The Coronavirus has changed the workplace forever for some companies. Tech giants have announced that they will have their entire staff working remotely from now on. This has really opened up the opportunity for people from around the country to find jobs in industry hubs. There is a chance that you will still interview people physically but with Zoom being an option, this is almost unnecessary especially when traveling right now can be dangerous. There is an adjustment period for everyone managing or working so keep this in mind. The following are tips to make adjustments now that your entire workforce is remote.
Clear Processes For Tracking Progress
You want to make sure that your employees are doing the appropriate amount of work. One employee could have twice the workload of a peer yet never miss a deadline. There should be weekly documents to fill out to show what each employee has done. Making this public can allow employees to see how much they could be getting done. Project management software makes it quite easy to organize projects and ensure deadlines are hit. Weekly meetings with an email recap can allow everyone to stay on track week to week.
Finding Assistants for Certain Staff Members
There are so many people looking for extra work freelancing. Assistants can be a huge help to certain staff members that might have a large amount of paperwork. Assistants can be lifesavers for star sales professionals that always seem to lose track of time. Assistants are shared as well as most people do not have enough work to employ a person 40 hours a week. Create a cost analysis of employing a few virtual assistants as you might be surprised how much more productive certain staff members are. Managed IT services would be a great way to source out the IT department rather than have these expensive professionals in-house.
Highlighting Accomplishments
There is not going to be a moment where a person is brought in front of the staff to be congratulated. Employees understand the rush of a manager telling them they are up for a promotion or have been doing an amazing job. Doing weekly Zoom meetings and congratulating those that have signed deals or had the best number is important. Employees are still working hard and would like to be recognized for the hard work they put in on a consistent basis. Email kudos can be a great way to get input from others and other managers.
The shift to remote employment is going to continue even after COVID-19 has found a viable vaccine. This period in history has forced employers years into the future in terms of remote work. A number of companies saw increases in productivity during this time for a variety of reasons. The lack of distractions from an office setting could be a reason as a chatty coworker can be a productivity ruiner. A number of people wanted to show they could stay productive in hopes they can work remotely permanently. Make the adjustments above and make sure to remember it could take some employees time to truly thrive in a remote work environment.
