible and remote work as business tools to achieve dramatically improved service outcomes, staff longevity and reduced overheads.