By Masoom Anwar
Unless you work in an essential industry, odds are that you, like millions of other Americans, will be working from home. This has created unique challenges for both managers and employees alike, forcing entire teams to work remotely for the indefinite future. Right now, it’s critical that managers and business owners alike implement strategies for better workplace communication and continued productivity.
We talked to SBV CEO and entrepreneur Amit Raizada, who has shared insightful business tips before, about how to keep your team productive and engaged during this unprecedented time.
Give Employees Some Leeway
Nothing about the COVID-19 crisis has been easy. Events have been canceled, jobs have been lost, and people have been hospitalized. In just a month’s span, many of your employees’ lives have been completely upended.
“Try to be understanding during this difficult time,” Raizada recommended. Recognize that many of your employees may be grieving or struggling with financial or mental health concerns brought on by the crisis. While this doesn’t mean that you should compromise the standard of work you expect from your employees, it means that you should be a little more lenient than normal.
“Work with, not against your employees,” Raizada recommended, “in addressing their concerns amidst all these changes.”
Be Flexible with Employees and Your Clients
While it’s important to be understanding of your employees during this crisis, it is also critical to be understanding and flexible in terms of meeting new client or consumer demands.
In times of crisis, conventional wisdom about business practice suddenly goes out the window. Clients will begin to ask you for services you’ve never quite offered before, all while discarding some of your staple products. Expect to work on projects outside your traditional purview and to be forced to expand your abilities on the fly.
“Everybody’s scrambling for answers,” Raizada says, “so be a source of confidence and stability.”
Be prepared to rise to the challenge, and motivate your employees to do the same. We all have families and needs. Assure them that, while difficult, this is an opportunity to demonstrate value and to carve out a niche in new markets.
Overcommunicate
“Communication,” Raizada advises, “is key to effectively working on any team, but especially when working from home.”
In the office, it’s easy to just approach a co-worker whose help you need on a certain project. But when working from home, this suddenly becomes impossible, and projects that require extensive communication begin to stagnate.
To combat this, encourage your staff to communicate with each other as openly as possible. For example, begin each workday with a scheduled Zoom call in which everyone can review the day’s tasks. If co-workers are collaborating on a project, ask them to schedule an end-of-day call with each other to recap progress made over the course of the day. Create a shared Slack thread and send messages, reminders, or even daily check-ins with colleagues. Take whatever steps necessary to make your employees feel like they’re part of a team working together, not isolated employees trying to make it work from a living room.
Overinvest in IT and Tech Platforms
Working remotely in 2020 is inextricably tied to technology. “Be creative with how you take care of your employees,” Raizada advises, “and invest in innovative solutions for your team.” As we’re forced to stay away from the office, services like Zoom, Slack, and Google Hangouts can prove invaluable.
The same goes for tech hardware. Make sure your employees have functioning computers and fluent home internet connections, Raizada recommends. An office-wide order of wireless computer mouses and keyboards can also boost productivity during this period.
Yet, even the best tech is bound to malfunction at some point. Raizada urges office managers to contract an IT firm that can handle employee needs over the next month. Having easy access to technical support makes a substantial difference when working from home. An employee shouldn’t need to spend all day offline simply because their computer is acting up.
This situation is unideal and will create all sorts of new challenges. These tips can help mitigate some of the difficulties associated with remote work and can help get your team back on track and ready to face this crisis.
