During the lockdown, many employers were forced to reconsider the way their employees work. The only option to stay afloat in such conditions was the organization of remote access so that specialists could work from home. Not all leaders liked this, since it seemed very difficult to control the work of subordinates. However, as a practice has shown, with a competent construction of the workflow, the efficiency of employees' activities does not decrease, and sometimes even vice versa. In addition, it turned out that remote work has several advantages. For example, an employer saves money on organizing a workplace for a specialist and various consumables. In addition, business owners can hire highly qualified specialists from different cities and even countries. Thanks to the active development of communication tools, freelancing is becoming more and more common, and the “call-to-call” format of work is gradually being replaced by a fee schedule. All these innovations have a positive effect on the emotional comfort and working capacity of employees. Therefore, if you have to organize effective work remotely for your subordinates, don’t be afraid. Use the advice of those who have already walked this path, and you will be able to avoid critical mistakes and not lose control. Effective tips for organizing remote work of employees have been put together for you by the job search site Login Casino Work.
6 Tips for Organizing Remote Work
The first step is to accept the fact that virtual control is different from the usual format. What works in an office environment may not always be used to control the work of a virtual team. Therefore, you will have to apply a creative approach, creativity and make some compromises. To build a successful culture of remote work, you need to start with yourself, otherwise, nothing will work.
Take an interest in your subordinates
In the process of calls and video conferences, take the time to ask the person, and not just how they coped with this or that task. Of course, in the conditions of a deadline, there may not be time for lyrical digressions, then it’s worth speaking strictly to the point. However, under normal circumstances, ask how they are feeling, how things are at home, etc. to get to know the person better. Such information will be useful in case of need for motivation. In addition, attention from management increases the level of loyalty of subordinates.
Be respectful of your colleagues' time
One of the features of remote work is a free schedule. However, this does not mean that a manager can call a subordinate or set tasks at any time. It is necessary to discuss with each subordinate an acceptable mode of work for both parties and strictly adhere to the established framework. In this way, you can achieve high productivity and build good relationships in the team.
Allocate responsibilities
For employees to better perform the tasks assigned to them, they must have a good understanding of their responsibilities. Thus, the interaction between team members is greatly simplified and optimized, and the possibility of misunderstanding when urgent tasks arise is eliminated.
Organize all your work information in one place
Sometimes more time is spent looking for the information necessary to complete a task than the work itself. Therefore, the organization of remote work should include the creation of a single data repository, access to which will be available to all team members. Then it will be possible to avoid wasting time searching for the necessary data and correspondence between colleagues with a request for information. Most often, cloud services are used as such storage locations.
Motivate Freelancers
Freelancers are people too, don't forget that! They also need the usual praise, in addition to monthly or quarterly bonuses. In the office, you can walk up to an employee and pat them on the shoulder as a token of approval. With a virtual team, this will not work, so you will have to find another way to express your approval. And you cannot invent anything, but sincerely praise for a job well done. In addition, modern business etiquette allows some liberties in communication, for example:
- Using emoticons and animated pictures (gifs) in correspondence.
- Corporate gatherings in an online format.
For employees who are the best at working remotely, you can use a promotion method such as a free subscription on the Internet. To determine which method of motivation suits a particular specialist, you need to return to the first point - to be interested in how your subordinates live outside of work.
Automate your workflows as much as possible
The main benefits of automation are time savings, prompt completion of tasks assigned to employees, and getting rid of the team from routine processes, the implementation of which reduces motivation. In addition, automation often allows you to reduce the staff, leaving only highly qualified specialists in the team. Today, many useful tools have been created for automation. Most often, freelancers and remote employees use CRM - a kind of virtual office that allows you to solve such problems:
- Set tasks and goals.
- Manage customer relationships.
- Monitor the fulfillment of tasks and goals by responsible employees.
- Divide large projects into stages.
Automation systems for business management can be paid and free. The functionality of open systems may be limited, but it is quite suitable for small firms. Tools, for access to which there is a certain fee, allow you to solve many different tasks. The choice depends only on you, the specifics of the business, and the goals set for the company.
To set goals and control their implementation, a tool such as Trello is used. Useful software can also be called online time managers, the use of which allows you to analyze the time spent by employees on their duties and determine the level of productivity of specialists.
Among other things, remote work is not complete in high-quality means of communication. Today, the choice of such tools is extremely wide. You can choose depending on the functionality and needs of your business. The most commonly used today are Skype, Zoom, Telegram, and Viber.
And this is not the whole list of tools that can be used when the company works remotely. Various programs, services, and updates for remote access regularly enter the software market. Electronic document management systems, planners, and even social networks can help to establish an effective labor activity for the company. Use what suits your business best, and do not forget to ask your subordinates how comfortable they are with working with this or that software.
Possible problems when employees work remotely
Of course, few people manage to avoid problems when switching to a remote work format. It's hard to predict what could go wrong. Most often it is:
- selection of appropriate personnel. In the case of moving an existing team to a remote location, things are easier than if you need to hire a team from scratch. It is quite difficult to assess the professional skills of a candidate without a personal meeting. The way out is online interviews. It may take more than one interview before a suitable employee is found;
- the loneliness of employees and low team cohesion. While corporate value systems are being developed for office professionals, freelancers often feel lonely. This state of affairs can lead to a decrease in productivity and the development of a depressive state in remote employees. Regular video meetings can be output. In addition, the task of the leader is to encourage people to go out more often, spend time in the fresh air, and communicate with relatives. The feeling of loneliness is a consequence of the low level of team cohesion. Therefore, it is important to take all possible measures promptly aimed at bringing together specialists and improving communication and interaction. Each employee must feel that he is a member of the team, an important part of it;
- lack of a developed accountability system. If there are no results, it is difficult to assess the efficiency and productivity of each specialist. Whatever your company does, reporting is necessary, otherwise, it will be difficult to take stock and determine further steps for development.
This is just a small list of possible problems. It is rather difficult to list everything since it is necessary to take into account the specifics of each business. The main thing is to see the problem in time and direct efforts to solve it.
How to choose an effective team for remote work?
Despite all the positive aspects of the remote work format, it is not suitable for everyone. Many professionals believe that their productivity is higher when they work outside the office, but practice shows the opposite. For some people, an office environment is important to better focus on completing the tasks assigned to them. Not everyone is ready to face the distractions they face at home. To assess how a specialist can cope with remote work, use the following recommendations:
- offer to complete a paid test task. If a person actively communicates, meets deadlines, and does a good job, then you can safely hire them for a permanent job;
- when transferring office employees to remote work, you may have to say goodbye to some, leaving only those whose competence and responsibility are beyond doubt. Employees who have noticed manifestations of irresponsibility and unreliability are likely to let you down even remotely;
- decide after the adjustment period.
What else is needed when organizing a virtual office?
If you approach the solution of the problem comprehensively and competently plan all processes, you will be able to form a good team and establish work processes. Also, remember to protect confidential information. To do this, access to important data should be only for those people who need it to perform their work duties.
It may be necessary to hire an employee who will manage the team while you, as a business owner, solve more global issues.
Any new system needs time to accelerate, grind elements and establish processes. Difficulties and problems at the very beginning cannot be avoided. Therefore, it is important to openly discuss all issues with subordinates and solve emerging problems.
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