Remote working situations saw a boom when the COVID-19 pandemic began. As offices begin to re-open and return to traditional work, many businesses are still allowing their employees to choose where they work.
A recent survey stated that 77% of remote workers feel they are more productive working from home; the same survey stated that 74% of workers say having the option to work remotely makes them less likely to leave their company.
With these sorts of encouraging facts and figures, it is important for employers to make sure that their employees not have the option to work remotely, but are equipped with the right tools to work efficiently and productively.
Equip employees with the right tech
Virtual communications and collaborations will be the key to an efficient, productive remote workforce, so you employees need the right tools and technology to work well. Even if they have a mobile phone and computer at home, they may need some upgrades – like a headset, or camera, for video and phone calls.
Further, investing in collaborative platforms like Microsoft 365 will make it easier for remote workers to access the same information, data, and tools they need to collaborate and work effectively.
Staying connected
There are a few challenges that come with remote work, such as lack of face-to-face communication and missing feedback from colleagues. However, these challenges can be overcome by creating a culture of communication and collaboration between employees and managers. Social interactions are imperative to keeping morale up among your team.
To ensure your employees are staying connected with you and each other, you can:
- Schedule weekly check-ins between teams
- Use email to schedule meetings or phone calls
- Create shared calendars
- Set up video conferences
Digital tools like Microsoft 365’s Teams app, or Zoom, have simple tools developed around enabling remote work. You can use them to video or phone call, message, create group chats, and send project updates through various channels.
Using these digital tools to simply catch up is also extremely useful for enhancing your company culture during remote work. Since you can’t chat in the break room while making a cup of coffee, taking time each day to chat to your virtual team will help you all remain connected.
Working together, while apart
Collaborative work is a key component for creating a remote work environment. It is the best way to enable co-workers to be productive and efficient.
Gone are the annoying days of emailing a single document to multiple people and waiting for all the replies; cloud-based services like Microsoft 365 OneDrive and Teams, or Google Docs, allow people to work on a document together in real time.
Cloud platforms, such as Azure, enhance the efficiency and productivity of remote working teams. The cloud can be accessed from any location, on any device, as long as the user has access to reliable WiFi. Data and information can be saved and stored securely for employees to find when they need it.
Regular employee training
Regular skill training sessions helps employees to remain productive, and is also a way for companies to ensure that their employees are on the same page with regard to company culture and goals, or digital tools and apps.
Training webinars are commonplace and easy for everyone to access; it’s also a good way for employees to work together, ask questions, and spend time in the same virtual workplace while at home.
Regular training helps with remote working engagement and performance. It can vastly help employees in learning how to use the remote working apps and tools you’ve implemented.
Managing your team from a distance
Managing your remote employees is a challenging task. From communication to project management, staying on top of all tasks will be a matter of constant and clear communication, and using tools and apps that streamline schedules and work processes.
Tips on managing your remote team:
- Establish clear expectations with your team members to keep everyone on the same page.
- Create a list of responsibilities for each member and make sure that everyone is aware of what it entails.
- Implement a digital tool such as Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom, or Skype to communicate with your team members.
- Make sure that you have clear goals in place so that everyone knows why they are working on specific projects or tasks.
- A virtual workplace can be helpful in managing your team remotely if you have the right tools at your disposal.
Discover your remote working solution
Optimizing your remote workplace largely comes down the having the right digital landscape that enables your employees to work and communicate efficiently and easily.
The IT support experts at Solzorro can help you design and implement the right IT infrastructure to best enable your remote workforce. No matter how complex your business needs are, they have the solutions available. Talk to them today and get started on enhancing your digital workspace.
