COVID-19 made some serious changes to how we live and work, and for many businesses, it has meant a complete overhaul of how things are done. Some businesses that were already toying with the idea of allowing staff to work from home were forced to switch to home-working on a full-time basis, while others were already well-accustomed to remote working and found making the switch easy. Some businesses have decided that after everybody has gotten used to working from home over the COVID-19 lockdown period, they are going to make it a permanent feature. So, what do you need to ensure that you can make the switch easily?
Understanding the Benefits of Remote Working
It’s important for businesses to have a grasp on the many benefits that allowing staff to work remotely can provide. Employees who have the option to either work from home or from the office tend to be happier and more satisfied in their roles, more productive, and more loyal to the company. Working from home allows employees a degree of flexibility that cannot be achieved while working solely from the office, along with giving them a greater level of choice and autonomy over their work and how it is done.
Phone Software
As you are probably well aware after having employees work from home over the COVID-19 lockdown period, phone calls are going to be made more often when employees are not in the office to speak to in person. Choosing the right phone software is crucial, as it’s likely that this will tend to be the chosen method of communication. VOIP calling is a popular choice among companies that allow home working since it can be easily used from any device and cheaper with calls being made through the internet. Read some reviews and comparisons of different VOIP phone software programs before choosing the right one for your business. PieSync has some great resources on RingCentral v AirCall; the PieSync blog is an excellent source of information on a wide range of software programs and tools that can help your business make the transition to remote working.
Video Call Software
Video calls have become the new normal with so many people working from home, and you will want to choose a software program for your company that is fast, reliable, and able to keep up with the demands that you put on it. Many VOIP software programs like Skype also offer video calling options, or you could go with a popular choice like Zoom, which everybody seems to be using these days – but bear in mind that you only get so much with the free version. Google Hangouts has been another top choice over the COVID-19 lockdown since it is free, easy to set up for anybody with a Gmail account, and does not require any additional software to be downloaded.
Employee Equipment
Don’t make the mistake of simply allowing your employees to work from home and expecting them to come up with all the equipment that they need. As an employer, you will need to ensure that each remote employee is provided with the adequate equipment needed in order to do their job well. This could mean providing them with hardware like a computer, smartphone, tablet, headphones or design tools, and giving them access to the software programs that your company uses if they are going to be working from their personal device.
Security
Since remote working means that employees will be accessing work systems from personal devices on home Wi-Fi systems, it’s important that high levels of security are taken very seriously. All employees should be provided with access to the anti-virus software of your company’s choosing while working from home, and it’s important to provide training so that they don’t inadvertently end up putting business or even customer data at risk. For example, you will need to ensure that each employee knows how to properly secure their home Wi-Fi network, and if using a personal device, it should be properly password protected. Since coffee shops and other choice places for working are now beginning to reopen, it’s not unusual that some of your employees might choose to work outdoors, so ensure that they have access to a good VPN that they can use to protect themselves if going online via a public Wi-Fi network.
Ground Rules
Chances are, your company already set some ground rules when employees had to quickly make the switch to working from home due to the coronavirus, but if you have decided to make this a permanent feature, it’s worth going over them again and potentially adding some new ones, particularly if you were rushed the first time around. Make sure that all employees who are working from home are fully aware of what is expected from them at all times and what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior. This will vary from company to company and even between departments. For example, you may have a team that you can simply leave to get on with their work throughout the day, while employees working on different projects might need to check in with yourself and the rest of the team more often.
Communication
Finally, the key to a successful remote working strategy is strong two-way communication between both parties. Not only should you be clearly communicating needs and requirements to your home-working employees, but you should also be encouraging them to communicate back to you with anything that they are concerned about or need in order to do their job better. Being clear about what is required will ease some of the anxieties that employees might be having about working from home and make it easier for them to perform well. And on the other hand, when employees are able to quickly bring any concerns to you, you can act on them quickly and ensure that remote working is a pleasant and hassle-free experience for everybody involved.
After the COVID-19 crisis, we are seeing many businesses switch to allowing working from home permanently. If remote working went better than you expected and you’d like to continue doing it, make sure that you and your employees have everything you need to make it successful.
