What You Need to Know about Shifting to a Remote Work Environment

Right now, many businesses must make crucial decisions that not only affect the business itself, but also their employees. Some workplaces are closing completely, while others are figuring out if it’s possible to transition their employees to a remote work environment.

Considering that most businesses have had little time to implement tools for remote work, it’s easy to see how difficult the current situation is. Even with the increasing popularity of remote work over the past decade, not every job is suited to a remote environment. What’s more, many companies lack the basic tools to accommodate a remote workforce, even if the jobs technically do not have to be done onsite.

Moving your workforce to remote operations is impossible for some types of businesses, of course, but many companies can make the switch. Here, we’ll discuss the essentials for making remote work a success.

Being in a leadership role comes with great responsibility, and even more so during times like these. In trying situations, leaders must tap into the organizational skills that they’ve built over time, so they can quickly make the best decisions.

There are many factors that leaders need to consider when transitioning to remote work: which positions or functions allow it, how to communicate the transition, your current IT resources, and your budget.

Leaders need to be able to come up with good strategies that will prevent panic and keep employees informed about the status of their jobs. This leadership is important throughout the organization, not only at the executive level.

Communication is one of the most important things for businesses shifting to remote work. This entails more than just having video meetings and exchanging words. Communication should be clear as well as informative.

What most people immediately become concerned about is this job status: Will they be able to come to work? Will they still get paid if they are recommended not to go to work? Can they work remotely? How long will they be required to do so? Answers to these questions will help people feel less anxious. If you don’t have answers, sometimes transparency and honesty will suffice, as long as employees believe you are working to find answers.

If any part of your staff does end up going remote, communication becomes even more important. Managers and executives should take care to provide clear directions and even overcommunicate. Always edit any emails or messages before sending, ask questions to ensure comprehension, and be careful with vague statements. For example, use “Let’s have a videoconference with our completed reports on Friday at 11 a.m.” not “Let’s circle back again in a few days.” Make sure people know what is expected of them, and be available to advise and support them even more than you normally would.

Group chats, video conferences, and frequent email updates keep everyone updated and on the same page. Research what tools make the most sense for your team—Slack and Skype are popular options for real-time messaging and video calling. Zoom also offers video conferencing; the standard version allows for up to 100 people to come together for a virtual meeting. Productivity software will also be important. You might use Google Productivity Suite, DropBox, and Box for file sharing and management, while cloud-based applications like Asana, Monday.com, Wrike, and Zoho Projects streamline project management.

When working from home, it can be difficult for even the most dedicated employee to focus on their job. There are all too many distractions, and people can be tempted to blow off work. Cut your team a little slack at first—any new routine takes some time to adjust to, after all—but help your employees maintain their productivity by encouraging routines and schedules.

Ensure all managers either ask their employees to submit their schedule of working hours, or otherwise define it explicitly for them. Make sure employees know that during their working hours, their managers should be able to reach them immediately. Managers should also schedule weekly videoconference team meetings for face-to-face contact.

Culture is important in any organization, and fortunately you can still maintain your company’s culture, even at a distance. If you’re using a collaboration tool like Slack, you can set up channels of communication specifically for chatting and socializing when people aren’t working. Other virtual team-building activities include things like playing video games together or streaming a movie and hosting a chat session to discuss it.

With something as serious as a pandemic, it’s highly likely that information will constantly change, and business leaders must be able to adjust quickly. Even without external events, a transition to remote work is a massive change, so be prepared to answer more questions and for productivity to decline slightly, at least initially.

With updates coming rapidly, your organization also must be prepared to change course based on new information. It’s also critical to be able to distinguish accurate information from hearsay or rumors. Stay up to date with the latest, most trusted information by following reputable news outlets; federal, state, and local governments; public health authorities; the Centers for Disease Control (CDC); and the World Health Organization (WHO).