As the pandemic has shifted how people work, remote lifestyles have become much more common. Many businesses were already championing this way of working pre-COVID, however it was a much rarer occurrence than the traditional office set up.

What COVID has done for remote working has been nothing short of revolutionary. Now that businesses see the benefits of remote working, outsourcing work and accessing a global talent base, many have decided to make remote working the norm.

We’re looking at the latest post-pandemic title that has been created to help manage business changes – ‘Head Of Remote Work’.

Why Has Remote Working Changed?

Previously, remote working was kind of a one off set up, whereby people were able to work remotely as a side to their normal working hours. As such, it didn’t require any massive change or management – simply compliance from both the employee and their manager alongside some security measures and the organization was good to go.

Nowadays, remote working is a much more permanent solution, so companies are having to think about how remote working will work long term, and crucially how to retain the company culture despite working remotely.

Remote working has gone from being a perk of a job and a variable, to a necessity. In fact, businesses are now in a kind of hurried panic to set themselves up as a remote office that functions under any lockdown circumstances, and this has caused the invention of the new role – Head Of Remote Work.

What Is A Head Of Remote Work Role?

The head of remote work role that has cropped up recently, seeks to manage and oversee the entire remote working procedures of an organization. As a business, having processes in place that help your people work remotely seamlessly is essential.

The Head Of Remote Work role that we’re seeing appear on job ads and LinkedIn posts is usually looking for a HR professional or senior change transformation leader who is able to lead the organization to a new style of working.

One thing is for sure – whoever takes on these roles has their work cut out for them as it is something that has never been done before. However, that being said, there is definitely opportunity and excitement surrounding these new roles. Post-pandemic every business has the choice to regroup and start again, and for many businesses this means hiring a Head Of Remote Work to create a remote culture like never before.

What Does The Head Of Remote Work Do?

The Head Of Remote work title is relatively new, meaning that the roles and responsibilities are up for debate. However, we believe that a Head Of Remote Work should:

Create Remote Work Policies Suit Both The Employer And Employee

The Head Of Remote Work will need to look out for the interests of both the company and employees in order to create remote work policies that suit everyone. For the employee, they will want to see that work flexibility is a given, and that the company has clear procedures in place to enable a successful remote working environment.

Likewise, the procedures need to suit the company too and work in line with their overall business objectives too. A Head Of Remote work should be able to create policies that benefit every party and create a great remote work culture.

Fuel A High Performance Culture

One of the main things that a Head Of Remote work should be doing is seeking to create and maintain a high performance culture despite working remotely. One of the biggest challenges to going remote is the lethargy and lack of motivation that people can feel when working remotely. A Head Of Remote Work should work on strategies to keep employees engaged and push them to achieve.

Keep The Company Safe 

A Head Of Remote Work will be responsible for understanding the security implications of remote working and managing any cyber risks that are associated with working from home. With the rise of devices and a variety of Wi-Fi sources, companies are at a higher risk of a cyber security attack than ever. Although this role won’t necessarily be working on hands on security measures, they will likely be expected to collaborate with a cyber security team in order to create and enforce policies that keep the company safe whilst everyone works remotely.

Thinking About Creating A Remote Team?

Are you considering building a remote team to support your shift to remote working? With the working world changing so drastically post-COVID, it makes sense to explore your options.

To learn more about remote working, why not get in touch? We can help you extend your remote team and make the transition to a remote-friendly business with ease.