Britain’s output per hour worked is now 22.2% lower than that of the US. With cloud-hosted technologies resulting in a 20% increase in productivity, decision-makers need to consider how their current IT setup is contributing to business performance. We believe remote working and an improved work-life balance should be the key drivers to increase the UK’s productivity, which is something that can be achieved by utilising hosted desktops. And by offering more attractive methods to working, employees will feel empowered to work harder.
Improve work-life balance
By removing the need to be physically present in the office to complete tasks, workers are free to take control of their working hours. The 9-5 can be abolished, making room for personal commitments that would’ve previously interfered with work responsibilities. In HAYS’ What Workers Want 2017 report, 86% of professionals consider an organisation’s flexible working policies before applying for a role. In that same report, 49% rated their work-life balance as average, poor or terrible.
To aid businesses, Atlas Cloud has partnered with the likes of Microsoft, Sage, Citrix and Symantec to deliver business-critical applications on any device. As staff no longer need to commute to the office, staff can make their work life suit them by adopting strategies such as remote working.
Claire Priestley, director of Clarand Accountants, explains that: “Applications we have used for years, such as CCH and Sage, have been seamlessly integrated within the cloud platform, allowing staff to pick up right where they left off, to enable us to securely access them whenever we need to, from any location.”
Flexibility is key
Although workers are demanding more flexibility from their employers, according to Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends report 2017, only 23% of companies surveyed feel that they are excellent in helping employees balance personal and professional work-life demands.
The new way of working revolves around the desire to be completely flexible with nearly 40% of today’s employees working offsite on a regular basis. As mentioned previously with remote working comes the ability to log into your workstation at any time of the day from any device. Something that was not previously achievable with a traditional approach to IT and technology.
By utilising cloud-hosted technologies, workers are able to focus on what matters, when it matters with no limitations as to when they can work.
Trust is the foundation
Before even considering implementing new technologies, organisations need to ensure they have total trust in their employees. They need to trust that they are motivated enough to get the job done even whilst being surrounded by numerous distractions.
Remote workers need to be aware that although they are not physically available in the office, they need to be available for their team when they need them.
Lastly, it’s important to not disregard the best communication tool there is, which is face-to-face contact. There’s nothing better than putting a face to a name – no matter how much easier it is to email team members. Remaining engaged with work means a balance of flexible working strategies and commitment from staff to attend face-to-face meetings and performance reviews.
If you’re wanting to implement new technologies into your organisation, do not hesitate to contact us today for a free demo and remember a happy employee means better quality work.
