Working away from the office is the new normal that’s gaining popularity at an increasing pace. In fact, according to Forbes, in 2023, nearly 38% of men and 30% of women worked remotely full-time. Stats also reveal that 23% of men and 22% of women worked remotely part-time. In fact, it’s projected that nearly 32.6 million Americans will be working remotely by 2025! While working away from the office is trendy, the comfort and the warmth of homes may make it hard to find success. However, there’s a trick to it. Keep reading for pro tips that’ll make employees succeed remotely.
Emphasize Security Measures
When employees work away from home, you must ensure they enhance physical security. Just as they lock up the office when they leave for the day, they must do the same when working away from the office. Burglars may break into their living rooms, backyards, or home offices and steal laptops containing sensitive information. In fact, according to Forbes, on average, the US suffers more than a million home burglaries annually. For this reason, employees must be on high alert when working from home.
Employees must also secure their home routers. Cybercriminals are always on the hunt to exploit default passwords on home routers. Most home routers are typically vulnerable to cyber attacks as most people never change their passwords often, making it an easy kill for online criminals. Even so, to enhance security, encourage them to install firmware updates to ensure known vulnerabilities aren’t exploitable.
While working away from the office is fulfilling, it also has a few downtimes. For instance, a worker may be tempted to go and work in a café that serves alcohol. Take a few glasses, and while driving home, be charged with a DUI. Most times, when work is urgent, it’s good to introduce them to a reputable bail company to help them get out of jail when arrested and finish their work duties on time. As a result, workflow will continue uninterrupted.
Set Clear Expectations
Mostly, working away from the office without employee physical supervision may promote confusion. For example, employees may find it difficult to understand their responsibilities, meaning roles are not clarified. As a result, it’s essential to define clearly employee expectations and ensure they fully understand their roles while working remotely to improve their performance standards.
Whether your employees are working for a sales or a home heating oil company that deals directly with clients, it’s essential to have clear guidelines on customer service. The customer is king, and their satisfaction is critical for the business. For this reason, you must set guidelines on communication etiquette, response time, and service quality to keep the customers happy and satisfied.
Setting clear expectations will promote employees’ productivity and accountability. When your employees know what is expected, they’ll prioritize tasks, manage their time effectively, and deliver results. Moreover, clear expectations will help managers track results and provide guidance and the necessary support.
Establish Effective Communication Channels
Did you know that according to Forbes, poor communication reduces trust for over 40% of workers in leadership and their colleagues? Moreover, remote workers are typically more affected, with 54% losing faith in their leadership and 52% in their colleagues. That’s how impactful communication can be! As a result, effective communication is necessary, especially when employees work for a company that offers services to the masses, such as a propane company, to ensure smooth workflow.
Effective communication promotes teamwork. It will enable all employees working away from the office to collaborate, solve problems, and work as a cohesive team. As a result, it’s essential to establish effective communication channels such as instant messaging platforms, project management tools, email, and video conferencing. Such channels allow employees to share ideas, coordinate tasks, seek feedback, and work together to meet common organizational goals.
It’s normal for employees to face challenges when working away from the office. As a result, they may need prompt assistance or guidance to solve such unexpected problems. Having seamless communication channels allows them to ask questions, ask for advice, and get the necessary help promptly.
Encourage Regular Virtual Meetings
Regular meetings help employees collaborate seamlessly. It doesn’t have to be a physical meeting. Through video conferencing or teleconferencing, employees working for a company that needs them to visit sites and solve problems, such as a drain cleaning company, can exchange ideas and discuss projects with similar challenges. For this reason, they can work on tasks, enhancing productivity and teamwork.
Also, employees working away from the office can build rapport with their colleagues and direct supervisors by conducting regular virtual meetings for the company’s benefit. Face-to-face interactions, even through a screen, will help create a sense of cohesion between employees and their managers. Eventually, the meetings will help contribute to a positive work culture, enhance overall team cohesion, and foster a stronger sense of belonging.
Regular virtual meetings help with performance evaluation and feedback. They allow supervisors or managers to recognize employee achievements, provide feedback, and evaluate the performance of employees working away from the office. Moreover, the meetings will allow all parties to discuss progress and project challenges. They also help to identify areas that require improvement.
Use Cloud-Based File Storage
Employees working away from the office should have easy-to-access file storage to file storage. cloud-based file storage allows them to access their files from any corner of the globe. You only need internet connectivity. For this reason, it becomes easy for employees to retrieve, edit, and share files seamlessly without being limited by location. As a result, cloud-based file storage promotes productivity and enhances collaboration as employees can work on projects or documents in real-time.
Data security and backup are necessary whether employees work for a bank or a bumper repair company. Most cloud-based file storage providers work day and night to ensure customer’s data are safe from hackers or cybercrime. In fact, files are usually encrypted during transmission and storage. For this reason, unauthorized access or breaches become next to impossible. Moreover, cloud storage is a backup solution, ensuring that files are stored safely in case employees lose devices.
Opting for cloud-based file storage is cheap. For instance, the technology eliminates the need for physical storage infrastructures, like servers and hard drives, which are typically expensive to upgrade and maintain. Additionally, most providers offer affordable subscription plans according to your needs. For this reason, it’s a cost-effective solution for employees and companies working remotely.
Offer Flexibility
Did you know that offering flexibility to employees working away from the office is a sure hack to create a productive and supportive work environment? For example, supposing your employees work in a water well treatment company that may deal with emergencies, you must allow them to be flexible by choosing their work hours. In fact, doing so benefits the company as most employees will choose their most productive hours, ensuring work efficiency.
You must ensure employees have the necessary technology and equipment to work effectively to enhance efficiency and flexibility. For instance, they must get support for setting up and troubleshooting away from office work devices, software, and internet connectivity, amongst other technology and equipment support. Also, it’s necessary to offer an additional stipend for internet expenses or the use of home office equipment.
Even better, focus on a results-based work approach. Most employees have unique work and techniques to attain certain expected results. Focusing on the results rather than monitoring rigid timelines allows them to be creative and free to use their unique methods to achieve expected results.
Create a Virtual Water Cooler
Work with no play makes Jack a dull boy. So, if you desire success for employees working away from the office, you must develop ‘play’ ideas, such as creating a virtual water cooler. Typically, the platform will foster a sense of employee connection and promote social interactions. For instance, the platform symbolizes informal workplace conversations and social interactions. So, employees will have casual conversations, share personal updates, and bond with their colleagues.
A virtual water cooler is a hub for exchanging ideas and creativity. Mostly, the platform will spark new ideas and spontaneous discussions. Since it’s done virtually, employees can bounce ideas off each other, brainstorm, and share insights. For example, employees working for a paving company can discuss the industry’s latest trends and technology seamlessly.
Additionally, a virtual water cooler promotes informal conversations that work to build relationships among coworkers. Such a virtual space allows employees working away from the office to have casual interactions and know their colleagues on a personal level. Primarily, such conversations will eliminate the feeling of loneliness and promote a sense of belonging to the remote workers.
Invest in Quality Technology
Companies dealing with voluminous data and operations, such as a property management company, must invest in quality technology for their remote workers to enhance productivity. For instance, according to Forbes, introducing an AI-based conversational assistant had a 14% boost in resolving issues per hour! That’s the magic quality technology can do! So, efficient technology will ensure remote employees have the tools and resources to perform their tasks effectively and efficiently.
Quality technology allows the collaboration of employees working away from offices regardless of their physical locations. Technology such as video conferencing tools, shared document platforms, and project management software allows real-time communication, sharing of files, and collaboration of tasks. As a result, it becomes easy for employees to participate in team projects and contribute their expertise.
It goes without saying. Effective and seamless communication is necessary for remote workers to succeed. Quality technology, such as high-speed internet connections, instant messaging platforms, and reliable video and audio/video conferencing, enhances employee communication. Therefore, technology ensures employees stay connected, ask questions, share updates, and receive timely feedback.
Prioritize Accountability
Let’s face it. Accountability ensures organizational success, period! Regardless of the industry, it doesn’t matter whether employees work for a tree company or NASA. They must be accountable for their tasks and responsibilities, especially when working away from the offices. When employees are accountable, they’ll meet deadlines, achieve organizational goals, and improve their performance.
Also, accountability will improve employer and remote employees’ relationships. When remote workers are accountable for their tasks, it demonstrates that they’re reliable and committed to their responsibilities. For this reason, their employers will trust them more and have confidence in their reliability. In most cases, employers must trust that remote employees are accountable and will honor and prioritize their responsibilities for the employer-employee relationship to work seamlessly.
Employees take ownership of their professional growth and development when accountable. For instance, accountable employees are keen on their performance. They’ll be more keen to identify areas of improvement, seek professional feedback, and take proactive steps to sharpen their knowledge and professional skills. Eventually, such a mindset of constant improvement benefits both the employers and the employees.
Be Adaptable
It’s necessary for employees working away from the office to be adaptable. Typically, remote tasks involve different work settings, such as co-working spaces, home offices, and sometimes while on travel. So, remote employees working for employers like a custom embroidery company, who often send employees for fieldwork, must be ready to adjust to different working environments quickly. As a result, they’ll be able to perform tasks efficiently regardless of their surroundings.
Remote employees often span across different time zones. Most times, it’s necessary for workers to be ready to adjust and collaborate with other employees regardless of their time differences. They must be keen to honor meetings with other colleagues by adjusting their hours or finding creative to communicate and coordinate tasks. Adaptability means they’ll have seamless collaboration and teamwork with managers and other colleagues.
Adaptability promotes resilience in the face of challenges. Remote jobs will likely present unique challenges, such as communication barriers, distractions in the home environment, and feelings of isolation. When employees are adaptable, they can navigate and overcome such challenges seamlessly. They’ll adjust their mindset, seek support, and develop creative ideas to focus and boost productivity.
In Summary
Working away from the office isn’t a straightforward task. It’s challenging and often requires employees to have a positive mindset to succeed in remote jobs. Even so, it’s possible to find success for employees working remotely. Please see our website for practical ideas and steps to ensure remote employees are successful.