March 24, 2021

Martin Biggs, Vice President and General Manager, EMEA

Now that we’ve passed the year mark for most of us working remotely, we’re witnessing a sharp divide of opinions on how pandemic-induced remote working has impacted productivity. Employees take a positive view: 65% of workers said they are more productive in a home office than a normal office, and 83% feel they do not need an office to be productive. However, the Office for National Statistics found that 24% of business leaders surveyed claimed that productivity had reduced with workers logging in from home. 

Spinnaker Support has been running a hybrid work-from-home strategy since inception, particularly in EMEA. We were hugely lucky to implement this well in advance of COVID-19, and therefore far ahead every other business being forced into it. As a result, we’ve had a head start in learning how to successfully manage employees remotely – as well as look after their well-being.  

While working from home has huge potential to improve well-being – for one thing, the average daily commute time of 59 minutes in the UK can be enjoyably repurposed – it can also lead to unique challenges. 

Help Your Employees Be at Their Best 

Productivity and well-being go hand-in-hand, so it’s crucial that managers learn how to help their employees be the best they can be in every sense.  

I’ve explored this further in my post on LinkedIn but here are a few things I’ve learned about attaining the best results from your remote-working teams:  

  • Ensure your employees properly segment their work and home life. It’s essential to their mental well-being and their productivity.  
  • Well-being strategies should originate, and be enforced, from the top.  
  • Employees will face challenges unique to the work-from-home dynamic. The only factor businesses should consider is whether these challenges are communicated openly and honestly, or whether they are expected to be coped with ‘under the radar.’    
  • For well-being to work, the trust factor is crucial. Managers and bosses must trust that the individuals they employ are professional enough to manage their own time and workload.  

The Benefits of Work from Home 

There’s a huge benefit to a hybrid work-from-home structure when it’s done right. From a business perspective, it means you aren’t limiting your hiring by location; you truly can hire the best people regardless of where they’re located in the country.  

From an employee perspective, it reduces costs and increases the time they can spend on essential life activities, looking after their families, or simply relaxing. The end result is happy, well rested, and fulfilled employees, and a talent pool that isn’t limited by how close people are to our main offices.  

At Spinnaker Support, this approach is something we’re going to be sticking with long term – and something to be embraced.  

If you’d like to learn more about how we operate and why Spinnaker Support employees rate us a 4.9/5.0 on Glassdoor, visit our careers page or get in touch.