posted 28th January 2022
As an IT recruiter in the Managed Service Provider, IT VAR, and IT networking and security spaces, there are key criteria normally considered as essential before any candidate chooses to accept a company's job offer. These include the position, responsibilities, salary, and location.
Additionally, because of the pandemic there is a new criterion on this list of essentials for some IT candidates. Many IT professionals now want remote IT jobs; not one or two days per week but 100% of the time. This is because a large share of those with desk-based IT jobs have spent all of their time since the first lockdown working in just this way. IT sales and IT technical professionals were given no choice but to quickly adapt to being home-based. These dedicated IT specialists helped their companies survive and, in many cases, thrive. Given the choice, many say that they want to carry on working in this way to avoid the wasted time and expense of commuting. Plus, many people think they produce better quality work and are more efficient at home, while knowing that they enjoy remote working!
However, the truth is that the number of fully remote roles available is not as great as the noise around this topic. The fact is that some employers remain reluctant to offer remote IT jobs as we move out of the pandemic. But given the desire for remote IT jobs in the UK, why is remote working not an option given automatically for every IT role? Firstly, it should be noted that not everybody wants to work remotely. Many younger people want to be in an office. They like to experience the team culture, learn from being around more experienced staff, and take advantage of the social opportunities that many UK companies work hard to create. Alternatively, other IT sales and technical professionals simply like being in an office where they can enjoy an environment free from distractions that might be experienced at home such as pets, children, deliveries, or the temptation to turn on the tv or start doing that long put off cleaning task.
The second reason that companies may be reluctant to offer fully remote IT jobs is a lack of management skills to train and monitor a remote working team. Plus, companies sometimes fear that employees may not be as effective or efficient in a home-working environment or may not be fully committed to their work. Managers tend to feel more comfortable when they can physically see their staff working and they are used to managing in that environment. For example, at the start of the pandemic, many businesses were simply happy to be able to keep their staff working and they accepted that levels of service might be slightly reduced. However, IT clients and customers are now expecting the previous service standards to return. For many companies this means looking at how to better monitor the work standards of their employees and for some that means calling staff back into the office.
Nevertheless, the fact remains that many IT professionals really want to be home-based. Moving forward, remote working in IT sales, IT tech, and IT support jobs is going to be much more prevalent than it was before the pandemic. However, in many cases remote working is likely to be subject to performance evaluations. Additionally, supply and demand will ultimately decide the overall ratio of office to home-based employees. If enough people refuse to be office-based and the available positions cannot be filled, then more people will be able to work from home. However, if other people are willing to come into the office, then remote working may not be such a common outcome.
If you want to work remotely then you need to prepare your case as to how that will benefit the company and not just you, and then be prepared to prove it. Employers want your best work and for many they still feel that is best achieved in an office environment. If you can show that you have a productive environment at home, self-discipline, and a strong work ethic, then remote working can be an option that benefits both parties.
An alternative option is blended or hybrid working with a 3/2 or 2/3 split in terms of days in the office per week. Employees will still need to be based geographically close enough to visit the office or able to easily travel in, but this may be at different times of the day. Management will hopefully develop better skills and working practices in order to monitor, train, and develop staff in this blended environment. However, if the last 2 years have shown us anything, the future of work is far from predictable.
If you are looking for a new remote IT sales or IT technical job, we can help match your skills and experience to an exciting new role. Get in touch with us by emailing us on contact@tsrltd.co.uk or calling us on 020 3837 9180. We look forward to working with you!