How to defend remote and hybrid work
As return-to-office (RTO) discussions continue to dominate headlines, contact center leaders need to be ready to articulate the strategic value of their remote/hybrid work program. RTO mandates assume that in-office work leads to better performance, ignoring the business benefits of a well-structured remote model.
If you want to gain support for your remote program and avoid RTO pressure, it needs to be clear that the program brings value to the business. If you don’t already have objective proof of this, you need to validate if it’s true and start sharing it with your senior leaders.
Below are some of the most common benefits of a well-run remote program.
- Expanded Talent Pool and Retention Gains
A remote or hybrid approach allows contact centers to recruit from a broader talent pool, particularly in underserved job markets where wages may be lower. Remote work options have also consistently been shown to reduce attrition.
Do you have a clear recruitment strategy that leverages remote work as a competitive advantage? Who do you hire, where do you hire and why? What about attrition? Do you have data that shows the benefit of a remote program?
If you haven’t already, now is the time to build that strategic recruitment philosophy. Sure, you could continue sourcing candidates within a 20-mile radius of your office. Or you can identify the geographical region(s) where your business can provide unique and meaningful opportunities and, in return, benefit from a stable and engaged workforce.
Develop the plan, execute it and track its success. If it works, show the benefits to your leaders and make it clear that the value you have unlocked is made possible by your remote program.
- Business Continuity and Workforce Flexibility
Remote teams provide built-in resilience against external disruptions like extreme weather, infrastructure failures or public health crises. Contact centers also often face unpredictable spikes in demand: seasonal peaks, crisis events and volatile customer behaviors. A remote workforce enables organizations to scale up or down without the constraints of travel, physical space and other geographical limitations. - Cost Efficiency and Competitive Wage Structuring
As much as we dislike this reality, there is often cost pressure placed on contact center leaders. A remote model allows leaders to target geographical locations that are cost competitive, among other things. You can seek places where you bring value to that market and that market offers value to your business. Not to mention the impact on facility related expenses.
Final Thoughts
Take a step back and ask yourself: What is the ROI of our remote program? Is it clear and measurable? Do we do a good job of articulating these benefits to our senior leaders?
Drive the narrative around your program. You don’t want to wait until you are defending your program. Make sure your leadership knows this information, so they don’t have to ask.