Like many non-essential businesses, during the COVID-19 pandemic you were forced to quickly switch to working remotely. Now that it’s been more than a year, and with more and more areas lifting restrictions, you face the decision of whether to return to your office or continue teleworking for the foreseeable future. It’s a difficult decision to make, and you’ll need to consider your goals, corporate culture, and employee values. If you’re worried about being able to grow your business if you adapt to the permanent telework, you can set those fears aside. There are many tools widely available that will keep your team’s morale high, sure employees are productive, and increase your profits.
Telework is the Clear Consensus
Many employees have been working from home for over a year now. While the switch may have been difficult at first, they’re now used to the flexibility it offers. Recent research shows that a majority of workers now prefer to work from home. In a recent Prudential survey of 2,000 adults who have been working remotely during the pandemic, a staggering 87% said they would prefer to continue working from home at least one day a week.
So before you make your final decision about whether or not to return to the office, take your employees’ thoughts into consideration. Take a poll to gauge their preferences. It’s extremely important to listen to your employees’ opinions to ensure their productivity and overall happiness. Ask your team if they feel they can continue to do their job from home, if they’ve run into any productivity issues over the last year, and how their workflow could be altered if you make telework permanent.
Working remotely doesn’t just benefit your employees. There are many benefits to you as a business owner as well. These include:
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Cost Savings – Teleworking allows you to eliminate many overhead costs, like rent for your office space, office supplies, furniture, and technology.
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Increased Productivity – It’s a fact that teleworking actually makes your employees more productive. They’re allowed the freedom and flexibility to work when they’re most productive, like at night or early in the morning. They’re also much more likely to have a better work-life balance.
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Larger Talent Pool – When your company needed to hire before, you were limited to the talent pool close to your location. But with remote work, you can expand your recruiting efforts and hire new employees from anywhere in the world. to add to your team before, you were limited to the talent pool in your immediate area. Having such a wide net also affords you the ability to find top talent who meet all your specific requirements.
Here are some tips to make working remotely as smooth and successful as possible.
Focus on Culture
With a fully remote workforce, company culture becomes a challenge. With no chit chatting in the office, team lunches or in person social activities, it’s easy for your employees to feel isolated. The key to keeping your company’s culture strong is to be intentional. Make sure you are transparent about company values. Meet as a team at least once a week to discuss what everyone is working on, business growth, and talk about any upcoming decisions that need to be made and encourage open communication. Make it a point to help employees to get to know each other with regular, creative team building activities and virtual social events.
Set Expectations
When working remotely, it’s important for each team member to have a crystal clear understanding about your expectations. Make sure they know how they’ll be evaluated, communicate clear deadlines, and institute regular check ins and progress reports. Encourage an open line of communication for problem solving, should anyone experience any issues.
Use the Right Tools
You might be concerned about a decrease in collaboration between team members when working remotely. But this doesn’t have to be the case. You can make teleworking together as easy and efficient as possible with the right tools. There are many options for remote conferencing, project management, and file sharing that will connect your team and encourage collaboration. You should also have a shared team calendar to make sure your team is on the same page when it comes to deadlines and meetings.
Emphasize Security
Cyber security is a major concern when you have a remote workforce. Your employees might be using devices that aren’t secure, an unprotected Wi-Fi network, or technology that isn’t equipped with antivirus software. These can open up your company to cyber attacks, ransomware, and data breaches. It’s important to train your employees on digital security best practices. You should also create a recovery plan to keep your business running in the event of a cyber attack or outage.
It’s no secret that telework is the way of the future. Whether you and your employees decide on a hybrid-model or permanent telework, use these tips to help your business grow and thrive.
