What has it meant for your business having one of your key employees move to another city?
Lisa: Two years ago Heidi relocated to Christchurch to accommodate her spouse's job. In that situation, as an employer we had to decide whether that represented a problem or an opportunity - and we chose the latter.
One of the big considerations for us continues to be how Heidi working remotely impacts on our client relationships. One of our largest clients - which Heidi manages - is based in a rural area outside of Auckland so her move hasn't really impacted on that relationship.
We fly Heidi up to Auckland once every month or two depending on what projects we have on the go at the time. With Heidi working remotely I think it's actually forced us to use our time more effectively because we have to schedule project meetings rather than just holding ad hoc discussions in the hallway.
It's been important to keep Heidi feeling like she's still part of that team and in the loop.
We hold a weekly team work-in-progress meeting by Skype to make sure everyone is up to date with all projects. With Heidi working remotely it's also forced us all to make sure everything we do is well documented on our shared drive.
Heidi, what did these changes mean for you and how you went about your everyday work?
Heidi: For me one of the first things that changed was communication - no more popping into someone's office with a quick question or feedback from a team member sitting next to you. You rely more on Skype and of course email and phone so you kind of refine your communication slightly.
It also meant I needed to follow a typical workday routine as much as possible regardless of working from home. So I get 'properly' dressed for work each morning and put makeup on as if I was heading into a normal office. The second thing I do is close the door in my office - it shuts the other parts of the house away and separates the spaces. I then prioritise my day by working off my weekly plan and selecting the top tasks or projects to work on. It helps me focus and not be distracted.
What have you learned over time about what it takes to make this situation work for everyone?
Lisa: I think there does need to be a level of trust between employer and employee, good communication and a commitment to making it work. As an employer you need to think of ways to keep your remote staff feeling included on a daily basis and not isolated. Even if that's a quick call to discuss a development on a project or opinion on something.
What do you think have been some of the key benefits of making these efforts to keep Heidi in the team?
Lisa: One of the big benefits was the opportunity to look for new clients in that market, and it's also helped us further develop our media relationships in the South Island. Most importantly, though, we've been able to retain a really valued staff member.
And for you Heidi, what have been the primary benefits and challenges?
Heidi: It's been two years now and I think it's been a really successful move. I've found working from home really rewarding in terms of flexibility, but you do have to be quite disciplined to make sure you're not distracted.
Working from home does have its challenges. Personally I find it hard to disconnect from the home office. It's easy to pop back into the office to quickly check emails after-hours and suddenly find yourself there hours later. I did end up putting a note on the door to deter myself!
Working from home can sometimes be isolating too. There are no chats about what you did on the weekend or saw on TV. We're quite creative in our work and I do miss being in a room full of people when you're brainstorming ideas for clients, but it does actually work surprisingly well via Skype.
Coming up in Your Business: Trade shows are part of the marketing mix for many businesses. So what are some of the strategies companies use to get the most out of their investment in attending these kinds of events? If you've got some experiences to share, drop me a note: nzhsmallbusiness@gmail.com
