With the development of remote working and an increase of 10% of the UK workforce working remotely in 2020 – now is the perfect time to adjust to the new normal in 2021. Kevin Thackrah, Director of pet-care services franchise Petpals, comes with a wealth of knowledge on the subject, having run the home-based franchise model for 15 years. Here, he explains how to capitalise on the new normal and the working-from-home revolution in 2021.
I think one of the vital elements of working from home is remembering that even though you are working remotely, you are not alone. Wherever you are, you have access to people in your network who are willing to support your activities. The development of cloud-based communication apps has made it easier than ever to keep in touch with your network, and to check in and support the people in your franchise. At Petpals, we are lucky to have many franchisees willing to support other franchisees in building their business – encouraging this collaboration is key to your business’s success.
Building a network of support is one of the pillars that your working-from-home structure should be built on. Make sure you find a way to encourage contribution from your remote workers. This creates an environment of collaboration which can be lost if you do not carefully cultivate the right team atmosphere. Even though you are not in an office environment, it’s imperative that you still maintain your business support structure by creating a virtual huddle where necessary for all your team to share ideas and to offer solutions.
Making sure you implement easy-to-follow systems that are universal to your franchise is a key way of making remote working successful. By having this consistency, you create the same expectations of excellence throughout the franchise, and it creates a pathway to success. Otherwise, it is easy for the members of your community to lose touch with the structures that have made your business successful. Regular timetabled meetings are a good way to create consistency, as they offer a sense of routine that, if not managed, you can lose from remote working. We recently undertook a successful nationwide rebrand, and this allowed us to bring our Petpals values and structures even closer together.
Praise goes a long way in making your team feel connected when working remotely. Therefore, focus on giving positive feedback so the people in your team feel valued wherever they are working. A quick call can go a long way in making any team member feel appreciated. Just a five-minute conversation will make all the difference and will also alert you to any issues that your business is facing. A positive culture matters even more in remote scenarios, as it can be a lonely journey if not managed correctly. However, if you handle it in the right way, you can create a sense of community that spreads throughout your business.
At Petpals, we’ve had years to turn the perceived challenges of remote working into our biggest strengths and the strong understanding of our family of franchisees across the UK allows us to feel connected despite the often large distances between our franchisees. When we do get a chance to get together for franchise events, it feels like we’re meeting up with friends rather than strangers due to the work we do to stay connected. I feel very blessed to be part of this special network – and I am very excited for the future.
