We need not emphasize the impact of coronavirus across the globe and how it is spreading in over 78 countries. The centers for Disease Control and Prevention has asked the public to be prepared for this pandemic and everyone is doing their bit to ensure safety and protection. Business owners and entrepreneurs are too putting in their best efforts in this cause and are now encouraging the employees to work from home in order to restrict interaction and social embracing. Considering the panic and unrest in the world, the task to organize a remote team can be daunting.
So, we thought to come to your aid and help you plan remote working in this time of crisis. A powerful Human Resource Integration System can prove to be a boon in such times, bringing all the employees at one place and integrating all the systems together. Apart from this, the following points would guide you at every step and make things convenient for you.
Have a read:
Create Guidelines
Effective communication is the key to ensure a smooth workflow in the office. However, working remotely can hamper the whole communication system, thereby, affecting productivity adversely. So, it is imperative to set an efficient communication system that can keep your teams together while keeping a tab on their daily tasks easily. As a business owner or manager, it is your duty to create an open communication channel for all employees where they can convey their issues and keep you informed about all the updates. Of course, this may be a bit complicated for larger enterprises with multiple remote teams. But, with strategic planning, you can have a transparent mode to connect with your staff members.
Share all the communication guidelines with employees and ask them to abide by all the rules written in the agreement. And yes, don’t forget to take their opinion on the preferred mode of communication, such as email, text, phone, video conference, etc., and the best time that suits them all for team meetings.
Set Achievable Targets
Let’s face it. Everyone is stressed out these days. They have no idea about the uncontrolled situation and they are simply waiting for everything to get back to normal. In such tough times, you certainly cannot expect them to be as dedicated and productive as earlier. Moreover, working from home has a few restrictions too and you need to structure your work around it. You have to consider all the aspects and then assign targets to your employees so that neither you nor workers face any challenge or loss. With achievable tasks, you can be assured of better outcomes and productivity.
Also, when the team knows that it can attain the set objectives, it gives them a positive direction to work and motivation to accomplish their goals.
Prioritize Daily Tasks
While working in an office, it is easy to work toward various goals at a time and handle different projects simultaneously. However, you cannot expect the same in the case of remote working. You must have a vision on the current priorities with a clear idea about the tasks that needed to be done first. Moreover, you cannot ask them to juggle various tasks and projects while working from home. Therefore, narrow down your targets, list them according to priority, and convey it to your team. This will surely eliminate any complexities and ensure that the work is done smoothly. Conduct team meeting from time to time to keep an eye on all the updates and track the progress of employees. We would recommend you to get an employee benefits software for your company where your team can register and you can be in constant touch with your employees.
Follow-Up
Of course, reviewing and interacting with staff is easier when you are in office. However, with work from home, the scenario changes a lot. You cannot physically meet them and have to connect via telephone, chat or email to analyze their work and track the progress. Hence, it becomes mandatory to adopt an effective communication mode that can give you all the updates and have all the required information on one dashboard. The employees can check-in daily on the agreed time and dedicate the same hours to work. You can have virtual meetings to get the reports and ask them to submit the work by the end of the day. Also, switch from the formal mode and inquire about their health and well-being too.
Encourage Self-Care
The world is facing tough times and things are hardly under our control anymore. This is the time that we take care of ourselves and the people we care. Your employees are no exception to it. As an employer, it is your moral duty that you encourage self-care to keep them fit and healthy. Motivate them to adopt good eating habits, take sufficient breaks, workout enough, sleep well and engage in fun activities. This will keep their mind off other stressful things and boost their productivity as well. With rejuvenated mind and body, you can expect a better quality of work and required dedication. Furthermore, make sure that everyone is registered under employee benefits scheme and have medical insurance just in case the need arises.
Conclusion
There is no denying the fact that the current digital era had made it easier for employers to connect with their remote employees. However, you need a platform that is reliable and effective. Moreover, you also need to assure your team members that they are valued and important for your company. So, keep motivating them and support them and rest assured that in return, they will leave no stone unturned to give their best.
