As nearly three-quarters of employees wish to work from home on a permanent basis following the COVID-19 lockdown, a two-day virtual free show called the Working From Home Show will be running on the 30th and 31st of July.
The Working From Home is the UK’s first major online free event for HR professionals which will discuss the benefits of remote working. The show has been designed with HR professionals in mind with insights from thought leaders, IT experts, HR professionals, and companies who have already rolled remote working out successfully.
Keynote speakers for the two days include Chris Herd, founder and CEO of Firstbase, an all-in-one platform that assists companies in providing the best possible remote working experience. Laurel Farrer, founder of Distributing Consulting, remote working experts. Louise Goss, founder and editor of The Homeworker magazine and Darren Murph, head of remote at GitLab, the world’s biggest remote company.
Over the course of the two days, the virtual event will be split in to four separate stages. The Conference Stage, where the four keynote speakers will talk about the remote working transformation. As well as other sessions including ‘How to have more impactful conversations and meetings whilst working remotely’, ‘How to spot talent and recruit’, ‘Making remote work for you’ and ‘Why the Future is Remote’.
There are the Expert Advice Sessions, which feature a panel of experts and include topics such as ‘The Pros and Cons of popular virtual meeting tech options’ and ‘How to ensure employees are safe when working remotely’.
Also, you can attend the Exhibition Hall, which will showcase brands and services you will need for an effective remote work experience. In the Exhibition Hall, you can have one-to-one conversations, book in follow-up meetings, and see all the products you need for an effective workforce in action.
You can virtually visit The Masterclass Stage where you can see top industry brands who will demonstrate the products and services for best practice. Find out what will help you successfully run an effective remote team.
A Working From Home Survey was also conducted where 73 per cent of employees said they would like to work from home on a regular basis, wishing to work from home for more than three days a week. More than half (58 per cent) of the workforce said they are happier working from home.
It could be argued that employers get more out of their staff remote working compared to office-based, as 27 per cent say they work longer days whilst at home. Also, 51 per cent say they are more productive.
Employers’ views seem to mirror employees, as they agree there are significant benefits to remote working. Employers see guidance as integral to making remote working successful, as it gives staff the help they need with technology and how to manage the productivity of their colleagues.
One big advantage of remote working is no commute, with 40 per cent saying this. More than a fifth (22 per cent) enjoy the flexible working hours it brings and 48 per cent saying it improves their health and wellbeing.
A large 72 per cent state they save money remote working, on average £1,416 per year. A tenth (10 per cent) even stated they would consider being paid less to work from home.
Still, there are setbacks that arise with remote working, 32 per cent say lack of contact with their colleagues is their least favourable part of working from home. With 20 per cent saying they struggle to switch off from working whilst at home.
The Working From Home Survey spoke to 1,334 employees and employers to gather these opinions.
To register for the event, please sign up here.
Darius is the editor of HRreview. He has previously worked as a finance reporter for the Daily Express. He studied his journalism masters at Press Association Training and graduated from the University of York with a degree in History.
