The need to work remotely cannot be overstated. The reality is Companies and managers need no further conviction on why work should be done remotely. Employees as well are equally excited because this means more freedom and flexibility for the team as well as involving more time to spend around their families and loved ones. As a manager, if you are considering allowing the staff under you to work remotely, then this article is for you. Be sure they don’t make any of these mistakes.
Inadequate Preparation
Preparation is the foundation of success. Relying on the experience of Assignment Geek company managers, before you allow your staff to work remotely, be sure that you have taught it well. Do your research, and be confident that you can answer some relevant questions regarding making this decision convincingly. The same goes for the employees. This should include how the work will be done by your staff as well as proper supervision to ensure employee compliance and productivity.
Personal vs. Professional Benefits
In as much as working remotely will Allow for flexibility and Independence. You should be more concerned about the effect this has on the company. Let employees present you with a list of benefits this would bring to the company. This should include a reduction in operational costs and increased productivity. By making their benefits more specific, the company would be more than glad to realize that the goals and vision of the company are well Incorporated among employees and teams.
Poor Reflection
Another major mistake HR personnel and managers make when planning on allowing employees to work remotely is poor assessment. Not assessing the employees or team strengths and weaknesses and trying to strike a balance. Before allowing for remote work, spend some time evaluating the team’s strengths and weaknesses. Make sure you clarify issues like: do you feel that they all can work effectively from home, or it’s they just a few people?
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Do they have a functional space in their home that will encourage productivity and efficient communication? Are the team players more motivated alone or by cooperating with other members? Can the company provide any tools or equivalent that the employees can access remotely? All these questions need to be attended to clearly before embarking on working remotely.
Doing it Alone.
As earlier stated, inevitably, some of your employees are not self-motivated, and so would require coworking environments even while working remotely. Be sure that your company has the needed resources to sponsor coworking or has a preferred alternative workspace that offers more flexibility than the office.
Under Compensating
Research has proven that remote workers are often inspired to work. However, the problem is since the employees cannot see them. Sometimes they are pressured to go out of their way over-working just to prove that they are doing as much work as would have while at the office.
This extra time often goes uncompensated. To improve this, employers should ensure that there are proper communication channels. Keeping a daily habit of updating the team via emails, instant messaging, or any other platform available where employers can be part of the whole work process.
All or Nothing
If you or your employees are not open to a total remote-based arrangement, it’s advisable to start it out bit by bits. This means allowing employees to work remotely for a few days or weeks after which they will report to the office. This will build trust and confidence among team members.
