Unless your business is deemed as essential, odds are your team is part of the almost 60% of Americans working remotely.
But working from home doesn’t have to mean a decrease in productivity. If you’re in charge of a remote team, you need to set up expectations and establish a routine for your employees. The sooner you establish these work from home procedures, the easier this transition will be on your employees.
Keep reading to learn how to work as a team effectively while working remotely.
Have Several Channels of Communication
When you’re working remotely, you obviously can’t hold a staff meeting in the conference room. You can’t walk into an employee’s office and check in on their project deadline. This is why it’s important to set up several means of communication early on.
Establish one main communication method so that all employees can talk together throughout the day. Then, decide how you want direct communication to be handled, whether that be through phone calls or emails. Finally, you can use a free conference call system for formal meetings and client communication.
By having multiple options set up, your employees will have no excuse for not communicating.
Schedule Daily Check-Ins
Regardless of how many communication methods are established, you need to set up a daily check-in schedule with your employees. When working remotely, it’s easy for employees to respond to emails but that doesn’t mean they’re focusing on their daily work and projects.
Set up a time with each employee for one-on-one communication. Ask them what they are currently working on and what goals they have for the workday.
Also, use this time to check up on how your employee is doing mental-health wise. Show them that even though you aren’t in the same office, you still care about them as a person.
Be Patient and Understanding
The most important thing to remember when switching to remote work is to be patient and understanding.
Working in an office is a controlled environment that provides everything they need for a productive workday. But when they’re at home, you don’t know what other stresses they are dealing with while working. They could have children out of school, financial stress due to a spouse’s unemployment, or a sick family member.
It’s important to realize that these obstacles could affect their productivity. Be understanding about the situation and invite them to communicate their struggles with you.
Being Flexible Is Key to How to Work as a Team
What do all these tips for how to work as a team remotely have in common? They’re all about being flexible and adjusting to this new situation.
Each team is different and there is no perfect solution. If you discover that online chats don’t work for your team, don’t be afraid to move onto another means of communication. If morning check-ins aren’t proving productive, switch to afternoon check-ins instead.
Looking for more ways to help your business thrive during these uncertain times? Visit the Business section of this blog for all the best tips and tricks
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