From entrepreneur Martyn Sibley
Remote working is still a hot topic. For disabled people, it’s been touted as a big leap forward. Many businesses are still grappling with the pros and cons of this new era.
This can create many frustrations and fears for employers and employees. Indeed, for disabled and non-disabled employees too. We have to pause and remember everyone wants and aspires to the same things. When the people that make a business can thrive, the business grows, which creates more jobs and prosperity for the staff.
At Purple Goat we launched during the first lockdown. We’ve never had an office. All of our team are remotely based.
For me, as a disabled person, it certainly has its benefits. I don’t have to commute. Finding an accessible office isn’t necessary (which can be a nightmare unfortunately). In winter, particularly, I can use my lower energy levels on the things that really matter.
For the team too, there’s lots of benefits. We’ve had team members work from Madeira and South Africa! We’ve got staff near Manchester, Birmingham and London. It’s opened up the geographical areas we can search for great talent.
However, naturally there’s challenges. As human beings we crave connection, including at work, and not only via screens. There’s something about meeting in person. So we now try our best to meet up together in person, either for work or more often for a company social.
Naturally, communication and organisation vary from physical offices to virtual workplaces. Again, we’ve found solutions through online calls, messaging and document sharing. We’ve definitely found it to be very productive.
I don’t think anyone can say one or the other style is best. Even for different individuals, there’ll be a leaning towards physical or virtual work. For us, considering accessibility, inclusion and diversity, virtual work, with a touch of in person, certainly continues to be a great way for Purple Goat to keep powering on with our mission – to serve our clients’ business needs and empower our disability community.