Prior to shifting to our current remote environment, many companies prided themselves on office perks such as free snacks, beer kegs and foosball tables.  With most people working from home for the foreseeable future, it’s time to rethink your strategy to keep staff engaged and happy.  With perks such as pet adoption fee reimbursement, wellness programs, house cleaning, stipends for home office equipment, and remote learning opportunities, the possibilities are limited only by your imagination.  Not sure what to do?  Ask your staff by sending out a survey to get some ideas.  

No business can operate without proper communication. With remote working, this is even more crucial. When employees are isolated, it is easy for them to feel cut-off and miss out on important information. Therefore it’s essential to open up as many communication channels as possible to ensure that employees stay included and in-the-know.

• Hold regular team meetings via video conference to share what each individual has been working on, which goals have been achieved, and what the new goals and expectations are.
• Hold regular one to ones via video conference to monitor employee wellbeing.
• Use technology like SharePoint or a collaboration app to make important information easily available.
• Hold staff events where people can unwind, enjoy each other and just have fun, like virtual happy hours, team building activities or games.

Employees can feel adrift if they don’t have clear expectations. Remote working is especially difficult when trying to stay motivated and on track. Set out your daily, weekly, and monthly goals and ensure that each team member knows exactly what they need to be doing to achieve them.

Set firm but achievable deadlines, so employees know when they need to get things done. Set up a daily briefing session so everyone can update each other and let the team know what they’re currently working on.

It’s easy to get bogged down in admin tasks that shift your employee’s focus away from the important stuff. When your workforce is remote, it helps to automate as many admin processes as possible. Tasks such as approving sales or managing diaries, budgets, and updates can all be taken care of using automation software.

Now is the time to perform an audit on all your tasks and processes to see which ones can be easily automated. By doing this, you’ll be freeing up valuable time and focus for your staff.  For help with your automation solutions, contact Mitchell Martin’s RPA team, FortyOak. 

If your employees are working remotely to keep safe, bear in mind that they may have distractions at certain times of the day. If the job they perform is not time-sensitive, it pays to be flexible about when they put the hours in. For example, it may be better for an employee to work a solid few hours in the evening rather than trying to work the standard 9-5 while being distracted by children.

Remote workforces need the right equipment for the job. If they’re using their own laptops and computers, you run the risk of data and information being vulnerable to theft, loss, viruses, and other problems. Additionally, their own equipment may not be powerful enough to run various software requirements.

By providing approved and secure equipment and software, you’ll be safeguarding your client and business data. You’ll also be safe in the knowledge that your workforce can do their jobs properly.

No one likes to have their hard work go unrecognized. Unfortunately, this is a common problem with remote workforces. Sending a completed project only for it to go unacknowledged is the fastest way to lose motivation. Ensure you recognize your employee’s hard work by:

• Sending a thank you email when a task or project is completed.
• Highlight accomplishments and hard work during team video calls.
• Ask employees how they’re feeling and for feedback on how to improve motivation.
• Acknowledge when an employee has gone the extra mile or worked extra hard on a project.
• Implement a rewards program where staff can gain a bonus or vouchers.

It can be easy to keep piling on the tasks without realizing that your staff is becoming overloaded with work. Use a task management tool to allocate work to your employees. Keep a close check on what each individual has to do and how long it’s going to take them. If someone is becoming overloaded, ease off or assign the work to someone else. 

Also, it’s easy for people to lose track of their schedule in a remote environment.  The line between work time and personal time becomes blurred when working from home.  Make sure your staff takes appropriate breaks and unplugs at the end of the day.  Encourage them to take their vacation days and to not look at email on days off.