Tips for Transitioning to a Remote Workforce
Work from home has become the new normal.
As per Gallup’s recent research, 62% of US employees have been working from home since the COVID-19 breakout.
And for many businesses, the transition is going smoothly, even to the extent that 59% of US workers wish to continue working remotely after the pandemic is over.
Many employees complain that they don’t get enough time to spend with their family or take a vacation. Employees often experience burnout in the workplace. But the increase in the transition to remote work is turning out to be beneficial for both employees and organizations.
There are plenty of benefits associated with working remotely: flexibility, productivity, reduced costs, and accessibility to a broader talent pool being the main benefits.
If your business is also planning to transition to remote work, you will want some handy tips to help you conduct a seamless transition.
But before that, let’s have a closer look at the perks of remote work.
The Perks of Remote Work
Increased flexibility
When asked about the benefits of remote work, 40% of employees said that the most significant advantage lies in working in a flexible schedule — while 30% said it is the ability to work from any location.
Remote work brings flexibility to work and allows employees to maintain a work-life balance, enjoy more freedom, and lead a stress-free life.
Studies have found out that maintaining work-life balance is the key to leading a happier life as it promotes well-being and increases productivity at work.
Moreover, having a flexible schedule means employees can sleep at the right time. And getting adequate sleep is linked to productivity at work. It improves memory power, helps in the decision-making process, and increases focus and creativity. Not getting enough sleep can result in experiencing burnout at work.
Productivity grows
In a study, 78% of remote workers reported increased productivity.
It is because employees don’t take extra breaks or don’t have to travel long. Also, when they don’t have any distractions, they can focus more on their work.
As per Airtasker Research 2020, remote employees worked 16.8 extra days yearly compared to those office employees. Since remote work is less stressful and linked to good health and mental wellbeing, employees also take less sick leaves.
Working in a quiet environment where employees are not distracted by co-workers is another reason for increased productivity at work.
Reduced costs
By allowing your employees to work remotely, you can save money. A company can minimize the cost spend on employee salaries as well as office management. You will be saving on overhead expenses, real estate costs, transportation costs, and continuity of operations.
And it is said that many employees are willing to choose to work remotely over a pay rise. So, instead of offering a pay rise for performing well at work, they can be rewarded with the option to work from home on a flexible schedule.
As per Global Workplace Analytics Telework Savings Calculator, if a corporation allows employees to telecommute 50% of the time, it can save $11,000 on each employee yearly.
Moreover, 95% of companies reported increased employee retention rates when they allowed employees to work remotely. It saves costs as companies need to spend money when recruiting and training new employees. It is estimated that losing a valued employee can create a loss of $10,000 to $30,000.
Accessibility to a wider talent pool
Remote work opens up flexible recruiting opportunities for companies. Companies can recruit team members from any corner of the world. They get the chance to hire talented workers from a wider pool of talents and increase workforce diversity.
This can immensely benefit businesses that are located in areas where there is a lack of skills. As a result, companies can hire talents from anywhere, regardless of where they live.
Moreover, many employees, especially younger employees, prioritize workplace flexibility when looking for employment. When businesses offer workplace flexibility, they are more likely to lure young talent that might not otherwise be willing to work.
Tips to Transition Smoothly
Now, transitioning to remote work isn’t always easy. But if you plan it beforehand, things can work out smoothly for your business.
Here are some crucial tips you can follow to help your business make a seamless transition.
1. Build strong trust through effective communication
If your remote teams lack trust, it will be challenging to maintain a healthy relationship. And the critical factor in building trust is effective communication.
33% of employees reported that not having an open, honest communication can impact their morale negatively.
Here are some crucial communication and trust-building tips you can follow:
- Be transparent in your communications.
- Communicate consistently and innovatively.
- Be consistent in your actions lest people begin to doubt you.
- Keep your communication simple and straightforward.
- Take responsibility.
- Be respectful while communicating.
- Ask for feedback and receive them.
2. Utilize communication and collaboration tools
Effective collaboration and productivity can be increased only by means of excellent communication and collaboration tools, especially while working remotely.
Studies have shown that 83% of employees use collaboration tools, and these tools help them increase productivity by up to 30%.
Tools such as Google Tasks can help your team to manage efficiently, edit, and share tasks. It syncs across any device, and you can integrate it with Gmail and Google Calendar to complete tasks faster.
Other tools, such as ProofHub, bring flexibility to communication. It comes with an integrated Group chat feature, and you can also hold discussions on projects in real-time.
Remote employees can also benefit from its workflows and boards and make project reports, among other features.
Another great tool used by remote workers to collaborate from anywhere, align team events, have video chats, and track projects using PM tools like Clickup. This tool even offers ready-made templates to help get your team on board real quick.
Bottom line, If you have decided to go remote, you must select the right tools to assist in communication, collaboration and automation.
3. Implement a clear remote work policy
It is crucial to implement a clear work policy to ensure organization and productivity. The policy should outline when and how employees will work.
While creating remote work policies, describe which employees can work remotely, define the best practices to follow, and outline their legal rights.
Other tips to remember are selecting and providing the right tools to work productively and securely, choking out time for socializing and collaboration, and discussing compensation and benefits.
Also, don’t neglect to train your employees. As per the Huffington Post, training employees can result in 24% higher profit margins. It is also linked with increased employee engagement and retention.
Additionally, you can create HR KPIs to keep the transition in check. This data can help with analysis that can then be used to point out in which area training is required and which employees need to be trained. It will make it easier to determine the skills and topics and pick the most appropriate training programs.
Analytics can also be used for improvement and providing personalized training.
And in case you have a customer support team, you will have to implement separate customer support software for effectively managing them. For example, Serenova’s omni channel communication support.
4. Maintain working hours mentality and avoid burnout
If employees face burnout, it will negatively impact productivity, creativity, and mental health.
As per studies, 75% of employees have faced burnout at work, and out of that 75%, 40% reported having faced burnout during the pandemic. Also, it is estimated that 37% are working extra shifts than usual since the pandemic started.
In other data collected, 82% of tech workers said they feel burned out.
While assigning work to be completed by your employees, make it challenging but not overwhelming. And ensure to maintain working hours mentality just like you would while working in an office space. Just don’t set unrealistic deadlines.
Encouraging your employees to take breaks is a good idea since it is likely to increase productivity and improve mental well-being. Taking breaks will also give employees a creativity boost.
5. Establish a schedule for regular meetings and catch-ups
It is crucial to establish a schedule for regular meetings and catch-ups. It will help you to stay connected and keep in sync with your remote working team.
For instance, you can conduct a weekly meeting or daily check-in. Tools like Slack are excellent for planning your week, having social discussions, and giving everyone visibility. With Slack’s built-in note-taking feature, Posts, remote team members can share and work together on notes and share them.
You can also use tools like Zoom to conduct cloud-based meetings. It has a simple and easy to use interface, and it supports Windows, Mac, Blackberry, Android, iOS, Zoom Rooms, and H.323/SIP room systems.
Zoom can strengthen security with its Waiting Room feature. You get to know who comes into your meetings, and you will be admitting only your participants. It also enables you to send a message to those members who are waiting to be admitted. You can even utilize the personal meeting room feature.
It’s also a good idea to encourage your team to socialize outside of work. Promoting a friendly culture is a great way to keep everyone uplifted. Some brands even have social media handles such as Instagram accounts centred around employee engagement and events. These strategies are even more useful for remote workers.
What to Avoid
Don’t go unprepared
Going into remote work without any preparation would be a recipe for disaster.
See that you have planned everything, starting from developing a planned schedule to choosing the right tools to use for different tasks and curating clear remote work policy.
For instance, if you allow your employees to set their hours, it will be challenging to manage time. When you set clear expectations, they will be more responsible as they have to accomplish a goal. That said, be reasonably flexible about deadlines.
Also, ask your employees to create a proper workspace. It will enable them to work without distractions and concentrate more on work. It also allows them to disconnect when work gets done.
And most importantly, decide whether you will be supplying the tools, devices, and furniture to set up the home office. Ensure to get everything delivered if you supply them and see that they have set everything up before you start assigning the tasks.
Consider creating standard operating procedures (SOP) to provide clear directions and instructions to your employees for accomplishing tasks. It is crucial for systematizing work and keeping everyone on the same page.
Don’t overwork to appear productive
A study that analyzed 185 million hours of working time found that most employees have only 2 hours and 48 minutes of productive time per day on average.
Overworking doesn’t mean increased productivity. On the contrary, it leads to stress and fatigue, destroying both mental and physical health.
There are studies pointing out that productivity per hour falloffs significantly when employees are allowed to work for over 50 hours per week. Try to manage time better instead and don’t let employees overwork. Lesser working hours can increase productivity if employees can focus.
Don’t be afraid to ask help from team members
You will have to overcome the fear of asking for help from your team members. You may feel uncomfortable initially, but it is sensible, smart and suitable for personal and professional growth.
Moreover, you are doing it for the team. Not asking for help when you need it will negatively impact the project. So, don’t wait until things go haywire. In fact, your team members will be happy to contribute.
Wrapping-Up
The transition to remote work is taking place on a large scale, especially after the pandemic. And judging by how successfully businesses are managing it, work from home will continue even in the future.
It is not easy to transition to remote work, especially if you do it for the first time. However, having a proper plan and execution and selecting the right tools can pave the way for a smooth transition.
