Why life's a beach for some channel partners in 2022
Can a 100% 'work from anywhere' model really work in the channel?
"I think a lot of the challenges people put around why remote working wouldn't work aren't even based on their experiences, but on their misconceptions."
That's the view of Bob Sahota, sales director at Highgate Solutions, a fast-growing Cisco, Lenovo and Microsoft partner that has operated a ‘work from anywhere' model since its inception in 2010 and is currently trialling a four-day week.
WFH vs the office is perhaps the biggest riddle facing channel partner bosses as they grapple with staff and customer satisfaction levels in a post-Covid world. Are staff as productive working from home? Are they as engaged and happy? Will they move to competitors who offer them more flexibility? Do clients expect their suppliers to have a physical office?
These are all questions exec teams will have asked themselves a thousand times over the last two years, and is one of the key debates explored in this year's CRN Rising Stars 2022 report, which looks at how six of the UK's most ambitious, most profitable and fastest-growing channel partners are doing differently. It can be viewed here.
Some have chosen to double down on revamped office space, with CAE, for instance, recently investing in a new multi-million pound HQ complete with recording studio, prayer room, wellness space, games room and a staircase-based amphitheatre for company meetings.
It will "reinforce the culture, inclusivity and positivity that is at the heart of CAE," according to CEO Justin Harling.
Most have settled on a hybrid model, encouraging staff to commute to the office typically three days a week but also offering them flexibility. In some cases, satellite offices have been shuttered or mothballed.
But can a 100 per cent remote working model really work in our sector?
I'm not saying that this is the only way to work. But you can certainly make working from anywhere work for you if you want to - Bob Sahota, Highgate Solutions
One company claiming it can is Highgate, a reseller that has grown from zero to approaching 20 staff and £15m turnover in the space of a little over a decade. It is also trialling a four-day week for three months from April, with the aim of adopting the policy permanently if it proves a success.
Founder and MD Stuart Marginson had become frustrated with the rigid working patterns that characterised UK companies at the time, and was adamant that an office-less model could work, Sahota explained.
"It's been 100 per cent work from anywhere from day dot," Sahota said. "Working from anywhere wasn't very common back then, so he pretty much created the business model to see if he could make it work. It drew other people to him that wanted to be able to do what he was doing for their clients."
Marginson is based in the Canary Islands (pictured above), while Sahota himself is preparing to move to the Scottish Highlands.
One big misconception over remote working is that it won't work for junior staff, Sahota said.
"I hear a lot people saying this will work with the veterans, as they know what they're doing and don't need supervision. But when you look at juniors or graduate schemes, everyone assumes they can't work in a remote environment and have to work in a team, and that you have to be monitoring and watching them. There are lots of assumptions. But there's no reason why it has to be that way moving forward, just because it's always been that way," he said.
"I think we have a duty to look at new and different ways of working. You can certainly find [junior] staff who actually say ‘you know what, I work better when I'm on my own, rather than in a bustling office'. They may even thrive in that environment."
Anxiety around proximity to customers may also be misplaced, according to Sahota, who said that some clients relish meeting over a 45-minute video call rather than having to lose half a day commuting into the city.
The work-from-anywhere approach won't work for all companies and personas, Sahota conceded, adding that Highgate has one important advantage over peers looking to tilt towards remote working.
"Because it's always been what we've done, everyone is here out of choice. It's not something that has gradually changed over time and which feels like a compromise to how they want to do things," he said.
The rise in flexible working sparked by the pandemic could be a boon for diversity in what remains a male-dominated industry, according to the CEO of one of this year's Rising Stars in the form of Nettitude's Karen Bolton.
"[The pandemic has meant] we can bring the best of what we had before, and what we have now, including the ability to provide flexibility for people - particularly women, who are not well represented in the cybersecurity industry. Those with disabilities are not well represented either. Having a flexible working environment presents an opportunity for a more diverse population to be able to enter and be successful in the workforce," she said.
Losing one's soul?
The WFH vs office debate is polarising the industry, with Telefónica Tech UK boss Martin Hess recently arguing that a company "loses its soul" if people work from home "all of the time".
"I think it's important to have a sense of place for a business - that's where the ideas come from, where the energy comes from and where the spark comes from," Hess recently told CRN.
Looking at this year's Rising Stars, Misco MD Adam Muir said his sales team have gravitated towards working four days in the office, while Complete IT is currently trialling a hybrid approach of three days in the office and two from home.
"I think it's important to have a sense of place for a business" - Martin Hess, Telefónica Tech UK
"Other people may feel they can create the same relationship using technology in a video conference meeting, but I'm not so sure, personally," Complete IT Colin Blumenthal remarked.
Sahota conceded that there are "many advantages to having an office".
"I'm a big fan of working in the office and I love the environment. But that's not to say that just because we've always done it this way that it's necessarily the only way, or the right way. I think there are many ways," he said.
Sahota advised resellers weighing up which way to turn to talk to their employees and to keep an open mind.
"Don't have any preconceptions around what's going to happen. I think if you can go into it with a very open mind around what the possibilities are, you could open up so many new avenues around things like employee wellbeing and mental health," he said.
"I'm not saying that this is the only way to work. But you can certainly make working from anywhere work for you if you want to.