Research shows that 65% of employees want to work remotely all the time, and they’re serious about it.
More than:
- 55% say they’d look for a new job if their company stopped allowing remote work
- 30% of hybrid employees would take a pay cut to work remotely full-time
It’s as simple as this: Professional services firms that want to survive need to offer flexibility to attract and retain top talent. Here, we discuss tips for future-proofing your firm and how implementing workforce management software can give you a significant advantage.
Ways to Future-Proof Your Professional Services Firm
Businesses that offer flexibility and fully remote work options are winning 54% more interest from skilled applicants and keeping key talent at higher rates than those that aren’t. Here are some cultural shifts that are necessary for firms to reap these benefits.
Acknowledge & Strive to Meet Employee Expectations
Employees’ expectations are changing due to the plethora of work options available to them. In today’s Work From Home (WFH) model, employees can now find employment regionally and nationally without relocating. In order to grow and succeed, your firm may need to adjust to these expectations and job market shifts.
This is even more important in certain industries. For example, “accounting and finance” was in the top three industries for remote employees in 2023, which means accountants have plenty of remote work options elsewhere if a financial services firm chooses not to offer it.
Reconsider the Role of Your Office
If your firm still has a physical office, take time to reflect on its purpose. How does it impact your business and employees? What would look different if you decided to let your office go?
Just because most employees like having remote work options doesn’t mean that becoming a fully remote business is what’s best for your firm. Make a pros and cons list that weighs:
- Current expenses such as office rent, utilities, insurance, and in-office equipment
- Additional expenses that may be required by going fully remote, such as employee laptops, cybersecurity software, etc.
- Where your current employees prefer to work
- Any impact you feel the transition may have on the quality of your client services, employee efficiency, or collaboration.
Create Clearer Paths to Growth
In a time when top employees can land a remote job with just about any company in the world, firms must be focused on employing tactics to retain them. This goes beyond flexible work options to factors like:
- Reskill and upskill opportunities
- Paths to promotion
- Employee engagement across the organization
- The potential for salary raises
Research shows that 60% of professionals plan to seek a promotion as the next step in their career, but 40% feel they’ve already hit a dead end with their current company. Be the firm that paves a clear, direct trail to advancement.
How Workforce Management Software Can Scale & Sustain Your Firm
Remote work can create a positive and productive culture – but only when the right tools are involved. Workforce management software helps firms optimize and properly allocate resources and talent in a way that drives your business forward.
Here are just a few of the ways workforce management software can help make your firm more competitive.
Create a Connected & Uplifting Culture
More than half of remote employees say it’s difficult to connect with their peers due to a lack of face-to-face interaction. Considering company culture is the top reason employees quit their jobs in 2022, internal communication in the work-from-anywhere world is more important than ever.
Workforce management software makes it easy for employees to feel like a valuable part of the team by providing tools that:
- Identify and celebrate employee accomplishments in real-time
- Keep teams connected with employee social networks and a virtual campus
- Empower employees to take accountability for and pride in their work via task-tracking
- Establish transparency, which can lead to a culture of trust
- Encourages employees to grow to their full potential
Encourage Work-Life Balance
Workforce management software can expand upon the improved work-life balance that has already accompanied remote work by offering tools to:
- Alert employees when they’re about to work overtime
- Remind them not to work through lunch or other regular breaks
- Measure work-life balance based on the time an employee spends working
- Ensure an equitable distribution of work
Eliminate Micromanagement
Many firms fear that going fully remote will lead to decreased productivity and distractions, which could quickly lead to a culture of micromanagement.
Workforce management software enables firms to track the work that’s being done and its effects on the business without hovering over employees. It can do this with tools that:
- Evaluate and measure employee & team performance
- Quantify productivity numerically
- Track goal progress in real-time
- Set clear expectations from the start
Make Decisions Based on Data
Workforce management software enables firms to stay on top of business projections and outcomes within one system. With this tool, you don’t have to worry about whether remote work is doing you any favors – you can prove it with ample data. This can lead to better monitoring of:
- Cost/profitability modeling
- Staffing needs and adjustments
- Project management reporting
- Billable vs. non-billable hours
- Resource availability and allocation
Set Your Firm Up for Sustained Success With Workforce Management Software
If you want to future-proof your professional services firm – especially when considering remote or hybrid work models – implementing workforce management software to monitor your business for you is non-negotiable.
Enable your firm to grow and thrive in today’s dynamic job market. Schedule your demo now!
