Your flexible friend or foe? Balancing homeworking and networking

The shift towards home working has impacted traditional networking, necessitating a balance between home-based work and in-person engagements to maintain professional relationships.

Leafing through a leading HR mag (so you don’t have to) I’ve just clocked some global research on flexible working by Remote, a leading global HR platform

According to their boffins, 72% of hiring leaders in the UK say that their business has LOST employees to organisations who are less tied to traditional office hours and locations in the last six months.

They also note that more than eight in ten (84%) also report an increased demand from employees for more flexibility.

The Global Workforce Report of more than 4,000 business leaders – 500 of whom are based in the UK – delivers a positive view of the current state of UK companies with the HR Director write up noting that; “As many as 81% of companies report having seen their workforce numbers swell over the past year, with similarly notable growth in the USA (72%), and Germany (86%).”

They also note that those offering hybrid working are growing the fastest, with over three-quarters (87%) of them currently hiring versus just 82% of office or location-based businesses.

Now, over the past 13 years, when working with our “Think Forward” approach, I’ve navigated the evolving landscape of flexible working, which was particularly intensified by recent shifts toward home-based work after the “P” word that we all know.

Always makes me feel a tad Harry Potter when we don’t mention the name…

Anyway, during this I’ve observed a trend where the convenience of working from home sometimes leads professionals to neglect in-person networking and relationship-building.

Sound familiar? Here’s my thoughts:

1. Comfort of Home: The comfort and convenience of working from home can make the prospect of going out less appealing, leading some to prioritise remote connections.

2. Networking Challenges: While digital tools facilitate connectivity, they lack the personal touch that face-to-face interactions provide, which is crucial for building deeper business relationships.

3. Strategic Adaptations: To counteract this, try adopting a hybrid approach—balancing home-based work with strategic in-person engagements like networking events and conferences. (more on me on this next time round).

4. Maintain Visibility: It’s vital to remain visible within your industry. Aim for regular participation in professional groups and community events to maintain and expand business networks.

5. Leveraging Technology: Utilising technology to stay connected is important but it should complement rather than replace face-to-face interactions.

It all comes down to a balanced approach that leverages the benefits of working from home while still engaging actively in the broader business community to nurture and expand professional relationships.

As Job van der Voort, CEO and co-founder at Remote explains;

“We have only just begun writing the playbook on remote work and will need to work together to identify and tackle these challenges.”

Indeed we will Job, whether we write that book from home or the office remains to be seen.