It is not a secret that COVID-19 is responsible for boosting the trend of remote work. Before COVID-19, the concept of remote work was known but not in a high capacity. It was the need of the hour and companies who followed this trend are doing exactly what needed to be done. Employees demanded that they should be given a flexible work environment and companies needed to keep up with the production for their foreseeable future.
By embracing new work strategies and the transition to remote work is not an abrupt change so employees will come around when they get the hang of it. Eventually, it will become a norm and people will get used to it. When the COVID-19 1st wave hit the world, it was really difficult to grasp the situation and act normally but all thanks to the internet and technological advances, people got used to these online services in just a matter of two months. It has been an incredible journey for everyone because companies shifted themselves to a new path that allowed people to be virtually connected for business activities. It is a trend where every business has started to sell its products online.
As you see a shifting trend of remote work in companies, it is obvious that you would want to set your business with the same strategies. It is alright to opt for the culture of the successful companies. With so many businesses going down, it is wise to opt for the change instead of going broke. The trend of work from home has contributed a lot to the economy. For the operational online business setup, you need to prepare your team for remote work. It’s a challenging task because it’s a new concept but not impossible.
Here we will be sharing a few tips for preparing your team for remote work.
- Focus on better communication
If you want to prepare your team for remote work, you should focus on better communication. For better communication, you need to have access to the internet. Communication via the internet can make a huge difference because you are always connected, and it helps you and your employees to take timely decisions. In remote work, employees are supposed to be in contact with a company to maximize the effects of perceived work.
Having a connection doesn’t mean you have to be present all day or all night. You are allowed to take breaks, manage your times within working hours and keep a tab open for personal chats and emails with your colleagues.
Another aspect of open communication is that a company should be upfront about its goals. If the company is struggling with something, the company executives should state the issues with their teams. This type of open communication encourages employees to speak up and build trust. With trust, employees have a better chance of becoming a functional member of a remote team.
- Familiarize your staff to remote work
At any company, you are bound to find young and old people. Gen Z and millennials are familiarized with the concept of remote work by now, but the older generation is catching up. Before COVID-19, people were used to office-based work and now that you want to implement the change, it is wise to get them familiarized with the right concept. You can’t just do changes overnight and expect people to learn it instantly. These things take time and by telling them why we are opting for remote work and how they could handle such work is a big deal. It could simply break the ice and you could be on your way to do business through remote work.
Online training sessions and trials can play a big part in learning. Giving them time to familiarize themselves with work tools could be the first practical step of remote work. You can get the staff started with small projects and eventually on big projects when they have passed the basic training test.
You should keep one thing in mind that the procedure of training could be different for different projects, and it may take a long or short time.
- Inform HR about the changes
If you have a developed business, you should inform HR about the remote work training and working. It is important because these people are involved in the recruitment process and these people are responsible for making your paystubs. They must be aware of any major changes in the workplace.
- Consider some changes in your company
When you have a diverse workforce working remotely that means you will have some sort of imbalance in your company. It is normal but you can balance the situation by asking your employees to give their input in areas where they can excel. Analyze their skill and make sure they bring something valuable to the table. Apart from their main job duties, they should be able to collaborate with other departments. If they lack a few skills, it’s time to learn new skills because team members should all be on the same page.
