Wow! We are coming up on a year of living and working within extreme circumstances. Incredible adjustments have been made on the drop of a dime from every walk of life.

Both the company and the employee must work hand in hand to acknowledge the challenges that remote work can bring and offer solutions to what can be done to help efficiency. How can you set up your home work space and company infrastructure to optimize productivity?

What can my company do to help my remote employees?

Establishing Connectivity

What network and server needs are there that should be upgraded or expanded to enhance performance from the VPN (virtual private network) or cloud-based platforms? Do each of your employees have sufficient enough internet to allow for a strong connection to the servers?

Technical Inventory

As you move your employees to their homes to work – placing a team or contact in charge of what computers each staff member has or needs will be key in streamlining technology requests and fulfillment.

Home Office Stipend

If your company is able, perhaps offering a stipend to your employees will not only allow them to upgrade their workspace, but motivate and inspire them to increase productivity. Certain conditions may be attached to the stipend: maximum amount per month to report or certain approved items may be part of providing an incentive that will help increase productivity of your employees.

Communication and Collaboration

Remote work does eliminate the hallway and break room conversations, which can be casual or work related. Being able to step from your desk to get a quick answer on an item is impossible with a fully remote team. What managers, departments, and organization wide can review is how we can keep communication open with ease to quickly collaborate with coworkers, while being able to enjoy the simple conversation when needed.

Programs like Slack, Skype for Business, Microsoft Teams, or Google Hangouts are great programs that can allow for instant messaging for that quick answer or enable video conversations to have a lengthier discussion.

If you are needing to meet with potential customers or with your team, but all can’t be in the same place at the same time, an online web conferencing software will be greatly beneficial. Popular choices are Zoom, GoToMeeting or Google Meets.

Software Upgrades

Organization is crucial when it comes to working remotely. Is there a project management system that is in place that helps streamline the production of projects? Or should your teams reevaluate the structure of your folders on your servers or on Google Drive?

There are a great deal of project management tools out there ranging from free to what may fit in your budget. Basecamp, Asana, Teamwork, Trello, Wrike are great examples of software’s that can enable your company to be efficient and effective while working with distance.

Flexibility and Team Morale

These are extremely difficult times for many. Sickness, unemployment, e-learning, or fear lingers around our heads constantly. Many employees are looking for kindness, transparency, and the ability to have more flexibility in our work days to be able to keep attention to every aspect of life. Managers that can offer a hand in creating flexibility will see their employees work harder and longer hours for them. There is no longer the commute, so many employees stay online during those commute times to put finishing touches on priorities for the day.

How can my personal workspace help increase productivity?

Dedicated Area

Many may not have a dedicated office in their homes – so you see computers and papers sprawled out on kitchen or dining room tables. Spouses that work from home struggle over who may get a closed door for a meeting, while the other works with noise in the background. If there is a way to create a personal and dedicated spot within your house: carving out a space in the dining room, spare bedroom, basement, etc. – go ahead and claim it! If you can, place a desk and organize your space with your items. Consistency in space will create the comfort and reassurance in your work.

Routine

Before we were able to work from home, many dreamed of the day we could roll out of bed and get to work. Now that we have been thrown in to without much preparation, many become overwhelm with the unpredictable climate. Creating a routine and structure for yourself can help increase your productivity and not be distracted by sitting in front of a TV and other distractions within your home.

Setting boundaries on your work hours to place incorporate in to your routine will allow you a peace of mind when the work day is over and you can move your focus on to family and zoom calls with friends.

Breaks

When you are in an office, it can be easier to step away for a few minutes to get a break from a certain project or task you are working on. Being at home day in and day out with limited places can make it feel like ground hog day. Set calendar reminders for breaks, get up from your desk, complete a simple house chore, exercise, or simply sit in silence for a few minutes can help us all realign ourselves for what needs to be accomplished next. Lunch break is a great opportunity, to get in your car or walk just to get out of the house – of course, stopping by your favorite restaurant for take-out isn’t the worst thing!

Vacation vacation vacation! That may not be the easiest to do lately, but even if you are able to take days off and not turn on your computer, but just be able to unwind from work can help re-center your focus for when you return. Even if travel was fully open and we were all going in to the office, vacation would still be needed! Keep track of your days and accruals to use when needed.

Communication

Just as your company needs transparency and communication (whether digitally or with voice), you as an employee need to communicate with your teammates and managers on work that you are completing, but more importantly, being able to ask for help in a new environment many of us are still getting used to.

Hopefully, you are also able to communicate to your manager when you are having difficulties whether with work or with external forces. The social climate from the beginning of the pandemic even through present day is very uncertain and can weigh heavy on our minds. But work obligations are just as heavy when support is not there. Speak up when you need help!

Feeling Normal – will it ever happen?

Working home has many benefits with more time with family, less commute time, less money spent on gas, parking, etc., but can also be just as challenging as dealing with rush hour traffic. Some may feel stuck and motivation is hard. Taking a moment to step back to see what resources are there and how it can be adjusted to increase morale and company productivity will benefit those you work with and those you live with.

As a fully remote team, Colleen Eakins Design can help guide companies through this transition with recommendations and internal collateral.