Across the globe, millions of companies were adversely affected when the COVID-19 pandemic struck last March. Millions were also out of jobs and left without a livelihood due to the lockdowns’ restrictions. People started working from home and become either excited or disenchanted by the new setup. Businesses must adapt or lose out to the crisis and future challenges to come.
As workers start working from home, business owners have the new responsibility to see that workers adapt well to their new workplace and be more productive. In this article, we’ll discuss three ways to make working from home more productive.
Virtual Tools
Working from home entails a similar infrastructure as the actual one, such as working, collaborating, and being productive. But providing workers with virtual tools such as videoconferencing, virtual apps, phones, and computers and training can be daunting. All these can make everything work well as if you’re working in n virtual office.
Each item is essential to the success of a virtual office:
- Work area- a remote worker must have a clean, separate, and quiet area to work at home away from distractions.
- Stable Internet – internet speed must at least be 20 Mbps and above and should be stable.
- Credentials – Such as accounts, login ID, and password are essential for a smooth work from home operation.
- Tools- Laptops, desktops, phones, modems, routers, web cameras, headsets with microphones are all essential to do the job remotely
- Contact Details – This ensures smooth communication and collaboration with the team, and of course, during emergencies.
Motivating the Team
As important as the physical infrastructure, each member of the team’s psychology is equally essential in keeping the workers’ mental and emotional health healthy. As a manager or business owner, you must keep them connected or feel belonging to the team. Open communication is critical. A listening ear will do wonders for your team members.
- Be available – Make yourself available often to workers needing your help. But there should be rules and expectations as well.
- Communication – Open communication through virtual conferencing and calls, chat, or text messages.
- Keep a Schedule – Establish a schedule and agree on them.
- Data Security: Establish measures around data security from networks, to servers, to computers.
- Consideration and Respect: This is important as everyone has different timezones and work habits.
Train Employees on Productivity
It is essential to teach employees the importance of productivity by setting boundaries at home, health, physical wellness, professionalism even at home, establishing a strict schedule, and more.
