One of the biggest advantages of the 21st century is the ability to work from any location as long as you have a decent Wi-Fi connection. Working from home not only gives workers more flexibility, but there are advantages for businesses too. If you run a business, you will no longer need to rent office space, making a massive saving and letting you invest the funds in other parts of your business. You will also save on expensive outgoings such as buildings insurance and power.
Whilst working from home gives you far more freedom – including more time to spend on hobbies and with family – it can sometimes come at a cost, such as difficulties managing your schedule and keeping to the task at hand without being distracted.
Take care of yourself
There are some ways you can resolve these issues. If you are a homeworker, make sure you create a healthy routine. Get enough sleep, eat a balanced diet, and make a habit of leaving the house for exercise. It can be easy to let things slip when you’re not going into an office environment every day. Going into the office changes your mind-set and flips your brain into work mode. It’s harder to do this at home as you’re living, working, eating, relaxing, and sleeping in the same space. Going from one thing to another quickly can be difficult, so it’s important to build those routines into your day.
Engage your staff
If you own a business and are struggling to motivate your staff, you need to ask yourself why, and what you can do to engage them again. Once you lose momentum, it is hard to regain it. Businesses are finding the current pandemic tough financially, so you need everyone working at maximum capacity to keep you afloat and turning a profit.
Keep your team coordinated
You need to keep your team cooperating and interacting with each other as much as possible, so make sure you create opportunities for staff to work and socialise together, whether that’s over video meetings, internal social media, or instant messaging. Checking in with other people can also brighten up people’s days and help them feel connected.
Have one-to-ones
You should connect with each individual member of your team regularly. Have one-to-ones to make sure everyone is keeping up with their work or to check if they’re struggling and need help. People can appear “fine” in a group session, but in an individual chat, you can dig deeper and uncover any potential issues.
Resolve issues quickly
There are many ways you can help struggling employees. Sometimes all they need is a little confidence boost. Other times they may be struggling with a particular piece of work and may just need to be pointed in the right direction. When you have no colleagues to bounce ideas off of, it can be hard to resolve problems, and sometimes you can get stuck in a rut. Again, group video calls or chats are ideal for this, so make sure you encourage employees to communicate with each other regularly.
Provide easy-to-use software
Another way to enhance employee productivity is to improve your virtual office software. Removing any technological barriers or unintuitive software will make it much easier for your staff to focus on their work. A good piece of project management software can help organise all of your team members, while document management software can digitise paperwork, ensuring easy access and letting you share things instantly with your staff.
