Are you prepared for a WFH workforce?
Five Things to Consider When Switching to WFH Permanently

Welcome to our second issue in our relaunched newsletter! We trust that you found something that piqued your interest or caused you to consider a different perspective last month.
One of our goals with this newsletter (and our blog) is to provide you with relevant, applicable and thought-provoking information & insights. Therefore, as we considered what to write about this month we landed on the topic of Working from Home (WFH).
As some of you are aware, EZSigma Group has conducted business as a virtual organization since 2001 therefore everyone associated with us has been able to WFH from the beginning. For the first decade there was an underlying perception that functioning virtually would hinder growth and be perceived negatively by our clients however, we began to notice a shift around a decade ago. Clients began to appreciate that our agility and flexibility was directly tied to our organization being virtual and what was once thought of as a hindrance became a competitive advantage. This was made even more evident last year when organizations were forced to shift to a WFH business model.
Fast forward 14 months and we are seeing the WFH discussions in the public forum revolve around whether organizations will continue to allow their staff to WFH when our economy fully opens up again.
With this in mind we wanted to provide you with five areas to consider and some questions to ask before moving to a permanent WFH workforce.
- Infrastructure. We recognize that by this point most organizations have figured out how to technically function with a WFH staff. However, when considering permanent and/or long-term staff working from home, how will your organization support them? Will you be responsible for all of their equipment (computers, tables, chairs, headphones, internet connection etc.)? Will the expectation be that your staff pay for all of this on their own and the organization reimburses them? If your organization is using productivity tracking software will that continue? Will your staff need to sign additional disclosure agreements in case they are working on sensitive documents and a spouse/partner/friend/family member visits their home office space and can see that information?
- Communication. For the last several months we have been hearing about zoom fatigue and/or online meeting fatigue. Therefore, what will be the primary mode of communication for permanent WFH staff? Will management make themselves more available for staff to respond quickly to questions? Has your organization developed a ‘Communication Schedule’ to ensure everyone is receiving updated information and people aren’t feeling siloed or stranded because they WFH?
- Expectations. There is a large potential for expectations to be misaligned between management and staff as to what WFH will look like on a permanent basis. Therefore, has your management team and HR sat down to discuss managing expectations for your WFH staff? Has there been consideration of the articles and social media posts touting the benefits of WFH because you can take a yoga class in the middle of the day? What type of lifestyle will your WFH staff expect? How will your organization manage and maintain trust between management and staff without infringing on personal rights & freedoms? Will the option to WFH be offered to everyone in your organization? Will you manage WFH staff who have never had a FT job differently than those who are in the middle or towards the end of their career differently?
- Culture. There has been a lot of discussion about culture over the last year. In fact, we hosted a webinar last month on the topic of ‘Business Organizational Culture through Governance and Strategic Planning’. Therefore, does a WFH culture align with your organization’s values and Strategic Plan? How will permanent WFH staff impact or shift the culture of your organization? Is your organization prepared for people to potentially shift their focus from work being their #1 priority to their personal life being their #1 priority? Has your organization revisited their succession planning process so that staff who WFH are not excluded from the opportunity to advance?
- Engagement. There is an inherent feeling of freedom with WFH and the potential (in a lot of cases a guarantee) for distractions. Therefore, how will your organization continue to engage your staff who WFH? Will more freedom for projects be offered? If so, how will this impact your staff who don’t WFH & how will this impact your culture? Is there a risk that your organization will be perceived as enabling privilege by offering actual or perceived ‘perks’ to those who WFH? Will staff be allowed to work based on their personal peak performance levels throughout the day? (ex. can ‘night owls’ begin working later in the day?)
These are many of the questions which we at EZSigma Group have dealt with over the last 20 years as a virtual organization and we have no doubt that many organizations have dealt with these questions over the past year as well.
In closing, we encourage organizations that are considering a permanent WFH staff to revisit these questions through a long-term lens and to seriously consider whether a WFH workforce aligns with the purpose, values and reputation of your organization.
We are also happy to chat with you about our lessons learned so feel free to reach out to Mike Ewing at mewing@ezsigmagroup.com or you can contact me at lstuart@ezsigmagroup.com.
Written by Elizabeth Jamischak
May 5, 2021 Blog Post
