Pet Trade Solutions founder Lynda Ward says that remote working during the covid 19 pandemic has in many cases resulted in happier and more productive staff.
Lynda, who uses her 30-plus years’ experience in the pet trade for dedicated recruitment and marketing solutions, said: “To the surprise of many employers, who were initially concerned that traditional office based roles couldn’t be as effective when employees worked from home, the opposite is becoming recognised.
“Fears that people used to working in a team within the same building would feel isolated and be unable to benefit from collective collaboration have in most cases been unfounded, largely due to clever use of technology coupled with the setting of goals.
“Office-based marketing, HR and management roles have been particularly positively influenced as being freed from the shackles and frustration of travel to work has meant that employees are fresher and have more time to spend on their tasks.”
One senior manager told Lynda: “Online group meetings are easily accomplished very effectively. Our participants still feel part of a team but simply get on with the points for discussion without the usual ‘settling down time’ of physical meetings and we have found that input is improved and decision-making more effective.”
Lynda said, however: “Of course there are some jobs that physically cannot be done remotely and others that could perhaps be accomplished on a part and part basis.
One role which could potentially fall into that category is field sales – providing that the retailer, wholesaler, vet or breeder is already very well known to the salesperson and is happy with, for example, every second physical call replaced by a phone or zoom call.”
She adds a warning though, “In the past companies that simply replaced existing field sales personnel with a telesales operation have lived to regret it and consequently have had to build a new field sales force from scratch. This industry is still very much a people industry where loyalties run deep and buyers buy from people they know and trust.”
So what are Lynda’s top tips for making remote working work?
“Utilise people’s knowledge and skills then together with them plan, plan and plan.”