With the pandemic having hit us really hard, we’ve seen a phenomenal change in almost every segment of our lives. The world of work and business has also seen a dramatic shift. We’ve seen a steep rise in the demand of remote working, which has given rise to a multitude of technologies being used to make remote processes possible, convenient, and successful.
Some technologies already existed, others have been (and are still continually being) specially built focusing on remote jobs and meetings. Today, remote working tops the list for both freshly appointed candidates, as well as for those who already exist within a company. As an employer, you’re thus required to alter your strategies for both recruiting and retaining employees. Now, when we speak about strategies, we don’t mean just offering candidates the option of working from home. There is a lot that goes into making this whole remote system work. Just because your employees aren’t going to come for a physical 9-to5 job in the office premises, doesn’t mean that they’re going to work in isolation, just the way they want to. It’s a complete system that involves delegating tasks to
each employee, while also working collaboratively as a team, even from afar. The entire team needs to communicate and collaborate to make the process work, and bring the desired results to achieve the end goal. And, some tips on how you can manage remote working effectively are stated below. You must ensure a strong line of communication Remote working means you don’t receive immediate answers. This can slow down the process and cause frustration after a certain period of time. It is thus very crucial that every employee is available at all times during the working hours for communication. We don’t mean that every employee is available 24x7, but each one should be accessible on a prescribed communicating platform, during the set duration for the job. Also, weekly meetings should be arranged to discuss every necessary task, project, and related issues. You must ensure your availability at all times Just as much as it is important for each employee to be accessible during the set office period, as an employer, you also need to be available during that time. You may be out on a vacation, a wedding, a tour, or anywhere else. There’s no stopping you because you are the boss, but the boss needs to be accessible too, in case any important matters need to be discussed, issues resolved, or decisions to be taken. Your employees should know that you are available at the end of the phone at all times. This will also ensure interest, engagement, and respect. You must extend a helping hand If there’s a lot that’s needed for working from home, you could always help and support your employees with their home office setup. You must ensure they have all the required equipment that is needed to work effectively and comfortably. Offering to help with even the smallest bit shouldn’t cause you any hesitation, even if you’re the boss. In fact, doing so will have your employees consider you to be thoughtful, which will bring positive outcomes for your business from their end. You must offer expense allowance There’s always a tea or coffee break that your team gets at work twice a day. This free tea and coffee becomes unavailable to them when they start working from home. Although there’s no significant expense involved with a cup of tea or coffee for them, but if you willingly offer to them such allowance, it will only add to your
“thoughtful” image, building a very positive reputation about you in the eyes of each employee. You must ensure that personal bonds are built While we’re working within an office space, there’s so much that colleagues do apart form work. During their tea and lunch breaks, or when they brush past each other, they share a smile or a small talk about anything but work. This way, they build relationships and positivity. Such spontaneous conversations apart from work, and such relationships are important because they in turn help make working as a team easier and constructive. All of this spontaneity is lost while working from home. Friendly smiles disappear, conversations die down, and opportunities for knowing one another vanish. What colleagues then talk about is only about work, when they have a query, or when they want to share their part of work. But, this shouldn’t be the case. Even when working from afar, your employees must stay in touch in a personal way so that bonds are built. For this, you must take up an initiative, and just like you arrange for a weekly meeting to discuss work, you can also arrange for a weekly virtual gathering where they can speak about anything other than work. It’ll be fun activities and games, or just a chance for some casual chat. You can arrange for physical get-togethers Arranging for physical meet-ups is another good idea. While we’re still struggling through the pandemic, and need to take precautions, we can always arrange for a safe get-together once in a while. You could set up a team lunch or weekend getaway and invite all those working for you. Those who’re interested, and are not too scared of staying with a crowd will turn up, making it an opportunity to create actual connections, which will lead to even better results for your company processes. People are more than willing to take up work-from-home jobs because it gives them the flexibility to work at their own times, in their own ways, while also performing other responsibilities at the same time. In this way, they can balance their work and personal life. As a boss, you may feel that remote working will bring loss of control over your employees in terms of working and timing procedures. But, you must understand that doing so will also improve productivity and satisfaction at the employee’s end, which will certainly show up in the end results of your business. So, while you give the liberty to your current team to work from home because you trust their capabilities, also give new recruits the flexibility. And, if you’re worried about their proficiencies and potential, you could leave the task to WalkWater Talent Advisors; one of the top executive search firms in India, who have a
decade of experience in bringing in ideal candidates for every senior level job, no matter what the industry. With 13 offices across 26 countries, and a team of more than 65 search consultants having satisfied clients across US, Europe, Russia, South East Asia, and Middle East, there’s no reason to doubt the outcomes, is there!?