The world is seeing the largest work-from-home experiment due to the Coronavirus outbreak. While the idea of remote working or telecommuting is hardly new, the truth is, many leaders are still grappling with the challenges of managing a virtual team. Sure, working in a personal space, instead of a professional environment, sounds like a great idea. But here’s the catch: at-home distractions are inevitable.
Distractions derail productivity as it causes people to take longer to complete even a simple task. That being said, ensuring employees stay focused and connected while working from home should be a priority for a business leader. If you are considering a remote working policy or already adopted it, here are tips to ensure your employees stay productive while working from home.
Shifting to work in a remote setting might not be as easy as it sounds, especially if it is the first time for your staff doing so. Tell your employees what is expected of them during the work from home assignment. This is important to ensure that you and the team are on the same page and have a clear vision of the organisational goals that should be achieved within a designated timeline. Setting clear expectations and realistic goals from the beginning of remote assignments will help employees streamline their work processes, thereby boosting productivity.
The tools you and your employees use to collaborate and communicate in a virtual environment can boost or blow productivity. Provide employees with the right resources while working remotely, such as computer equipment, mobile devices, software, as well as subsidies for internet connection and mobile data. If you are responsive in fulfilling what employees need, employees will be grateful and show the gesture by giving their best performance for the company.
In a remote setting, leaders must learn how to manage a team from afar, knowing when to get involved and when to back off, as well as trying not to micromanage. You can do this by conducting regular one-on-one check-in with everyone in the team, such as asking how they are doing, updates on their progress, or any issues they might be facing. It can be done via phones, video calls, or even a quick chat. Not only does it avoid miscommunication that can hamper productivity, it can help minimize the loneliness and isolation when working at home, especially in today’s time of social distancing.
Just like anything else, communication is key to remote team productivity. When team members are working separately, open communication is crucially needed to make collaboration run smoothly. Help your employees stay focused and productive by simplifying the communication process. This means that you have to provide communication tools that they can utilise to stay connected with you and their coworkers.
As mentioned earlier, distractions while working from home can be enormous. To deal with lazy team members who are slacking off during work hours, you can use workflow management software. This solution helps you distinguish what your employees are doing and track their progress without having to be physically present around them. Not only ensuring productivity during work from home, performance management software can also improve employee engagement as they can see how they can contribute to the organisation.
If you are considering using a workflow management platform and making impacts on your remote team’s productivity, Synergo is the answer. It is a cloud-based employee workflow management software that helps managers monitor and track tasks real time. With over 15,000 users, Synergo is a local product that supports remote work culture with several top features.
Get ready to boost productivity and inspire employees with Synergo. To support businesses in the battle against Covid-19 disruption, get 60-day of free access from Synergo today. Check their website for free consultation and improve your remote team’s productivity – now!
Working in a virtual setting makes it tough for managers to keep an eye on employees’ movement during work hours. That being said, instead of focusing on the activity or hours spent, you should pay more attention to the outcomes and follow through on deliverables. When organisations are sending employees home to do remote working during the outbreak, it is pivotal for managers to trust in their staff. Remote employees tend to be result-oriented, so you have to believe that they remain productive in their jobs even if you cannot see them.
Working in-house requires employees to be in the office from 9 to 5. However, things could be different when they work from home. In today’s era of constant connectivity, always-on culture becomes the norm that it becomes easy for one to neglect their mental and physical health. As a leader, it is important for you to encourage employees to prioritize their health – especially during times of global pandemic like this.
Read also: COVID-19: How To Make Your Self-Quarantine Fun & Productive
