Such a difficult and unexpected situation with COVID-19 forced many businesses to switch to remote sites. In this article, we will understand how much this has affected productivity and uptime and analyze the pros and cons of remote work.
Let’s think about whether this can become a new stage in the life of companies and how to properly organize the work of your employees.
The main types of remote work
The number of people choosing remote work is growing every year. This format of work attracts many people with its flexibility, convenience, and freedom.
There are pluses for business owners: you do not need to pay for office rent, you can focus on the results, and not on administrative matters and meetings. Let’s consider what types of remote work exist.
- The first on the list is a distance worker.
Now, this is especially relevant when almost all companies are in quarantine. This type of work provides for keeping the work schedule and does not provide sufficient freedom. Basically, the team often arranges for general calls and you need to always be in touch with them.
Pros:
- you enjoy working in a comfortable environment wherever you have internet access
- you have a permanent job and a guaranteed income
- The second type is a freelancer.
Many people work freelance. They are independently looking for customers and offer a certain service. Many outsourcing companies also provide their services by working remotely.
Pros:
- you can work anywhere in the world
- you have a flexible schedule
- Final is your own remote business.
All business owners are currently in a difficult situation. Before quarantine, some were happy that their team worked remotely, and some were forced to send the entire team to a remote location. As outsourcing is becoming increasingly popular, all outsourcing companies now benefit.
Pros:
- you work where and when you want
- you do not obey anyone and profit from the work of your employees or product
Next, we’ll talk in more detail about the third type, when you are the owner of a business and you need to keep your team afloat in the current conditions. To begin with, outline all the pros and cons of working from home to understand what to prepare for and how to solve the problems that quarantine has prepared for us.
Pros of working remotely
- Saving time and money
A huge amount of time and money is spent on daily trips to and from work. Scientists estimate that a person spends from 60 to 100 minutes a day on a one-way trip. Working from home, this time can be spent on yourself. For example, to read a book, go in for a blog, go in for sports, and so on. Also, your expenses will be significantly reduced without the need to pay for transport daily.
- Flexible working hours
If your company has a flexible work schedule, then at home, it can be adjusted as comfortably as possible for yourself. This reduces stress and increases employee productivity. A flexible schedule creates a comfortable environment for each employee, which also affects the situation in the team and relations with superiors.
- Increased employee productivity
At home, there are no factors such as chatty colleagues or extra tasks and issues that distract from work. You can work comfortably and intently, without wasting time on unnecessary things. Our team is already working remotely, while the performance is only increasing. Also, often there is an initiative from the employees themselves to increase working hours to improve the work process.
- Much less sick leave
We are all human and are sometimes sick, but when working from home, you don’t need to take a day off so as not to infect other employees. You can be treated and be in comfort and warmth while working.
- Ability to hire a professional
To find a good employee, a professional in his field, so that he gets a salary, the location of the office, and working conditions is a very difficult task. If you can work from home, you can speed up the search process a lot since you can work with someone from the other side of the country.
Cons of working from home
- Broken communication
Under quarantine, meetings are impossible. The only things that can save are different means of communication, such as Skype, Slack, Telegram, Zoom, and others. Sometimes live communication may not be enough to solve some important problems.
- Staff reduction
Quarantine brought along a crisis. Many companies had a choice: to leave less capable employees, but those with whom they had known for a long time and in close relations, or dismiss these employees and hire more experienced ones for the same salary. Since everyone is located remotely and outsourcing is becoming increasingly popular, you need to choose: good relationships or quality of work.
- Control problem
Without daily communication and reports, it is very difficult to establish a clear work of employees and keep everything under control. The boss needs to keep in touch with each employee daily, arrange meetings, and motivate employees.
How a leader can successfully manage a team remotely
We can highlight a few tips that will help executives set up employees and increase productivity.
Hold morning rallies
It will be more effective if group meetings are held. In this way, employees will feel part of the team. Such rallies last about 15 minutes. Discuss reports and plans for the day.
Set deadlines and clear tasks for the week
This is an important point since each employee will know their tasks and count the time for their implementation. This rule will help increase productivity and organize your time.
Implement daily reporting and task planning
Put this into the practice of your team when everyone works remotely and there is no full control. Make obligatory ritual reports at the beginning and end of the day so it is included in the system. Also, a clear plan for the day disciplines employees and brings clarity to the work.
Motivate employees
In working from home, problems in the family may appear and this will affect the employee’s condition and work. Keep in touch with each team member and, in which case, maintain and motivate using the coaching technique.
These tips will help you set up teamwork and increase team productivity.
Conclusions
Our world is very changeable and it is not easy for business in the conditions of crisis and quarantine. It is worthwhile to pull yourself together and try to maintain morale to only strengthen yourself and your team.
Effective work requires efforts from both the boss and subordinates. To establish all processes, control and motivation are very important. If the team has a corporate spirit, then it has a much greater chance of surviving and becoming even better in these difficult times.
Analyzing the situation of our company, we can say that due to the correct approach and compliance with these rules, productivity has increased and the corporate spirit has risen. This gives us points to work and try harder to make our customers happy with the result.