The world has changed a lot in recent times, with the COVID-19 global health crisis leading to some major shifts in the way people live all over the globe. This has been especially clear to see in the world of work, where many businesses both great and small have had to make a shift towards ‘remote working’, sending employees home and trying to conduct their usual operations at a distance.
There are both advantages and disadvantages to be seen in this shift. On the one hand, remote working can be considered more flexible and comfortable for a lot of workers; it allows them to potentially enjoy a more comfortable home-work balance, as they don’t need to worry about long commutes and can spend more time with their loved ones.
On the other hand, remote working brings a lot of challenges too. Digital miscommunication and time management problems have arisen for many businesses in recent months, and many companies have found it hard to keep motivation, engagement, and productivity levels high among their employees. With this in mind, let’s take a look at some useful tips to help your company stay on course for success.
Keep Your Teams Motivated
As stated above, a big issue that has faced many companies when trying to work remotely is the fact that employee motivation levels and team engagement levels have often seen a sharp and sudden drop. It can be difficult to keep workers motivated when they’re not in the office, without colleagues and managers around them and feelings of isolation or loneliness to contend with.
This is why it’s up to people in positions of authority and management to keep teams motivated and engaged. Fortunately, there are many ways to do this. Virtual team-building strategies can be essential here, with methods like gamified learning, regular video conferences, online group training courses, and regular feedback sessions proving highly effective.
Make the Most of Modern Technology
Any business wanting to succeed in today’s world needs to embrace technology, and when working remotely, this fact is particularly pertinent. You can’t hope to succeed in managing remote employees and fostering collaboration if you don’t make the most of the modern-day tools and solutions that allow for these processes to take place.
Do your research and find ways in which technology can help your remote workers become more effective and efficient. Obvious examples of such software include systems like Zoom and Skype for video conferences and meetings, but there are also many other types of software like communication platforms, remote workplace solutions, cloud-based collaboration services, scheduling software for time management, and more.
Value Every Employee
One of the truly disheartening facts associated with remote working is that it can lead to a lot of negative mental health consequences for the workers themselves. Many people who have made the switch to remote working report feelings of loneliness, isolation, and a lack of connection with their colleagues and company.
It’s important for managers and business owners to understand this and to respond it to correctly. Yes, you need to make sure your workers are being productive and efficient, but you also need to value them as human beings, providing communication platforms to help people feel less lonely, being open and approachable so workers can talk to you about their concerns, and being flexible enough to make changes here and there which may improve your workers’ conditions and quality of life.
Accountability Matters
While the mental health and well-being of your workers has to be a primary concern, you also cannot overlook the fact that businesses need to make money and be successful, and they rely on hard-working employees in order to hit those goals and remain on track, even when working remotely, so it’s important to enforce accountability among the workforce on a regular basis.
It’s often the case that people working remotely may not put as much effort into day to day tasks or may feel like certain projects are less significant, making them less productive overall, and it’s up to managers to prevent these kinds of opinions and attitudes from forming. Let your employees know that their daily tasks are just as important as ever, and hold regular check-ins, meetings, and follow-ups to monitor progress.
Final Word
Making the shift to remote work can be a serious challenge for any business, and there will inevitably be bumps along the road, but with the right approach and relevant changes to your way of work, your company can make the change and maintain efficiency levels too.
Founder Dinis Guarda
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