Remote working - LinoPro is ready!
12.10.2020 - Max Hoehle
Our in-house experience in switching to mobile working, a general overview of both terms and general advantages and disadvantages from the employee's point of view.
The introduction of mobile work at LinoPro
As a measure against the spread of the corona pandemic, various distance regulations and contact restrictions have been in force in Germany for several months, which consequently also have to be observed in the workplace. At LinoPro, too, all employees are currently working mobile. Of course, we primarily want to protect our employees in this way and prevent the general spread of the virus.
Despite the restructuring measures and the associated tasks, we can say that we have had consistently positive experiences when switching to mobile working. Here are some explanations:
+ The individual working style associated with mobile working allows our employees to improve their "work-life balance" and enables them to work flexibly outside of the company building. The employees thus save on journeys and costs.
+ Being independent of location allows you to work away from interference, which allows for increased concentration.
The introduction of mobile work was generally rather easy for us at LinoPro, since the use of proprietary software gives us the opportunity to work from any location without losing effectiveness and efficiency. Our modern office equipment also allowed us to introduce mobile work in an uncomplicated and stress-free manner.
For us as a company, the advantages of mobile work are clear and we do not want to deny our employees the advantages of mobile work even after the contact restrictions. In this way, our employees will continue to have the opportunity to decide flexibly about their place of work on 2 days a week.
We are very proud to have mastered the structural changes as a team and to have grown again as a company.
Home office and mobile working
A general overview of both terms
Home office
The term home office describes a permanently installed home workplace, which is usually equipped in a similar way to the workplaces in the company office . Depending on the activity,
this equipment includes a desktop PC, a telephone and a printer as well as the necessary furniture.
Many regulations that apply in the workplace must also apply in the home office
are complied with. This includes the legal requirements from the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the VDU Ordinance, compliance with which is the responsibility of the employer. The working hours in the home office are usually based on the usual attendance times in the office.
Mobile working:
Mobile working, on the other hand, offers the employee significantly more freedom in terms of the time and, in particular, the place where the work is done. If the necessary conditions are met, you can work not only at home, but also in a café, in a hotel or during a train journey. Mobile devices such as laptops, tablet PCs and smartphones are just as indispensable for this as a stable internet connection. Since there is no agreement with the employer about
the specific workplace, the regulations on occupational safety only apply to a very limited extent.
In both work models, the employee does at least part of his or her job Activities outside the employer's premises. To ensure adequate communication, employees working from home and working remotely should ensure that they can be reached by phone or email during their working hours.
Advantages and disadvantages from the employee's point of view
Flexible working models offer a whole range of advantages for the employee. Since there is no longer a commute to work, time is saved and the stress of commuting is avoided. In addition, the free time management means that mobile work in particular can usually be interrupted for other activities without any problems. Nevertheless, of course, fixed dates must be met, for example for telephone or video conferences. In principle, however, both the home office and mobile working offer a better work-life balance. This results in higher employee satisfaction, which ultimately benefits the company in the form of better work results.
One disadvantage of the work models described is the fact that there is hardly any personal contact with colleagues and thus the community risk ;hl in the company is greatly reduced in the long term. In addition, even with the most modern technology, malfunctions occasionally occur, which are particularly noticeable in video conferences. In addition to insufficient equipment and a lack of operating knowledge, the mobile Internet connection is probably one of the most common sources of problems.
New challenges for employers
If a company offers its employees the possibility of mobile working, the necessary technical equipment must be provided for this. This is not yet a matter of course in all companies and may require a period of adjustment and conversion. In addition, the employer has significantly less direct control over the activities of its employees. On the one hand, this offers more freedom when working, but on the other hand, it must be ensured that the employees have the necessary measure; have the discipline to independently deliver good work results. Independent ways of working should therefore be promoted by the employer in order to make the new work situation a success.
