Business Continuity in a Remote World
In a post-pandemic (Are we ''post''?) world, some have returned to office life, some have adopted a hybrid work model, and some of us have abandoned the idea of a centralized office forever. Utility Safety Partners still offers employees the option to work from our office, but day-after-day, the lonely cubicles sit gathering dust as our staff continue to enjoy the advantages of working from home.
I admit that I have been a champion of the remote workplace for many years. A contact centre is the perfect organization to offer work-from-home options. Not only do agents not require a collaborative workspace, but they thrive in an environment where they can control the noise-level and distractions of co-workers. That is not to say that outside distractions don't exist at home – we have all had pets or children invade our workspace or show up to our virtual meetings uninvited. However, when you consider that an agent has to answer calls as they arrive, working from home doesn't change their workload or allow them to ''slack off'' as some managers fear will be the case if staff aren't physically present in the office.
Contact centre agents are likely the most monitored and measured workforce in the world. The system reports what they are doing every second of every shift. We even know when they take bathroom breaks. The visibility into an agent's activity doesn't change if they are in the next room or the next city. A micro-monitored workforce does not need to be micro-managed. So why on earth would we not allow them at least the flexibility to improve their home life by letting them work from home, where they can have lunch with their kids, walk the dog at lunch or throw in the laundry on their break? By letting staff work from home, we give them back some of the precious time to spend with loved ones or looking after themselves. The improved work-life balance comes back to an organization in the form of a happy, rested, and grateful staff.
Productivity has only increased since our employees went home to work – and not just for agents. All USP staff now enjoy their own, comfortable surroundings to work in, and we haven't missed a beat. Productivity has increased for office staff too, as we no longer have multiple office drop-ins that break concentration. We still take time to communicate with each other and have daily face-to-face interactions via Teams. It is just that there is more focused, work-related communication taking place.
There are certainly risks associated with remote work as well. I'm not suggesting it is perfect or right for everyone, but USP has taken to the virtual workplace like fish to water. I'm not convinced that our culture isn't even better than before either. Even our group events are now virtual, and everyone can attend without taking personal time, having to get a babysitter, or worrying about traveling in inclement weather. We just had a virtual escape room event and for once, every single employee was able to attend and join in the fun. Then they logged off and were already home to enjoy the rest of their day. What could be wrong with that?
Sher Kirk – Operations Director, Utility Safety Partners
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