Remote working isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Google, for example, recently announced that their voluntary work from home scheme will be running until July 2021. What we once thought would be a short-lived temporary solution has very much turned into something much greater…
Now, whilst there are mixed opinions on working from home, studies have shown that it actually leads to an increase in productivity. A study published in the The Quarterly Journal of Economics found that home working led to a 13% performance increase across their sample of 16,000 employees.
But, leading a remote workforce comes with its own set of unique challenges. In today’s post we’re going to outline 7 tips for improving the productivity of a remote workforce.
How To: Improve The Productivity Of A Remote Workforce
01. Set Clear Priorities
Let your staff know exactly what you need them to do. With many different things going on at once, it’s vital that your staff know exactly what they need to do each day. Without clear instruction, working from home can become fairly overwhelming and productivity can drop off.
02. Keep To Same Routines As In The Office
Whilst it’s tempting to change working times and allow flexi-hours, sticking to old routines really helps to keep company cohesivity. Projects can be worked on at the same time and questions can be answered in real-time.
03. Recognise Employee’s Hard Work
Some employees may find working from home particularly demotivating. Recognising their hard work is hence a good way to show them that you appreciate everything they are doing, particularly when you haven’t physically seen them in a while. A quick ‘well done’ that would have been said in the office can become a quick text message.
04. Help Prevent Loneliness
Going from working in the office, surrounded by colleagues, to spending the day alone can be a huge adjustment for many people. Not only that, with no reason to leave the home within working hours, those who live alone may struggle with the lack of social interaction. Setting up casual check-ins is a great way to check how people are doing and maintain some sense of normality.
05. Set Up Seamless Communication Options
Being based out of the office can often mean communication becomes less efficient, with personal mobile numbers being passed about here, there and everywhere. With our Softphones, however, you can make and take calls through the main number of your company on your mobile or laptop. Not only that, you can also use the softphones to transfer calls to colleagues and retrieve all answer phone messages left on your system. Interested? Click here and we’ll be in touch!
06. Provide Best Equipment For Most Efficient Work
Without speedy laptops and good internet connections, those working from home might find that even the simplest of tasks take an age to complete. Providing the best IT services to your colleagues is hence an investment in your business’ efficiency and not one to overlook.
07. Send Updates On Progress
With people working on different things from different places it can become difficult to see the bigger picture. Sending out updates is a great way to keep people in the loop. This ensures team members see everything that is going on.
So, there we have it, 7 tips to improve the productivity of a remote workforce… Want to hear more about the services or products we can provide to increase the productivity of your remote workers? Just drop your details in the form below and we’ll be in touch!