With companies everywhere the U.S. and therefore the world mandating or encouraging remote work, here are ways to stay your employees getting critical work done.
There’s little doubt coronavirus (COVID-19) has drastically changed the business landscape in 2020, with more businesses than ever encouraging or requiring employees to figure from home. While many employees already do some work remotely, many workers and managers are still trying to regulate the current paradigm shift.
Working from home means more distractions, fewer ways to interact naturally with fellow employees, and more social isolation — all of which may result in less productivity. to beat these challenges, employers should explore new ways to manage and collaborate with employees and enable more ways for workers to attach with one another.
Here are six ways you’ll keep your team productive while they’re performing from home or within the field.
1. Equip your team with tech and productivity tools
First and foremost, one among the foremost important ways to assist teams to succeed while working remotely is to urge them tools to assist them to stay connected and productive. These include the essential Microsoft Office, project management tracking apps like Asana and Airtable, chat/messaging apps like Slack and Microsoft Teams, and video conferencing apps like Zoom and Google Hangouts.
Equipping teams with these new technologies allows managers and employees all to be on the identical page regardless of where they’re engaging from, whether it’s from home or waiting in an exceedingly long line at the grocery. These new apps may also help keep your team more productive and connected after COVID-19 fears lessen and folks return to figure.
2. Establish daily check-ins
With managers not getting daily face time with employees and employees not having the ability to talk around the proverbial device, creating a daily check-in routine is vital thanks to set priorities and foster connections. A morning check-in via video chat, call, or instant message can create a way of normalcy. These check-ins may be one-on-one or held among small groups.
The tech and productivity tools mentioned above are often vital for revamping regular check-ins. for instance, if you previously held a daily all-hands meeting in-person, you’ll want to use a video conferencing app to possess a virtual version of the identical meeting each morning. Revamped meetings that adapt specifically to remote workers can facilitate your maintain productivity.
3. Encourage dedicated workspaces
Many regular office workers haven’t needed a dedicated workspace in their homes, but if they’re now regularly engaging from home, managers should encourage the creation of home offices that break free communal space. In some cases, companies have even offered large stipends to assist workers to create appropriate, productive spaces for remote work.
Dedicated workspaces can help free employees from the traditional distractions from home life. With many parents desperate to be a reception with their children because of school closures, an office off from family can allow you to keep up focus and be a task. whether or not this office could be a temporary makeshift space — like a guest room, basement, attic or walk-in closet — this may facilitate your mentally separate work from home.
ALSO READ: How The Digital Economy Emerges Further With COVID-19
4. Provide emotional and steady support
As performing from home can contribute to loneliness and negative emotions, employers should do what they’ll to supply emotional support to employees. Leaders should set the tone for his or her virtual offices with a peaceful and upbeat presence, which helps create a level-headed workplace where people can still get things done.
In a fully remote work setup, managers should even be more available than usual for check-ins and other questions that will come up given the unfamiliar circumstances. Set virtual office hours and be present on instant messaging apps throughout the day to assist employees.
Leaders should additionally encourage self-care among their employees, who mentally try to adapt to remote work, the strain of the latest environments, and therefore the stress of daily updates around COVID-19. Managers should advocate for Remote employees to exercise, get quality sleep, take showers, and continue on with their lives as normally as they’ll.
5. Dress for fulfillment
While it’s going to not sound important to be dressed for business while acting from home, psychologically it does help many workers to not be wearing sweatpants and pajamas while trying to be productive. Dressing up for yourself can even mentally facilitate your feel better, thus making it easier to specialize in checking important tasks off your list. Dressing appropriately also allows employees to feel easier hopping on an impromptu video call with clients or coworkers.
6. Don’t ditch non-work interactions and team building
Finally, one very last thing that will not be obvious to managers is that the importance of facilitating non-work interactions among remote workers. Creating time and space for workers to speak about news, hobbies, and other topics — even as they might have wiped out the office — helps them relieve stress and feel better connected. a method to try to do this can be to go away some minutes before and after video conferences open for people to catch up. Another is to host a weekly virtual hour (drinking not required) or a virtual team-building exercise to create bridges between employees.
