Due to the rise of the global health crisis, many businesses were forced to impose remote working arrangements for their employees. This is to ensure everyone is safe while having the opportunity to earn money without risking their health. However, many employers aren’t very keen on the setup because they think it’ll decrease their employees’ productivity.
Most employees choose to telecommute because it offers more flexibility and freedom than going to an external location. When employees work from home, they can set their own pace and determine the times they work. In addition, they can take time off when they need to.
Being Efficient In Remote Work
Although employees have the freedom and flexibility when working anywhere they want, their employers must still monitor and ensure their productivity. Here are some ways workers can increase their productivity while working remotely:
1. Use Online Tools For Document Sharing
Employers and employees must have access to files and materials needed to be finished. Relying on email to send and share documents will create numerous problems because changes can’t be seen and tracked automatically. And sometimes, attachments can get lost as threads become longer.
Companies must use online tools for easy document sharing to ensure files are being updated regularly and everyone has access to them. They can use social intranet management systems like Google Fax and others for business. Team members can see who has access to the files and who has made some edits.
2. Communicate Through Various Channels
Constant communication between teams, managers, and business owners are critical to ensure everyone is productive while doing remote work. Businesses can use different communication channels to collaborate, discuss, and have a meeting to identify the agendas for the day, week, or month.
For group meetings, employees, managers, and supervisors can communicate through a central platform. Businesses can also post announcements or project developments through management tools or boards.
3. Set Priorities For The Day
Managers and supervisors should set daily priorities to keep everyone in check. It’s also essential to update the to-do list for people to track what has been accomplished already. It should be very clear as to what is expected from the employees. Setting key performance indicators help because it acts as a guide to what should be done within a period.
Employees should also be open to their managers or supervisors about what they can finish given their home situation. They must set realistic priorities and not overcommit because having delays can also hamper the team’s progress.
4. Define Boundaries
One of the signs remote employees are stressed is when you observe many negative languages from them. You might hear remarks about the project being hard or about the possibility of missing the deadline. It could be your employee is feeling burnt out. One reason why remote employees feel more stressed than those working in the office is the lack of boundaries between home and work.
Some employers think they can contact their employees anytime they want since they’re just working at home and have everything they need to accomplish a task. Employers must respect boundaries even when they’re working at home.
It’s important to set a time where managers or supervisors can contact their workers if they need something urgently done. Employers should respect this time and only contact employees when it’s a critical task.
Employees should also set boundaries by finding a comfortable and quiet space where they can work and have meetings with their supervisors. They should also avoid using any gadgets or do anything that’ll distract them from doing their work. It’s best to set up a home office or space where they can work quietly without being bothered.
Summary
There are many things businesses can do to improve the productivity of their employees. While remote working provides employees the freedom and flexibility to work anywhere, employers should support the setup by providing tools where everyone can share files easily. They should also have communication channels where teams can talk about their tasks.
Managers and supervisors should also have a set of priorities they want to be done within the day to guide the employees on what they need to accomplish. Lastly, employers and employees should both set some boundaries while working.
Employers should ensure they respect their employees’ time while employees should ensure they have a comfortable and conducive space at home where they can be free from distractions. When both practice setting limitations, it helps avoid remote working burnout, and employees will keep their energy and productivity high.
