Most companies accept the fact that employees want to work from home. The last few years have changed the corporate world forever and people now realize that remote working is possible. To be more precise, more employees want the option to work from home when they wish to. So, as the boss, you need to find ways to bring this into reality if you want to hold on to talent at your company.
Thankfully, there are some ways you can transition to home working without there being a lot of disruption at your company. So, here are five tips that can help you do this.
Work Through the Transition Slowly
One of the most important tips we can give you when it comes to transitioning to home working is to enjoy the process slowly. The big mistake that employers make is trying to rush through the process in a short period of time. This is when you are more likely to experience productivity dips and problems.
So, know that there is no rush when it comes to home working. Take things slowly, allowing employees to also move at their own pace. This will make a difference to making everyone feel comfortable, as well as making sure no projects are affected by the move.
Use a Knowledge Platform
When all of your employees are working from home, this is going to mean that it is more challenging to share information and to support them. After all, you are not always aware of what they are working on. Even if they reach out to you, you have your own work to do, as well as many people to assist. So this can lead to delays.
One of the best things you should do is invest in a knowledge platform. This is going to provide an easy way for employees to access a wealth of information that will help them do their jobs at home. Share your knowledge on the platform and this can also make sure that new data is being added all the time. This is going to benefit employees greatly, with many reporting that they feel better connected to their workplace with this platform while working from home.
Encourage and Share the Best Home Working Strategies
Working from home can be something that is a huge step for some people. There are some employees that have that sense of independence and they can work effectively on their own. Then, there are others that need a little bit more help and support to make sure they are productive in their home environment. As an employer, you want to make sure that you are there to offer help and advice.
Therefore, to help with the transition to home working, you can provide on the best home-working strategies. This is going to give your employees tips on how they can get through their workload. For example, some people thrive on routine and this can be something you have to create. Sharing information gives people a starting point so that they do not feel left all on their own.
Schedule Regular Virtual Events for Employees
At first, employees love working from home. They get more time to themselves during the day and often, they can finish up their work earlier than they would do in the office. But, there is one downside to working from home that you can realize later down the line. We are talking about feeling lonely and isolated.
Let’s not forget that if you are used to working in a busy and loud office, you can suddenly feel very alone working from home. It is just you behind a computer screen, and this can eventually take its toll. Something you will want to do to help employees transition to this new way of working is to scheduler regular virtual events. Yes, they can be learning opportunities and ways to improve skills. But, you can also do social events too so you can keep employees happy with where they work.
Use Popular Communications Tools
When you have teams operating in different places, communication is going to be key to success. You need to ensure that employees have easy ways to reach other team members, whether this is to share information or to ask for advice. Therefore, you will need to make sure that you invest in popular communication tools for transitioning to home working.
Simply, emails no longer work when it comes to home working. They can be lost in junk folders, send out the wrong message, and simply, employees do not enjoy handling emails. Seeing a full inbox every morning can be overwhelming. Instead, you should look at instant-messaging tools. This reduces the formality of messaging within the workplace, which can make it easier to communicate. In addition, you can still use popular video calling apps too if you have meetings you need to hold.