The coronavirus has affected numerous people all over the world. Many businesses have started asking their workers to work from home. Tech giants like Google, Facebook, and Amazon are also following suit and asking some or all of their employees to start working remotely.
While remote work has been prevalent in the tech industry in recent years, not all business owners were ready to embrace it. Many of them are wondering whether or not remote work affects the productivity of their employees.
There are a lot of studies that show remote workers can be more productive than their in-office counterparts, but that may not be enough to calm down some of them. If you’re one of them, stick around as today we’ll be sharing 5 techniques to help you and your employees be productive and succeed when working remotely.
1) Don’t Overwork Yourself or Your Employees
It may seem that now when everyone is working from the comfort of their home, you have more time to do your work. While it may be true that you’re saving time by not commuting, unexpected problems and long meetings may still occur. That’s why it’s important to leave enough time for such occurrences. This will help eliminate the risk of running behind schedule.
2) Introduce a Company-Wide Working Schedule
Working from home doesn’t (or at least shouldn’t) differ much from working from the office. Creating a working schedule for the entire company will help make remote work ‘feel’ more real.
By sticking to a work schedule the same you would like you would if you were still in the office, you’ll help your employees to transition to remote work more easily.
3) Use All the Right Software
All successful remote businesses rely on various software to help them collaborate on projects, stay connected, and be more productive. Many remote companies are using Microsoft Teams or Slack for communication. For video conferencing many rely on Zoom, while others use Google Hangouts. To help them manage their projects, numerous people use Trello or Asana.
In addition to these tools, you need to ensure your employees are accurately doing the work you’re expecting them to. For this purpose, remote companies are relying on time tracker software which is designed to provide a simple and accurate way to track time on any task your employees might have.
4) Create an Office-Like Environment
One trick to make remote work feel the same as office work is to create an office-like environment in your home. Whether it’s a dedicated room you can turn into a temporary office or just a desk you can use as your work spot, make sure it’s comfortable and you have access to all the technology, office supplies, and anything else you might need to do your work.
Make sure you can leave your work spot once you’re done with work as being physically away from your work spot will help your brain to relax faster.
5) Eliminate Anything That Might Distract You
It’s easier to get distracted when working from home as there is always something that’s screaming for your attention. Whether it’s the television or your laundry basket, you need to be aware of how negatively they affect your productivity and eliminate them.
It’s okay to give yourself a break and do something else to relax your brain, don’t do it too often as you won’t be able to focus on your work.
Final Takeaways
The coronavirus has forced many of us to start working from home. While it’s been popular in the tech and other digital-first industries for quite some time, not all business owners were ready or willing to consider it. One of the main reasons is that many business owners are wondering if remote work will affect their organization’s productivity.
Even though there are numerous studies to support the claim that remote workers can be more productive, this doesn’t satisfy some of these skeptical business owners.
However, if you don’t overwork yourself or your employees, introduce a company-wide working schedule, use all the necessary software to work remotely, create an office-like environment by turning a spare room into a home office or turning a desk into a work desk and eliminate any distractions that are calling your name, you’ll ensure you are as productive and successful as you were while working from the office, potentially even more.
