While many companies worldwide have been working remotely since the height of the pandemic, plenty are going back to normal which have caused employees to quit in the pursuit of finding other companies that are offering permanent remote positions. This has created a major shift leaving many organizations to stay remote for the long term as it’s what employees want. If you’re looking into being a part of that shift, here are some things to keep in mind while turning fully remote.
Set Up Clear Policies
It’s important to have clear policies so that every employee in all departments is well informed and knows what to expect. It’s best to study each department and see how each of them interacts with one another, this will largely help in understanding the organizational structure and the behavior. Many policies should be put into place by every company switching to full or long-term remote such as protocols when there’s a data breach, team accountability, and expectations when using company devices.
Provide the Right Tools
The right tools are needed for creating efficiency in a remote setting. So it’s very important to invest in meeting tools, offering devices to your employees such as laptops and other equipment. It’s also crucial to provide adequate training for these collaboration tools, so try to set up annual training online for employees when possible. While remote employees are often self-sufficient, it’s still important to offer the proper tools and training they need to succeed.
Keep Employees on Approved Devices and Networks
Many employees get the itch to go to the local café or somewhere else for a new work environment. It’s important to inform everyone in your company to be careful when using public Wi-Fi networks and to use a VPN only when necessary. These sorts of networks don’t offer any encryption which is perfect territory for hackers to stake out. Be sure to give your employees cyber security awareness training so they’ll get an understanding of what they can do on their part to protect their devices and help ensure that the company will stay safe from data breaches and other cyber-attacks.
Communication is Key
While everyone is working from home, it doesn’t mean communication amongst team members will be put to a halt. One of the number one priorities for any business is to have an effective video conferencing tool. This tool will help the company as a whole continue with communication. While this is very important for communicating with team members, it’s also important to understand that over communicating can also be an issue. Be sure to inform everyone of setting boundaries and to always be clear to avoid confusion or misunderstandings.
Allow Your Employees to Switch Off
While there are major benefits for employees to work from home, one of the recent issues since the pandemic is the blurred lines between work and personal life. This is due to the expectation that everyone is connected at all times. Be sure to advocate for your employees and co-workers that they need to switch off at the end of their shifts. This helps the remote employees’ wellbeing while also avoiding the chance of them experiencing burnout.
