27% of employees in the United States now work remotely, either fully or as part of a hybrid working structure. This trend has increased as a result of the pandemic, when people all over the world were forced to work from home to avoid spreading and catching Covid 19. But as people realised the mental health and productivity benefits of home working, businesses have continued to maintain a remote or hybrid way of working. As a result, employees are happier and businesses reduce their costs.
But remote working does have its challenges. Teams who once were able to collaborate face-to-face each day are now separated by great distances. You can no longer simply walk up to a colleague and ask them a simple question. As a business owner, you have to manage your employees remotely, ensuring everyone can communicate effectively and work together to meet deadlines.
There is plenty of technology out there to enable this, so there is no reason why remote working can’t be just as effective as in-person collaboration. The challenge is managing and motivating your teams effectively to ensure the best results. Read on to learn some top tips for maintaining communication with remote employees.
Establish working hours
Although flexibility is one of the benefits of remote work, it’s important to establish the hours during which your staff will be available for work each day. This ensures you know when you can contact them, and that they will ensure they are contactable. This doesn’t mean they have to work a strict 9-to-5 day, but some structure is necessary.
Employ the best technology
There are so many solutions available for communicating remotely, allowing features as virtual meetings, instant messaging, and collaborative whiteboards. Pick the right interactive presentation and collaboration software, and your staff can have a seamless transition from office to home.
Use multiple channels of communications
Don’t feel you have to rely solely on video communication to keep in touch with your staff. After all, no one wants to have to take a conference call to answer a quick admin question. Using multiple channels, including email, WhatsApp groups and productivity tools like Slack improves communication and collaboration amongst your team.
Adopt a flexible mindset
Like it or not, remote working is the future and businesses must embrace it. This requires you to accept that your staff are not going to be under your immediate scrutiny from nine to five. Adopting a flexible mindset is important, giving your staff freedom to get their work done without micromanagement. As long as you schedule regular meetings to catch up and check on progress, your staff will be productive.
Encourage boundaries
Your staff have their own personal lives, so you can’t expect them to answer the phone and respond to emails at all hours of the day. Establish firm boundaries to ensure your employees can maintain work-life balance. This might mean implementing rules about no work communications after 5pm or using separate work devices that can be switched off once they sign out for the day.
