From office to anywhere: tips to move your traditional office to remote work

Does the recent wave of back-to-office mandates from companies like Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Starbucks signal the terminal decline of remote work? No, because these headlines only scratch the surface; the reality is far more nuanced, even within these organisations.

For instance, 2024 data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that while fully remote work has declined significantly since the pandemic, 14% of people in the UK still work exclusively from home—significantly more than before the pandemic. Additionally, 26% work in a hybrid capacity, with the remainder working in the office five days a week. 4 years post pandemic, despite some ups and downs, hybrid and remote working are now arguably established practices. If your business is beginning the journey toward remote working, here are some tips to help make that vision a reality.

Use the principles of the Flexible Working act to fairly implement remote working

As UK people management professionals, you will likely have some insight into which jobs are suitable for homeworking, having processed requests under the UK Flexible Working Act. This potential bank of case data relating to a position’s suitability for remote working or flexible working serves as a strong foundation for moving forward. If you don’t have this kind of retrospective data, you can bulk assess each relevant job’s suitability for your remote work programme using the principles of the Flexible Working Act. This approach ensures that your remote work strategy is both fair and compliant.

It also equips you to handle any objections or appeals from employees whose roles may not be suitable for remote work. One reason Starbucks reversed its homeworking policy was to address the division it created between corporate staff working from home and store-based employees who could not. It’s crucial to have a fair and compelling reason for a selective remote working program that may leave some employees in the office.

Use benchmarking data to optimise your remote work programme

Benchmarking against your competitors can help you understand the remote working norms and potential sweet spots within your sector. This prevents you from either overreaching or under-delivering with your policy. Aim to answer questions such as:

• Are all competitors’ jobs fully remote, or only some?
• Which roles are home-based, and which are office-based?
• On what days of the week do competitors typically allow remote work?
• Do competitors utilise remote working hubs or flexible office space?
• How do competitors’ teams collaborate and maintain social cohesion, culture, and identity?
• Have competitors reduced or condensed their physical office space?

This market benchmarking data will enable you to develop a remote working policy that aligns with both your internal needs and the external marketplace, helping you maintain competitive service levels in your new partially or fully remote structure.

You could benchmark performance internally also by comparing performance before and after a team transitions to remote work, or between remote and office-based peers. This can provide the data needed to iron out inefficiencies and optimise remote performance.

Optimise your remaining office space for a remote working organisation

As you move to a remote working programme your office space needs will change in size and scope: fewer permanent workstations, more hot desks, and more collaborative space.Employee location tracking technology can help you monitor office usage as remote working becomes established, allowing you to appropriately size your office space and avoid wasting money on unused work space.

Prepare for a changing employment profile of the workforce

Transitioning to a more remote or hybrid structure may alter the demographic profile of your job applicants and, subsequently, your workforce. For example, ONS data reveals that self-employed workers are twice as likely to work from home (32%) compared with employees (14%). As you begin advertising more remote or hybrid roles, you may attract more self-employed applicants, and hiring managers may start proactively sourcing such workers through gig platforms. You could also see an increase in applications from second jobbers and overseas candidates.

To prepare for this shift, ensure that you have the appropriate contract templates, legal structures, performance management processes, and HR software to manage not only employees but also contractors, freelancers, and gig workers etc. A one-size-fits-all HR solution that accommodates these diverse categories of workers is essential.

Mitigate remote team performance drag by proactively adopt virtual team best practices

Anecdotal evidence from companies like Amazon, IBM, GM, and Dell indicates that a subsequent decline in the quality of collaboration is a key reason why some remote work programs falter. Jobs that rely on activities such as brainstorming, mentoring, feedback, and negotiation are often performed less effectively in remote settings than in traditional office environments.

However, this is a risk, not a certainty, and by deploying collaborative HR software and proactively adopting virtual team best practices, you can mitigate any remote team performance drag.

Transitioning from a traditional office environment to a remote or hybrid work model is a complex process that requires careful planning and execution. By assessing job suitability, using benchmarking data, optimising office space, preparing for a changing workforce, and focusing on collaboration, you can successfully navigate this transition. Remote work, despite its challenges, offers significant benefits and opportunities for both employers and employees when approached thoughtfully and strategically.