Many companies decided to let their employees work from home until everything goes back to normal. With this, managers have a lot of work to do to ensure the employees can maintain, if not improve their productivity.
To maintain or improve their productivity, managers should employ the following strategies:
Implement Daily Check-Ins
The work-from-home arrangement means the managers may not have the chance to see their employees every day. They will not also have the opportunity to check on them and how they are doing. With this, they should include a virtual check-in into their daily routine.
They can do this through a variety of online tools available in the market. The manager can create a virtual chat room for the team where the employee check-in. It is also possible for the manager to have a morning video chat with the employees to provide reminders about what they need to accomplish for the day.
Additionally, the manager can also create breakout rooms if they need to talk with a particular employee in the team. They can also use breakout rooms to discuss certain parts of a project with a selected number of employees.
These virtual meetings also allow the employees to talk with the manager about any concern they may have about their arrangement. Due to this, the manager should provide positive reinforcement to the employees who may be dealing with other issues at home.
Provide Them with The Right Tools
Providing the team with the right tools is important to ensure their productivity. Since they are working from home, the manager should ensure they are suitably connected to the company’s network. This means they should solve any connectivity issues the employee may have at home.
The company should also provide them with the hardware and software they need to accomplish their jobs. For instance, if the employee’s computer cannot keep up with the software the company is using, then the manager can send one of the office computers to them. Additionally, the employees should have access to the different productivity tools and messaging tools
Some online tools managers can provide include Zoom and Hangouts for videoconferencing, Slack for messaging, Basecamp, Monday, and Asana for project management, and Apple or Microsoft Remote Desktop for remote management of systems.
Providing employees with the right tools allows them to remain productive even if they’re working from home. It also allows the manager to check on the work of the employees at any given time. Additionally, these tools also encourage collaboration among the members of the team when they’re working on a specific project.
Suggest Dedicated Workspaces
With the hardware and software requirements covered, the manager can suggest to their employees to have dedicated workspaces at home. They never needed these workspaces when they were still working onsite. But it is important to ensure they are productive while working from home.
Some companies are spending to ensure their work-from-home employees can create a suitable workspace at home. They provide computers, internet connection, and even desks for these employees. For instance, Shopify and Twitter provided $1,000 for employees working remotely.
These workspaces are similar to the desks and cubicles they had when they were still working onsite. They provide employees with an area where they are free from any distractions they may experience at home. They can set it up in the guest room, a walk-in closet, or the attic. The important thing is that they can focus on their work while they’re at the workspace at home.
Train and Retrain
When employees know what to do, their productivity level goes up. Due to this, managers should make sure the employees are well-trained. This is particularly true with employees who have a work-at-home arrangement. In case a new process comes up, the manager can set up a virtual training session with the employees to ensure they know how the process works.
The same situation applies when the company implements a new system. It’s essential to train the employees on how to use the new system. There are also instances when the manager can organize a retraining session to refresh the knowledge of the employees. This is important for employees who have been with the company for years.
Aside from improving their productivity, the retraining sessions will motivate the employees since they will see that the company values them. The effort of the company in ensuring the employees remain updated with the processes and system it uses shows the value the company gives to its employees.
Improving the productivity of work-from-home employees is challenging. But if the managers know what to do, they’ll see better productivity and efficiency from their employees.