Due to the shortage of qualified and experienced paraplanners, working from home and flexible hours are paramount to attracting talent to your business, it also opens the net wider as you don’t need to hire based on your office geographical location.
Now that we are all advised to start working from home again, and 80-90% of employees saying they would prefer to work from home at least part of the time*, it is time to start thinking about your remote working structure. In a candidate driven market, an attractive way to gain productive workers is to offer remote working opportunities. For some companies, this can be difficult. It often raises many questions; Can I trust them to be productive? Will the sense of team diminish? Will we have a firm grasp on communication? This article focus’ on the importance of Financial Planners, Paraplanners and working from home and most significantly, how it can improve your business.
Well, according to a PwC’s remote work survey, completed by 50 executives and 144 employees at financial services firms during the period from 1st-12th June 2020, their reports show that at-home workers maintained their productivity while working from home, and more than 70% of financial services employers found the work-from-home shift to be successful or very successful.
There are pros and cons to working from home. But in today’s climate, it is essential to provide this as an option if you intend on getting the best quality candidates to fit your job vacancies. To give employers some guidance, our expert financial planning recruiters have compiled a list of dos and don’ts.
Do: Invest in an effective back-office system to allow for streamlined workflow
Having a sophisticated system will allow paraplanners and financial planners to work seamlessly together, even when remote. Financial planners might worry that they don’t get enough face-to-face contact time with paraplanners. Diminish this concern with multiple means of communication and an effective back-office system.
Don’t: Leave them without the resources they need to meet targets
Is their working environment suitable? Most financial planners, paraplanners and administrators can easily work from home. All they need is internet access, a computer, and a phone. As an employer, you need to know that they are being looked after at home in all aspects, not just a means to “do the daily grind”. Do they have a suitable desk and chair? Are they sharing their space with others? Taking care of your staff when they are at home will make for a more productive working space.
Do: Listen to your employees needs
Since the pandemic hit, people’s priorities have changed significantly. Listen to your employee and make sure their personal and professional needs are being met. Perhaps their mental health has taken a hit and they need to dedicate an hour a week to therapy? (Is this something they can do through work?) Maybe they are a keyworker every Thursday afternoon? Work out a clear schedule that works for both of you, this will have a positive effect on their mental wellbeing, they will feel supported and in turn, this will have a profound effect on their work productivity.
Don’t: Micromanage
You don’t constantly look over your employees’ shoulder when they are in the office, so don’t create a “big brother” working environment for them when they are working from home. Have trust in them, instead of monitoring the activity of your employees, set regular goals together. This will increase productivity and morale. `
Financial planners and Paraplanners and working from home
These are some simple fundamentals to focus on when growing your company and its flexibility around remote working. Remember, when you allow for home working and have a clear framework, it opens the net wider as you don’t need to hire based on your office geographical location.
Financial planners and paraplanners, even before the Covid-19 pandemic were increasingly working from home, it takes away the stress and expenses of a commute and the inconvenience of coming into an office. Increase your chances of gaining the highest quality employees by creating a seamless and effective working from home structure.
See our highest quality candidates that are keen to embark on a role that offers a flexible and remote framework, Click here to speak to one of our recruiters.
*Statistic taken from Forbes online.
