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Practicing HR -- Virtually
As with any other virtual workers, HR professionals need a clear idea of the goals, roles and expectations when they assume a remote position. They also need to understand the potential barriers to success, including cultural issues. "Can you have a 'seat at the table' as an HR person if you're not literally at the table?" asks one expert.
As is true for other professions, today's technology options and the growth and expansion of business operations across multiple settings mean that HR professionals no longer need to be physically located on-site with all other employees. But, when HR leaders are offsite, it offers some special challenges -- as well as benefits. Among the pros: The ability to attract talent from a wider geographic pool, enhanced response to environmental issues, avoiding many concerns about disasters or communicable diseases, increased productivity, and a better ability to control costs. But the barriers to success include political considerations and isolation, as well as the challenges faced by all virtual workers: time management, work/life balance and effective communication, experts say. Remote-HR Initiative
The benefits of virtual work "are too great to ignore it," says Chad Thompson, a senior consultant at Aon Consulting, an HR consulting firm based in Chicago, who lists those benefits as including increased productivity and performance, increased employee engagement and decreased turnover. Aon recently piloted remote work for HR employees based in its headquarters. About 25 professionals -- about one-third of the HR workforce -- were allowed to work from remote locations. Savings of $650,000 were realized immediately, Thompson says, because other workers were able to move into the vacated spaces, eliminating the need to expand into additional floors of the building. "That was almost 1,000 percent more than implementation costs related to technology," he says. Productivity also improved. The first year there was no significant difference between the performance of on-site and remote staff, he says, but "the next year, the remote staff performance ratings actually increased more than the folks who stayed in the office." Many HR practitioners in large organizations, of course, already operate virtually, but may not think of their roles that way as they "support locations, employees and management at more than one location, sometimes throughout a region," says Jessica Miller-Merrell, president of Xceptional HR, a human resource, training and recruiting firm based in Oklahoma City, Okla. "It's just a different name -- virtual [working] versus working in the field and having 25 retail locations you're responsible for," she says. Face-to-Face Interaction Remote HR will not work for every person or every aspect of the profession, experts say. Fritz Maier, vice president of group human resources North America at The Economist, says that, "there are specialist areas that will always require face-to-face interaction," including roles involving employee relations and internal investigations. Those activities, he says, "will require interactions that go beyond a video conference or an e-mail response." Thompson says cultural issues and political considerations can also be a factor. "Can you have a 'seat at the table' as an HR person if you're not literally at the table?" he asks. "In a situation where HR feels like they're fighting to be heard, being remote probably makes their position more difficult." HR professionals need to consider their position within the organization, their goals and the way being outside the mainstream of activities might affect them. In addition, not everyone is cut out for virtual work, say experts. HR practitioners, in particular, who tend to be "people" people, may find the lack of physical interaction with others to be a drawback. "If you're an extremely social person or an extrovert who is energized by others, you have to really do your part to reach out to your team or your partners," says Miller-Merrell. "Virtual work can be pretty lonely." Thompson agrees. "We've done quite a bit of research on this issue and have really found that there's a certain set of preferences, skills and characteristics that tend to contribute to people working well in a virtual environment." Those most suited to remote work are autonomous, can deal with ambiguity well and are highly organized, says Thompson, who co-authored with Pat Cuputo a study for Aon entitled The Reality of Virtual Work: Is Your Organization Ready?
Biggest Barriers
Aon's assessment of its HR remote-work pilot program, which is based on employee surveys, identified three primary challenges: technological issues, lack of cross-functional exposure and loss of the sense of being part of a work community. Such issues can be addressed through awareness, careful planning and mindful communication, says Thompson. "Broadly, what you're trying to avoid is having all of your people who work at home feel like they're independent contractors -- you still want them to feel they're part of a team."
John Robak, executive vice president and chief administrative officer at Greeley and Hansen, an environmental engineering firm, agrees. "I think the biggest barrier is what I call informal communication," he says. "A lot of communication obviously doesn't come through via technology -- you don't pick up on the nonverbal communication. If you're not sitting across from someone, it can sometimes require you to work a little harder to ensure you're fully engaged and effective." While his company's headquarters is in Chicago, Robak works remotely several times a month to "remove myself from some of the hectic day-to-day activities to work on more focused activities." In addition, Robak says, he works with a couple of very effective recruiters who work remotely. And their remote locations actually benefit the firm. "It has helped us in the sense that it allows us to attract high-caliber, high-quality recruiters that may be limited in terms of their ability to relocate to our headquarters," he says.
As with any other virtual workers, HR professionals need a clear idea of the goals, roles and expectations when they assume a remote position. That's true for their managers as well, Maier says. Managers must identify the measurable elements of the job and base performance outcomes on those deliverables -- rather than on time expended.
When deciding whether a position can be done remotely, Robak says, "it always comes down to [an individual's] ability to contribute." The ability to focus better, be less distracted and more concentrated at home are "great selling points ... that resonate most with me."
January 6, 2010 Copyright 2010© LRP Publications |
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