We’re living in an uncertain world and unprecedented times where the environment of business and the common workplace has changed drastically overnight. On top of a long list of things you likely have to manage in your life to weather this storm, you now have the concern that your company staff is struggling too. You’re probably wondering how you can keep your team productive and focused while working from home in the midst of these sudden changes.
Here’s a short guide outlining some main steps you can take to stabilize your business, optimize for efficiency, and keep your team productive while shifting to a work from home model.
Enable Your Workforce with the Right Tools
A major hurdle to this sudden work from home shift is a lack of the proper technology to maintain the same level of productivity workers had in office. From customer service to team collaboration to business specific software and security, shifting to working from home has created some major technology gaps.
Thankfully, there are several online tools and cloud-based solutions available to help you quickly and cheaply replace the technology that was readily available to your team in-office. Check out our eBook, “8 Tips to Follow When Working from Home,” which includes specific technology recommendations.
Establish Work from Home Processes
Transitioning to working from home will require a revamp of your typical business processes and some enforcement of the new standard so you can make sure everyone is on the same page. Determine what works and what doesn’t with your new capabilities and consider how effectively your employees can meet usual standards while working from home.
Some areas to consider include hours of operation and tracking work hours, maintaining work areas in the home, updated dialog with customers, which software and tools everyone should use, how work will be submitted, and how you will collaborate and conduct meetings. The goal is to create a simplified version of your in-office system that everyone can follow on a unified front. Make sure to include accountability into your plan so you can help your team stay focused. Tools like Slack can keep your staff and clients connected, collaborating, and submitting work in a private and secure online environment.
Maintain the Culture Your Team is Accustomed To
While social distancing has become the standard, interaction remains just as important as it always was. It’s important for the morale of your employees that you maintain the company culture they’ve come to expect. Good morale does wonders for team productivity. Plus, being sheltered in home makes engagement all the more important to avoid further issues such as depression and fatigue, which can affect not only your employees’ work but their health.
Initiate video meetings instead of phone calls so you can visit with each other face to face. Encourage discussion and sharing of concerns and offer to help in any ways that you can. Take part in charitable works such as delivering groceries or making video calls to nursing home residents as a team, then keep track of your contributions in a company chart. You could also have company trivia contests, play games online together over lunch, or host a Netflix Party for a little fun.
Stay Safe and Conquer the Challenge
Switching to a work from home environment is challenging for anyone, especially when the issue is forced unexpectedly. Hopefully we’ve given you some ideas that will help you keep your business, staff, and customers safe yet productive.
For more information about working from home, information about tools which can keep your business thriving, or to just get some basic answers to any questions you have give us a call at (781) 235-5520. You can also download our free eBook, “8 Tips to Follow When Working from Home,” and distribute it to your workforce.