Although Luxford warns not everyone is suited to the isolation of working from home. His staff have usually worked in the office before being allowed to work from home, which he recommends.
He says Aegis uses a detailed assessment process that staff must pass before discussions about working from home progress.
This includes a check list of 26 questions on issues such as office furniture, general layout of the room and security. Staff also have to sign an agreement, which lays out a variety of conditions to working from home including start and finish times, performance and what constitutes a breach of the agreement.
“The key learning is to profile a person up front. We found that some of our highest performers don’t always work that well from home and suffer from isolation. While others work better without the interruptions that working in an office brings. It’s about assessing the individual and their personal situation and deciding if they’re cut out for it.”
RedBalloon allows 50% of staff to work from home on a regular basis. It asks staff to submit a photo of their home work space to ensure it meets OH&S standards and so it knows staff have the tools available to get the work done from home.
Employee experience manager Megan Bromley says: “As a business we want to know that employee is meeting their objectives and getting things done, but as an employee, you still want to feel connected to the business and the people in it. Technology has allowed us to bridge that gap.”
Although HR issues need to be taken seriously, Bromley says.
“We are still liable as a business if an employee injures themselves while working from home, yet we have very little control over the conditions in which they are working. But we still feel the benefits of offering our people flexibility far outweigh the risks,” she says.
Perkins adds that staff need to clearly understand their role before the arrangement begins. And while working around children is possible, you need to decide if the job can be done while the kids are in bed.
“You don’t want your staff to be at home but their headspace is elsewhere because their kids are screaming in the background. They need to be productive,” Perkins says.
Luke Humble started his web, graphic and marketing business, Pixel Perfection, in Hervey Bay 18 months ago. He pays his small group of home-based freelancers by the hour. He uses a system called Project Bubble that has a built-in timer that staff need to click on when stopping and starting work. The system also enables him to set deadlines and maximum number of hours on a project and track hours.
He uses Skype to talk new members through how to use the system via a screen share system.
“This system allows us to easily see how long staff have worked on a project. We find that staff are very keen to use it because they know this system decides how much they get paid,” Humble says.
Luxford agrees that developing ways to measure output is vital. He uses detailed key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess whether staff are meeting objectives. The company also monitors log-in times, data entry accuracy metrics and the quality of phone calls being made.
And while Acheson uses similar methods to monitor output, he admits he’s also had to put his trust in his staff to a greater degree than if they were working in the office.
While there is consistent contact with those working from home and KPIs are measured, it doesn’t work if you don’t trust your staff, he says.
“We have to give these people a certain amount of trust and believe they will do the right thing. But really, I don’t care if they’re at their desk at 3pm or having a coffee break; as long as they get their work done.”
