Productivity was always seen as one of the most important business assets in existence. Even if a company has the best tools in the business or starts out with the most favorable market position, all this potential will go to waste if its workers are unable to produce sufficient output per hour.
That brings us to the question of what we can do to keep our workforce engaged and attain that necessary level of productivity now when an increasing number of workers are switching up to telecommuting. The recent research says that by 2028, 73% of all departments in the world will adopt some capacity for remote working.
Use the appropriate remote-working tools
Your goal here is to erase the difference between working in the office and working at home – both these groups need to have access to the same tools and be able to accomplish the same level of collaboration. The easiest way to solve this issue is to move your infrastructure to the cloud where it can be easily accessed regardless of location and use some of the robust communication platforms that will allow you to send company-wide messages, commend star employees, keep efficient communication, and engage in quick video conferencing sessions.
Maintain a high level of internal communication
Of course, having cutting-edge communication tools is not enough. The productivity of your remote workforce will depend on how effectively you leverage these assets. Do your best then to keep your goals and agenda just as you would if all of your workers were under the same roof. So, establish clear performance goals for each month, quarter, and year and keep the workers informed, encourage two-way communication, hold weekly meetings and check-ups, set clear expectations for each task, and provide meaningful feedback.
Maintain the same employment standards
If you want to keep your entire workforce at the same level of productivity, all the workers need to be employed under the same standards, get the same type of payroll and have access to the same welfare benefits. This can prove to be harder than it seems if you are hiring people across the federal states under the different employment laws or don’t have a subsidiary in the country of employment. If you are experiencing such problems you can consider using a third-party employer of record payrolling. Just be sure to avoid any kind of discrepancies.
Provide mentorship and promotion opportunities
Despite all the perks that come with remote working, the general impression is that workers moved to these positions are doomed to a life of stagnation which can have a very devastating effect on morale. You have to make sure that is not the case and provide employees that are telecommuting the same level of mentorship and chances for promotion as if they were working in the on-site premises. As a matter of fact, remote positions should even lay out unique career opportunities which should make them enticing for the workers who are still on the fence.
Stay engaged and regularly ask for feedback
Remote working comes with a unique set of problems and challenges. Your employees will like to be heard regarding these issues. According to a recent survey published by Forbes, 82% of employees expressed they appreciated both positive and negative feedback. Furthermore, 43% of highly engaged workers received meaningful feedback at least once per week as opposed to 18% of poorly motivated staff. So be sure to regularly ask for feedback and use the info you have gathered when making important decisions. People need to feel their voices are heard.
Perform remote team building games and activities
Last but not least, team-building activities were always used as an effective tool for keeping the workers motivated and aligned with the employer’s corporate goals. Miles of distance and virtual environment do make these events harder to perform but you still have a pretty vast number of virtual games and exercises at your disposal. Some of the most popular picks include MMO games, watch-along parties, group chats, bucket-list challenges, virtual treasure hunts, and so on. This resource is too valuable to disregard on the basis of inconvenience.
These few tips are only the tip of the iceberg but they will give you a perfect starting point for keeping your remote workers fully engaged and geared up for future challenges. When you are assigning a part of your workforce to telecommuting positions the only thing that changes is their work environment. If you want this plane to fly, you need to give it a push. Be sure then to keep your level of involvement and commitment the same.
