Remote Employee Procurement Strategy

The following article was provided by Forecuity. It is posted here with permission. 

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The concept of remote work is proving rather stubborn, with the anticipated broad-scale return to the office stalled considerably.  

In fact, according to a recent Gallup survey, eight in 10 workers now work remotely at least part of the time, while only two out of 10 employees work on-site, full time.

The underlying employee mindset also has shown a marked transition, with 56% of the participants in a recent survey believing that their entire role can be performed effectively from home.

Companies thus need to recognize the need to accommodate this principle or risk suffering a competitive disadvantage in hiring and retaining valuable employees. 

Of course, there also are direct benefits of remote work.  

The option of full-time remote work facilitates, among other considerations (1) the addition of talent from distant geographic regions, (2) the recruitment of people at different stages of life, and (3) the retention of individuals with health or accommodation issues, and so forth.  

Making this process function seamlessly nevertheless presents challenges, particularly with respect to equipment and technology-related security.   

Strategy

Here are some quick tips for how to make the remote worker revolution more manageable for procurement teams.  

Utilize a local pick-up. Wherever possible, all major equipment should be delivered to an office location. 

This allows for superior order control, more sensible IT security, and lower shipping costs.  

Computing and similar devices need to be shipped where they are corporately on-boarded, before being shipped remotely. 

In the case of fully remote employees, devices still must be onboarded with security features and similar organizational requirements. 

In the case of fully remote employees, devices still must be onboarded with security features and similar organizational requirements. 

While this adds cost, it materially decreases risk and avoids costly and vexing efforts by employees to set up the necessary security requirements themselves.  

Ship computer peripherals and office supplies directly to the home.  

This is a simple matter of efficiency. There are minimal risks to having these items shipped directly. 

As with most purchases, just ensure proper levels of oversight and inventorying, and verify the quantity and appropriateness of the purchase. This will prevent potential rogue spending by members of staff who may come to know which items they could buy and have shipped to their homes. 

Otherwise, just make sure the items are standardized for both compatibility (for computing-related peripherals), and identify opportunities to benefit from economies of scale. 

Standardize as much as possible. 

Depending on the nature of the organization, it might be critical for certain employees to have uniform and professional on-line surroundings.  

You may wish to equip employees with standardized or even company-branded items like a backdrop, mouse, keyboard, and pens for use in connection with video calls.   

This can include visual backdrops, computing peripherals, dress code notions, and various other elements.  

You may wish to equip employees with standardized or even company-branded items like a backdrop, mouse, keyboard, and pens for use in connection with video calls.   

Sensible Provisions

The concept of remote work is an increasing and enduring reality for businesses across nearly all sectors.  

Flexibility, insight, and sensible provisioning allow companies not only to enjoy cost savings and more effective security, but secure competitive advantage for employees in an uncertain labor market. 

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About the author: Christopher Levesque is the founder of Forecuity. He has advised scores of businesses, entrepreneurs, and innovators on a wide range of matters, including corporate strategy, capital raising, operations management, sales, marketing, and communications.