Since the beginning of the COVID-19 health crisis, we have discussed many different ways to help your employees adapt to working from home. From the latest hi-tech gadgets to security measures and guidelines – we hope you have found these blogs to be helpful in adjusting to the sudden shift in how business is done. Now that it looks as if Florida is moving towards a re-opening, your organization may have learned a thing or two about having a remote workforce.
If you are like many business owners across the United States, you may have even decided to transition your full-time business model to include flex-time and work-from-home positions. If you saw the positive aspects of letting some employees work from home and would like to continue beyond the crisis, here are some tips to ensure your new policies are successful.
Transitioning to a Remote Workforce
- Communication is KeyUsing text messaging and email to convey important messages is sometimes necessary – but sometimes, a note can get buried in an inbox, or a sentiment can be misconstrued. Depending on your business, emails may be necessary for a paper trail, while other organizations need conversation to properly move forward. Only you know how your company best operates, but whatever your choice of medium, setting expectations and policy is key. Make sure everyone understands the communication protocols. This may mean a 15 minute conference call to kick off every morning, or an email protocol for everyone to follow to report their day’s activities. No matter what works for your organization, the most important aspect is to set expectations and communicate them effectively.Communication tools such as Slack are useful for instant messaging throughout the day – allowing people to ask questions of the group but not stop everything for a call. Skype and Zoom enable face-to-face conferencing, while tools such as Asana make sure that employees understand the open tasks which have been assigned to them.
- Solicit FeedbackWhile tips, tricks and suggestions can be useful in setting your work from home policy, you must remain flexible – and aware of the fact that every organization has its own culture and personalities. Whether or not they like the arrangement is important, but also concentrate on productivity and workflow. Have projects been delayed, or are things moving more quickly? Are reports being filed on time, messages being answered in a timely manner, and approvals easy to obtain? Make adjustments as necessary.
- Conduct TrainingMost companies will not transition to a completely work-from-home structure. Still, every employee should receive guidance and training regarding how to conduct business. Work-from-home employees will need to understand their guidelines, but office employees will need to keep the remote workers in the loop in new ways.
- Managerial Expectations: Make an extra effort to review the policy with managerial staff, so that the protocols are consistent. In order for your new policy to be effective, member of the management team need to be comfortable in their employees productivity. In short, they have to trust their direct reports to do the right thing. There will be a temptation to micromanage, a strategy destined to annoy good employees.The opportunity to work at least partially from home is a powerful employee perk. When executed correctly, you can boost morale and productivity. Building trust with your employees will earn loyalty and ultimately benefit your company over the long term.
The team at Alliance IT is happy to help you to set up the telecommunications, technology and security you need to make your remote workforce strategy a success. If you need managed IT services, call us today.