In days gone by, employers saw flexible working arrangements as a cost to the business.
Today, some clever businesses are reinventing the way they work by teleworking, which is working remotely.
Telework increases staff commitment and productivity and delivers fantastic business outcomes.
Ruth MacKay is the Managing Director at OURTEL Solutions, a virtual call centre provider serving the Australian business community since 2008. Ruth has around 30 staff members who work from locations across Australia and New Zealand.
The company recently won a contract with a huge, high profile client – an organisation that had been highly resistant to fundraising by telephone. The client was won over by the virtual delivery model, citing OurTel Solutions' fantastic workers.
Ruth believes her company's current market leader position is due to the calibre of her staff - they are a loyal complement of mature workers who can be trusted to deliver outcomes that exceed the best her competitors can provide.
"Our workers love the remote work model – they feel they can work from where they are, without having to travel a huge distance. Using technology to stay connected, we're able to attract and keep fantastic people because we offer a working arrangement they absolutely want," says Ruth.
Jon Dee is the co-Founder and Managing Director of DoSomething! – a national charity that builds alliances between businesses, government and the community to solve environmental and community problems. Six months ago, Jon changed the charity business structure to a distributed work model.
He saved money by moving to a smaller office near his home and now mainly hires freelancers. "The office overheads for our charity are now a third of what they once were," says Jon.
But cost saving isn't the only benefit Jon receives.
"The fact that we don't have a Sydney office does not impede us in any way. Reducing our office overhead now allows us to get the best people for the job, regardless of where they are located."
"We have great systems and use Skype a lot – as a result the work becomes more outcomes-based," he says. Do Something! recently scored a big media partnership deal with NewsCorp, which Jon puts down to the flexible way they do business:
"Telling people how different and cheaply we're operating has been good for business – people want to know, what are the alternatives? We're no longer tied to major cities to get our work done. We can get a better balance between work and family time. ... Everything has turned out far better than I expected it to."
These successful businesses know that flexible work is anything but a cost to their business. Their success is due in no small part to recognising flexible work as an unparalleled opportunity – a strategic tool for achieving real competitive advantage.
About Nina Sochon
Nina Sochon is the CEO of Transformed Teams - a training, coaching and consulting firm creating incredibly successful professional teams. Receive your free Team Health Check for Conventional and Virtual Teams.
