Remote workers in the media & marketing sector favor instant messaging for staying in touch with managers
There is no question that a remote workforce can still be an effective and hardworking team, but keeping the more traditional lines of communication open remains key as a means of regular assessment and communication.
A recent Regus survey notes that 77% of respondents in the media and marketing sector believe that remote workers and managers should remain connected via telephone and instant messaging apps.
With the mission of its survey set to understand the attitudes towards remote working reporting and management, Regus conducted a survey of over 1500 professionals across the UK to out line how often remote working media and marketing professionals stay in touch with managers. With 81% agreeing that managers should speak with remote workers several times a week and over half (58%) believing that video calls should be implemented at least once a week, it appears that regular verbal communication is a good thing.
Frequent phone communication as well as the immediacy of instant messaging are both considered to be the tools that most teams have at their disposal. But, the need to meet face to face is still important according to the survey with 86% of respondents agreeing that remote staff should attend monthly meetings with managers.
When it comes to tracking productivity, the use of IT to track and measure levels of work activity was regarded as a necessity by 57% of respondents. It remains crucial that decision makers in the media and marketing sector trying to strike a balance between staying on top of remote worker productivity without seemingly monitoring every working minute.
Richard Morris, UK chief executive for Regus commented: “The flexible working phenomenon has been embraced by businesses of every size as companies look to offer working structures that appeal to the latest generation of employee talent. Now, the challenge for business leaders is to establish reporting and measurement strategies to effectively manage this dispersed workforce.
“This survey gives a clear indication of the current expectations of UK professionals. However, this is not a ‘once and done’ exercise. Regular assessment of tools and techniques is essential in order to take advantage of developing technologies and to ensure that employees continue to feel supported and engaged. Striking the right balance will deliver immediate benefits to both parties – and to business bottom-lines.”