Remote work has only continued to grow in recent years and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. If you are an employer who has employees working remotely, there are a host of benefits, but you want to make sure productivity doesn’t wane. The whole reason behind having them work from home can be to give more flexibility, to save on office costs and more, but if you find they aren’t working as they would when in the office, it’s pretty pointless. In this article we take a look at some top tips on how you can stay organized and efficient when your employees work remotely.
What are some benefits for having your employees work remotely?
If you are yet to offer your employees the chance to work remotely, it might be because you aren’t sure if it will actually benefit your business. The truth is, there are a myriad of great things that can happen when you allow all your employees to work from home, either full time or a few days a week. Some of the benefits which you can experience and reasons it’s good for your business include:
They will have a better work life balance
One of the top reasons for having your employees work remotely is that it can offer them a work-life balance. This can mean they’re much happier with what they’re doing and they will get to spend as much time on their work as possible, but also be there for things at home such as putting their kids to bed. This can lead to them being more productive, happier and better at the work they do. Without having to stress about a commute, saving both time and money, they will be much happier in their work day and ready to get all their tasks done when needed.
They will feel trusted which can improve employee retention
A main contributing factor that can lead to employees leaving your company is that they don’t feel appreciated or trusted by their employees. If you have your employees work from home, it shows you trust them to complete their tasks without supervision. It can help them to feel as if you know they will do a good job without having to supervise and their mutual respect for you will also improve. When employees feel this way, they’re less likely to leave and let’s face it, keeping good employees is one of the most important factors as a business owner. Not only does it mean you don’t have to train new members of staff, but you can keep a cohesive team.
It can save you on office bills
Running an office is expensive, no matter what you do to cut costs. There isn’t just the fact you need to pay for the physical premises, but also things such as heating, water, electricity and more. You also might need to provide computers, paper, milk, tea, coffee and other kitchen items. When your employees are working from home you don’t need to offer most of these things, saving you quite a lot per month on the spend. It’s surprising just how much money you can save, even if you have people working hybrid, so coming in some days and staying at home others.
You won’t need such a big office space
If you have a large office space to accommodate all of your employees, having them work from home can mean that you don’t need to pay for such a large space anymore. When you have a big workforce, office space can be extortionately expensive and not something you need to necessarily shell out for. When your employees work from home you can downsize, or even just have a totally remote work system depending on what your business is.
You can have a wider pick of the talent pool
When you are recruiting someone new for your business, you want to ensure you find the best person for the role. If you are hiring for people to work in your office, you’re restricted to those who live a commutable distance. On the other hand, if you’re hiring for someone to work remotely, you can have your pick of anybody that works in the same time zone. You might find the ideal candidate who wouldn’t be able to travel into your office but can easily work from home and helps to elevate your business to the next level. It really is a no brainer!
How can you stay organized and efficient when your employees are working remotely?
While there are many benefits to having your employees working remotely, you also want to make sure you’re as organized as efficient as can be. Having a workforce that’s not right in front of you in the same building can be a bit of a challenge and you might find it’s trickier to manage. With the right organization and plan in place, it doesn’t need to be anymore of a challenge than it would be otherwise. Keep reading the below to find out the top ways that you can do this.
Have a shared system
One of the biggest things you need for a well-oiled team is to know what everyone is up to, when. A shared calendar can be an option, but if you find that doesn’t work for schedules, use a system such as a scheduling app. This can help you to build your employees schedules, manage time off, availability and shift trade requests. You can handle any changes that might come in easily and efficiently and have everyone check it’s all as it should be. This can make it so much easier to manage employees when they’re remote. Everyone can view it, let you know if there’s any issues and it’s easy to see and use.
Have regular video check ins
While email or phone calls are fine, it’s important to check in via video call as well. This will enable you to get the same eye contact and social cues that you can get in person, but also means no one needs to leave in order to meet up in person. Try to do this at least once a week – perhaps you could have a weekly catch up with the whole company, letting everyone know what has been happening and the highs and lows of the past few days. This can ensure everyone’s in the loop and knows what’s happening.
Host in-person meet-ups
In person meet ups are also very important, as you can’t beat the connection when you speak to people face to face. This will help them feel more connected and also to speak about things that might feel a bit more awkward over a screen. While this doesn’t need to happen quite as often, it’s a good idea to hold a meet up at least once a month or every couple of months. You could do this as a whole company, individual teams or just a one on one meeting with each of your employees to see how they are getting on.
Still have an ‘open-door policy’
When you have a business in an office, it’s likely you experience people coming up to your office door all the time with one question or another. This open door policy is important in cultivating a workplace where employees are comfortable speaking to you and bringing up any problems they might have. They need to know they can rely on you to be there, to listen and help them when needed. Ensure they know even if you’re not physically in the same space, that you’re always contactable through email, message, phone or if they want to meet in person.
Sort out team building days
If you’re not all going into the office, your team can suffer and they might not work well as they don’t know one another. To try and combat this from being a problem, arrange team building days every so often. These can be a great way to get everyone together, find out people’s strengths and weaknesses and get them becoming more comfortable together. You’ll find when the team works better, they help each other more, when someone’s off, it’s easier to find cover work and a whole host of other benefits. There are so many fun team building days to choose from too!
These are just a few pieces of advice that should help you keep on top of everything when your employees don’t work in the office. While it’s important for you to keep track of what they’re doing, just them knowing you’re giving them the flexibility and freedom that working from home brings, should really help them get through their tasks and appreciate working for you. Working remotely is one of the top perks many people cite when going for a new job and it can really help boost your company. What are some top tips you have for staying organized and efficient when your employees work remotely? Let us know in the comments below, we’d love to hear from you!
