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Whether you like it or not, Work-From-Home is a new reality for organizations across the world. In this ‘new normal’ scenario of working from home, workers can quickly feel saturated, impacting their performance and overall productivity. As an employer or a manager, you want to ensure that everyone is motivated and on track. As a PEO that works across continents, SERVIAP has extensive experience in recruiting remote teams on behalf of our clients and has been 100% remote since March 2020. Read on to know more about the top productivity tips that we’ve developed
Working from home environment
Before the pandemic, working from home was commonly frowned upon and criticized. But with safety regulations and social-distancing protocols, employers and employees both have to create the right work-life environment. Despite the stigma around it, remote work leads to at least a 13% increase in productivity, when workers receive adequate support from their teams. When an employer engages regularly and effectively, they help their team achieve higher work-satisfaction, which is paramount in remote-work.
Employee collaboration when your team is working from home
There is a significant growth in telecom and chat services recently, which shows that people are using these (and other) means for quick communication while working remotely. Having an easy means of digital communication is the key to a collaborative workforce. As a manager, you can ensure that your employees work together to maximize potential and create a productive thrust.
If part of your operations is in another country, you’re probably worried about remote teams’ productivity. Using a PEO service like SERVIAP can make it very easy for your international business projects. SERVIAP will take the best decisions related to the specific country’s culture and regulations and provide the most suitable infrastructure and support required by your international employees.
How to remain productive when transitioning to a work from home environment
In this digitally advanced time, there’s probably a tech solution for everything. Using some of those solutions, you can advance your business and its international growth with a productive remote workforce. Here are the essential tips to generate or ensure productivity in a remote team:
1. Create a balanced office structure
The way you structure your company, and its personnel will define how your employees understand and respond to the workflow. Create clear roles with balanced responsibilities, which keeps the worker in a healthy and robust relationship with his/her peers. Analyze employee bandwidths, roles, and goals at the start so you can make an effective and balanced office structure.
2. Evaluate and monitor performance
Ask your employees “What are the markers of good performance for you?”, speak with them to see how they evaluate their work. Have weekly or bi-monthly performance updates with your team members and see who hasn’t caught up. Small interventions can go a long way to bring all of your team up-to-speed, and it will also encourage the habit of solving problems.
3. Maintain engagement and communication with your team
Starting with a polite question, such as asking after your team-mate’s health, will never be a bad idea. Constant engagement will make your workers feel heard, cared-for, and it will also help them relieve some of the pressure. By having effective communication within a team, you can reduce the turnaround time and clarify doubts that may become roadblocks later.
4. Establish daily check-ins
A daily agenda is a time-saver and a game-changer when it comes to productivity. Build circles or of employees who are responsible for each other’s daily check-in. In each process, the peers can list tasks they want to finish, or set as many small milestones as possible. Daily check-in is also an excellent tool to brainstorm or break a mental barrier.
5. Encourage dedicated workspaces
The importance of having a separate space for work, with a comfortable (but not too-comfortable) chair, desk, and some daylight cannot be emphasized enough. Ask your team to separate the furniture or objects associated with work from those associated with leisure. By simulating an office’s conditions, you will ensure a better impact on your team’s productivity.
6. Equip your team with tech and productivity tools
Working without the proper tech tools is like lifting heavy weight with no strength – you could probably make it work but it will cause damage and slow you down. Equip your workers with the right hardware and software they would need to operate smoothly. There are also a variety of collaborative productivity tools in the market which you can use to manage your team and projects. Choose something that suits the culture and targets of your company, buy a subscription, and share it with your employees.
Conclusion
Remote work is not going out of fashion any time soon, so it is best to be prepared and to prepare your team for it. Working from home will be challenging for some people, but you can maximize your remote employees’ productivity with the tips listed above. And if these don’t work either, then ask them to take a short break!
Global Remote Workforce & Best Practices
Remote = Global | Here are tips on being “Home Office”
