Not all jobs were designed to be remote, but since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, many businesses have had to transition their team to working remotely, whether prepared or not.
As a business owner, the idea of transitioning to a remote environment may seem intimidating, mainly if you or your team have never worked remotely before.
The most significant concern for business owners is both the transition and staff productivity. We discuss improving productivity <elsewhere>. For now, let’s look at ways to ease the transition to remote work.
Remote work is becoming more and more popular in the workplace. It gives employees flexibility, saves time on the commute, and can provide a better work-life balance. However, the transition to this way of working is not always easy.
Remote teams are very different from traditional teams. They need to be structured differently to be effective. The managers play a vital role in this process by providing the tools and resources required to build effective remote teams.
Here are our top insights on transitioning into a remote work environment:
Create Remote Work Policies
If you’re transitioning to a remote work environment, you may not have established rules regarding how to navigate new work arrangements.
Establishing remote work policies is good practice not only for the team but also for the business. Having policies in place will help your employees transition, and enable them to understand the company expectations.
For some businesses, this might be an entirely new dynamic for your team. So giving them clear workplace policies and guidelines will help smooth over any bumpy transition.
Therefore, ensure you adopt new work policies that are specific to remote work expectations.
Be Patient
Remote work is the future of work. Moving to a remote team has many benefits, such as higher productivity and lower operational costs.
Yet, one cannot ignore the variety of associated challenges. Some people find it hard to be self-sufficient, running into difficulties managing their schedule; while others struggle with the lack of social interaction.
To transition successfully, you need to be patient. It will take some time for you to adjust and learn how remote work works for you.
As a business owner, you can expect this to be challenging since work obligations usually don’t have time for delay. However, patience is a virtue, particularly when transitioning your team to working remotely.
If your employees have never worked remotely before, you can anticipate a learning curve. They will need to learn work/home boundaries.
Providing adequate resources, asking for feedback, and offering support are a few ways to make this transition period easier for your staff.
Communicate Effectively with Your Team
Communication is everything, especially when transitioning to remote work.
Communication is one of the most critical aspects of remote working. You can’t just rely on email or chat when you’re in different time zones.
Make sure to create avenues of communication, with both technology and policies. Several technologies can help with communication, such as Slack, FaceTime, Zoom, Skype for Business, and Google Hangouts. It’s all about your budget and choosing what best suits your business model and team.
Do not leave your team alone when navigating the new remote lifestyle. Opening up the doors of communication early on will allow your team to ask for help when needed and feel confident in expressing frustrations. It’s better to have preventative measures in place before it becomes too stressful for your employees.
Plan Work and Set Work Goals For the Day
Working remotely is more than just working from home. Much discipline and organization is needed to make it work.
To transition to a remote environment, your team will rely on the company management to define plans, goals, and expectations to achieve work objectives successfully.
The first thing you should consider is setting goals for your remote work. This will help you stay focused on what you are doing and give you a sense of accomplishment.
Set clear expectations for remote work, including who will be in charge of what, how often they will communicate, how they do so, etc.
Remote work can initially lack the structure that some employees need in order to thrive. Therefore, it is your job as manager to redefine the goals and work objectives to make the transition smooth and keep everyone on track.
Embrace Technology
With the help of project management software, remote workers can collaborate with their co-workers in real-time.
Remote work is becoming more popular in the workplace. It is desirable for many reasons, including working from home and having a flexible schedule.
One major challenge is ensuring that remote workers are collaborating effectively with co-workers despite not being physically proximate. Project management platforms are an excellent solution since they allow real-time collaboration between remote workers and other office-mates.
Many project management platforms can help streamline remote work. These platforms enable the management of tasks, deadlines, and schedules for remote teams. They also provide a platform for discussing ideas and brainstorming solutions for problems during projects.
Make a list of your needs to smooth the transition into remote work and narrow down project management software and tools that can benefit both the employees and employers alike.
Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way!
Remote work is becoming more and more popular with the rise of the digital economy. It allows for flexibility, autonomy, and a work-life balance difficult to find in a traditional office-based workplace.
Remote work comes with its challenges, though. It’s important to have clear goals and expectations when transitioning into remote work so that you can manage your time better and stay accountable to yourself.
You and your employees are capable of a successful transition to a remote work environment. Follow these basic steps for a smoother transition.
If you’re considering a project management software to help with your transition, WorkShiftly can offer several solutions to transitioning your team to working remotely.
You can try their platform, 14-days free, just sign up today!
