Productivity Challenges and Solutions with Remote Working

Since the start of COVID 19, the numbers of people working from home has dramatically increased and we are seeing the demand for office space at the lowest levels since data started.

Some jobs, like production line work, health care, cleaning and site maintenance require staff to be physically present together. Most office work relies on digital or voice communication and can with the right systems be organised either remotely or at a firm’s location (office, factory, outlet).

Working from home has been welcomed by many office staff, especially those with young families for improved work-life balance and saved commuting time and cost. Against this some staff can feel isolated and out of touch. In many cases, employers have benefited from reduced rental costs. Employees and employers have at the same time both seen disadvantages in lost networking which is only possible in the office. For example, many spontaneous interactions only occur when staff are in the same location – over the water cooler or tea/coffee area.

Some employers have embraced flexible working while others have pushed for a return to their place of work.

What is remarkable is that no reporting systems are widely available to provide three crucial data performance sets, which can be shared by staff and their manager whether they are working in the office or remotely:

• A complete digital representation or map of the work activities to be carried out by each staff member, whether working remotely or on at a firm site

• Clearly identify and track the important work activities that lead to productivity gains for the firm

• Enable managers to identify where unproductive work is being done – due to distraction, poor quality or under performance

SME’s need to get a firm grip on operations whether on site or remote and to provide the reporting for team managers and department leaders to spot trends and drive improvements. It is crucial to track productivity through to the impact on EBITDA and growth. SMEs using Opagio’s Operational Excellence Platform have realised significant productivity improvements with a full view of their work activities and output quality and EBITDA growth.

Further Reading

• What if I disagree with Opagio's valuation?
• Intangible Asset Glossary — definitions of key terms used in this article