Many companies around the globe are slowly but surely encouraging more and more of their staff to work from home; with good reason! You can expect many benefits from a remote working schedule as an employer, saving cash on property rental, electricity costs and more.
But how can your business accurately adapt to remote working and help your team to thrive? That’s where this handy guide comes in! The following tips and tricks will ensure your company and its employees can flourish no matter where they choose to operate from, so what are you waiting for? Read on to discover more now!
Make Communication A Priority
One of the most important steps that you must follow if you want your team to thrive while working remotely is to make communication a priority. Removing your staff from the office makes it near impossible to maintain the same level of communication as you had once benefited from, as the simple fact is that your team members cannot just get up and go to a colleague’s desk or office for a chat. So, you need to ensure that you try your best to help claw back some communication in order to keep every member of staff in the loop, minimizing mistakes, delays and unnecessary spending. There are lots of different options that you can explore when it comes to remote communicating, starting off with a secure email service.
Email can be a great way to exchange messages and even send files from one team member to the next, but you must make sure your team follows the right steps to keep their accounts as safe as can be. Request that they never open any emails from people or email addresses that they do not recognize, including opening email attachments – this could put your data in harm’s way, as hackers or other malicious intentions could use this as a way to enter into your business systems.
You can also expect to uncover some great virtual meeting applications that you can use as a replacement for your usual get-togethers in the workplace. Setting up a virtual team meeting to start off your day’s work can be an excellent way to communicate your goals and expectations, as well as providing you with a chance to answer any burning questions that your team may have with regards to the work they need to complete. You’ll actually be able to see and hear your team when you use a virtual meeting application, so you can offer a much more personal level of management despite their new remote working set up.
Check In On Your Team Often
It’s essential that you can take the time to check in on your team often, especially if they are new to remote working or have been on their own for some time. Working from home isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, as it can be very isolating especially for people who live alone. It can also be a sedentary experience which makes it harder to get physical exercise, so hooking them up with a membership for a service like PT Distinction can be a useful step. In some cases the only human interaction that your staff may have is their colleagues, so removing this opportunity to converse and bond can knock them off balance. When you take the time to check in on your team you’ll be able to spot these warnings signs, and potentially even look into utilizing a system for desk booking every now and then – booking a desk rather than renting an entire office will be so much cheaper and easier, yet they’ll still get the interaction they need.
You can also benefit from checking on your team when it comes to the quality of their work, too. Taking the chance to ask them if all is going well or whether they need any help or guidance could be the trigger they need to ask for support, boosting the quality of work they produce while helping them to better enjoy their remote working experience. It’s going to be harder for you to spot someone twiddling their thumbs or putting off their work when you aren’t there in the office with them, so checking in regularly can help you to stay on top of your team and keep them on track!
Offer Top Quality Tech
Last but by no means least, it’s vital that you can make an attempt to offer your team some of the best quality technology and devices for them to utilize when they work from home. When they work in-house, you would no doubt provide them with everything they need to do their job properly. However, many bosses fail to recognize that this is something you still need to do when your team is working remotely, as they cannot be expected to pay for their own equipment. If they are, then it’s likely they will go for the cheapest option available due to them only using it for work. This may negatively impact the work they are able to produce, so your customers and reputation can expect to suffer too!
So, take some time to bulk buy an array of useful devices and technology, including things like super fast laptop computers, drawing pads for signatures and more, and potentially even a wifi router if they don’t have one already. Avoid buying second hand or older technology whenever you can, as the world of technology moves at such a fast speed that devices from as little as 5 years ago can be near-redundant today. Research the latest and greatest technology options to see what devices would work best for your team, and approach a supplier with your intentions to buy in bulk to see whether this can trigger some kind of cost cutting deal – buying several devices could mean that you benefit from a discount.
Final Thoughts
Figuring out how to help your team thrive while working remotely has never been such a simple task when you can utilize some of these amazingly effective recommendations. Your business needn’t suffer when your team works from home, so make the most of these tips and tricks to ensure you can all achieve the greatest success – no matter where you might be located!