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Remote Working With BP Consulting
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Hilly Hannam-Seymour
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During the pandemic, businesses took a massive hit. As offices across the country closed, there were two choices; stop working for the foreseeable future and run the risk of losing money and business or adapt to the current climate.
At BP Consulting, we did just that.
Managers made the decision back in March 2020 to quickly adapt to remote working. While it had its difficulties initially, it soon presented itself as a great working approach for BP Consulting and business carried on in this “new-normal“. Following the success of remote working, we decided to develop a solely remote team at BP Consulting, with the help of the Government Kickstart Scheme. This scheme focuses on getting people who are on Universal Credit back into employment.
I myself am a part of the remote team, working as a Market Researcher. When I was asked to write about my experience as a new employee of the company, I thought it was a great time to get my colleagues’ input also. Meetings are taken over a video call so, as remote workers, we still get that sense of being a part of a team; we are always supported, and often asked if we are in need any help with our workload. Data Analyst, Christopher, said,
“[BP Consulting] are very supportive and inclusive, setting up multiple team meetings so you don’t feel left out, making sure there isn’t any loneliness whilst you’re remote working.”
This is important to keep morale of a remote team high, and to keep us motivated – something that has been incorporated well by the in-office staff.
The main difference between working from home and working in an office is obviously the social side, so the fact that BP Consulting has gone out of their way to ensure that we feel supported, and part of a team has exceeded expectations.
Operations Manager, Sarah, said,
“Where communication in the office is great, this comes naturally through being around each other so and being able to start conversation quickly. However, communications with the remote teams have made us more conscious of the cruciality of communication via virtual means. This is something we have integrated into the entire teams’ habits, both in-house and remotely.”
When asking my colleagues about which form of working they prefer, Data Analyst, Matthew, said, “it’s way more chilled out just sitting and working on your own at home with some music on”. I agree; sitting down at 9am and being able to play some music to get you on your way is a massive benefit while you are working on your own terms.
While BP Consulting has placed a lot of emphasis on making sure we feel included, they give us the autonomy to get on with our work – something that some companies do not do.
We are able to get on with out tasks as we are recognized as skilled workers who don’t need our hands held to get the job done. Yasmin commented on this – “I also really enjoy the sense of trust that involves working from home as while we are checked in on and can always ask for help, it’s nice knowing you’re trusted to just get on.”
While we are left to work, BP Consulting have also set up both remote and in-person events have been scheduled to include the remote workers and again, ensure they feel a part of a team. Those who live in the North East have been invited to a brunch. For those who live elsewhere in the country, online quizzes have been arranged, to ensure everyone can feel included.
Preparing for your day is also completely different while remote working.
Instead of taking time to get ready and travelling to an office, we are able to move from our bedrooms to our workspace if that is what we want me to do!
Below is a picture of Ben’s workspace:
My teammate, Ben, said he likes to “wake up early, get everything opened up and organized on the laptop for a productive day ahead”. It may be surprising to hear that productivity and motivation was not affected when working from home. It is easy to assume that remote workers would feel under-motivated to work and therefore would be unable to hit targets, but that is not the case.
Oliver, the Director of BP Consulting agrees;
“I find the remote team are a lot more independent; tasks are assigned to them, and they conduct the task to a great standard. They are confident in asking questions where needed but have always perused tasks with the freedom to find the process/methods that work best for them, always being proactive in finding solutions.”
There are many people across the UK who have improved work ethic from their own home, for one reason or another. Our Operations Manager, Sarah, agrees, stating, “there are so many benefits that were realised from having a team work remotely, such as access to wider pool of talent and working with people who find they are most productive at home.”
Oliver also had some thoughts on our remote workforce, emphasising the importance of the team to the ever-growing, “Each individual adds to the exponential growth that we are experiencing as a company. It’s fantastic to have them onboard and share success with them for all of the hard work they’ve done.”, which BP Consulting have indeed been doing. We are lucky at BP Consulting to have incorporated into the team so well, which I believe has been a key element to the success of the remote workforce.