Remote work is becoming the new norm since the COVID-19 crisis emerged and is deepening further. Coronavirus has accelerated this work culture which is an emerging trend in recent years. COVID-19 has compelled the organizations who had not turned remote or were dicey in adopting the culture to opt remote culture.
Though the companies and employees are getting comfortable with the practice, there is a new set of issues that have emerged. Let’s understand the shortcomings of the work from home culture and see how to succeed.
Making the remote working work for your organization
Remote working is the best option for businesses and benefits for employees as long as the employees possess power and internet access they need, focus and complete the tasks, and accessible to people or peers as needed.
Remote work can free up budget for the organization as they can spend less on office spaces. Secondly, it allows human resource leaders to hire qualified candidates across the country as there are no geographical barriers. Technology today has made employers stay in touch with employees, collaborate, and communicate effectively.
Further, work from home culture has reduced stress like commuting, child care, pet care, and other family responsibilities while increasing productivity levels among employees. Still, it comes with its limitations or issues, we can say. Presently, organizations face issues while deploying remote work like tech for remote work, subsidizing IT hardware, Wi-Fi, quality and frequency of meetings, emotional and social responses from employees, mental well-being, job security, compensation, policies, and many more.
What can an organization do at this juncture?
Here is a compilation of ideas from HR best leaders and business leaders across the globe.
Merging of HR and IT facilities
The future of work will be integrated with technology. Human resource leaders are expected to integrate technology for collaboration, project management, video conferencing, recognition, learning, and feedback. Talent management must merge with IT platforms.
Set clear expectations
Team leads or managers don’t want to worry to constantly check up on their sub-ordinates to get the job done. At the same time, they want the job done so that they don’t miss an important deadline. This could seem to be a daunting task while working remotely. To make work successful and stress-free, it is recommended to set clear deadlines, milestones, check-ins, and keep open lines of communication. This would prevent any mishaps along the way.
Hiring the right people
Working remotely may give employees more freedom. This freedom comes with the challenge of managing time for task completion. As a human resource leader, it is essential to understand the employees and choose them for the right type of work. Business compels to trust the employee and get their work done when they are not being watched. So, it is necessary to choose candidates having self-awareness, discipline, and time management skills for remote work.
Set regular meetings
Communicating important information is very important as it may become the cause of annoyance for anyone. These situations may create adverse effects on the employee who is already isolated physically.
Reports suggest that employees will work harder if they feel connected. Employees must feel that they are part of everything and therefore must be kept in the loop to keep them motivated.
It is necessary to keep in touch with employees. Instead of formal emails every hour to see the work progress, it is recommended to have regular meetings, video-check-ins, and daily standups or team huddles through conference calls. Further, jumping on to a quick phone call with the concerned person can make things clear when they have trouble understanding the task. Ensure that you limit your distractions, communicate, and manage time efficiently.
Conclusion
Cut the frustration of isolation and distancing to heighten the productivity levels. These simple steps would help an organization to make working remote a success.
