COVID-19 forced many businesses to dive into remote work without any notice and without any solid strategy in place. While many businesses and employees adapted to the newfound work setup without many hurdles, others floundered as they were finding out how to work outside of the office. As companies look to an increasingly remote future, they must continue to make changes to prepare their teams for success. As a reliable business consultant in Ventura County, CA, we have come to understand remote working as a very viable possibility for future roles.
Future-Proof Your Workforce with Remote Opportunities
Focus on communication that improves morale
Even during a pandemic, one thing remains constant: intentional communication is vital for a company to succeed. Employees will leave jobs if they think they are not cared about. Teams break down over a lack of communication. Clients find other firms that stay in contact. There are many consequences of maintaining a distinct lack of communication – for the team and your client base.
Be honest and open in your communications, keeping the focus on positive steps that will move the company forward. Whether you host virtual happy hours, encourage coffee chats, or host daily meetings, there are many ways to get your business talking even when you are all out of the office. Be sure to check in on remote workers often and thank them for their adaptiveness during this time. These dialogues can have a significant long-term effect on how engaged and productive your team is.
Take time to acclimate
If employees are apprehensive about remote work, consider starting with a small trial run to see the effects. Get these team members acclimated and used to working remotely to gain some knowledge on how to improve and how to address common concerns. Transitioning to a remote workforce won’t look the same for every business, so be sure to play to your strengths and work with your team to handle a smooth transition.
Collect data
To evaluate the effect of remote working, consider collecting company data around remote work right away. This should be centered on productivity, internal and external communication, response time to clients and peers, and project metrics. Gain feedback from the team to find out if they are missing tools. Once you’ve gathered this data, you can easily assess how your business and team are adapting. Remember to examine this through the lens of COVID-19, which is putting more pressure on businesses and employees than before.
Integrate HR
Although most of the major changes you make will revolve around operations or internal processes, HR should still be seen as a critical resource in navigating the effects of remote work. Make sure your HR team are adequately involved in conversations and understand the reasons and expectations behind this decision. HR may be able to help you navigate through remote work laws and mitigate liability risks.
When your business does switch to remote working, it is important to remember that you should protect the emotional safety and security of your remote workers. Take a look at our tips on how to protect your remote-working employees.
Is your business ready for remote working? A few tweaks and adjustments is all it may take to ensure your business can take the future of working in its stride. At Economic Development Collaborative, we understand that it’s a challenging time for all. Click here for more resources to assist your business during this time. For more guidance on growing your own business, contact the Economic Development Collaborative. Conveniently located in Camarillo, California, we’re here to help.
