The current COVID-19 pandemic has thrown our ordinary lives into disarray, affecting not only our social lives but also our work lives, many of us are still struggling to adapt to this new way of living. While the social aspect seems to gradually be opening back up, many businesses are still closed and in order to prevent the spread and keep everyone safe, working from home has become less of a luxury and more of a necessity.

However, experts feel that even after the pandemic ends, WFH can become the new normal. Even big organizations like Twitter have recently announced that they are looking into such a scenario. WFH is not only helpful in terms of maintaining safety, but it has also found to have other advantages. For companies too, it can lead to savings in rents and other overheads.

Below are a few tips to help you better manage your team to ensure that you get the most out of this time spent out of the office. If you are someone who is currently working from home or know someone who is, then please pass this article on to them.

Be flexible and adapt

Firstly and most importantly, you need to be flexible. While it is easy to be stressed and panic about how current events are affecting your business, there really is not much you can do. Do not dwell on things out of your control and instead make the best of the resources you have available.

Luckily, nowadays working from home is a very feasible option and while it may take a little while to get used to, many businesses have flourished despite not having a shared office space. If you want your business to thrive in the current climate, you will need to adapt moving forward.

Adapting to a changed reality is how you are going to stay ahead of your competitors. With no fixed date as to when the pandemic will end, adapting now will help you manage expectations and improve productivity. You can also go for several tutorials and training courses to help the employees get used to the new ways of working.

Take advantage of the resources available to you

One of the main reasons companies are against their employees working from home is that they think there will be a communication issue. However, if you think about it, aside from not being able to walk up to your co-workers’ desk, what else can’t you do from home?

For example, if you have company strict procedures in place that require staff to use monitored desktops, you could consider looking at the solid competitors in the remote access space. Remote access software will allow your employees to access virtual desktops, meaning you can ensure your procedures remain in place, whilst mitigating any risk you may face with employees working from personal devices.

You can call, text, or email, and with the many video conferencing apps like Zoom available, there is really no excuse for a lack of communication. Video conferencing is especially important because it allows you to have face-to-face interactions with individuals or entire teams, in addition, you can keep a professional atmosphere by using a zoom background to keep the interior of your home away from prying eyes.

Find more information on Zoom backgrounds here: hellobackgrounds.com/zoom-backgrounds.Using the technology available to you is vital to keep your business or your team operating well and in many cases, if managed properly, working from home can actually cause workers to be more productive than if they were stuck in an office.

Check that your team has what they need

This may sound obvious but can be easily forgotten if you simply assume that every member of your team is just ready to work from home immediately. Communicate with your team either over to make sure that they all have a space to work, and the means to do so.

A space to work would be somewhere quiet where they can focus on their duties, and the means to do so would typically involve a stable internet connection and a laptop. Do not make the assumption that the home desktops or laptops of all your employees are as good as the ones in the office. The same goes for the internet connection too. In such a case talk to them individually and see what issues they are facing.

Employers cannot expect the same level of productivity from home systems and internet connections. If such is the case, ensure that your employee has access to better systems and internet connections. This will help in improving efficiency and boost productivity levels in your organization.

Conclusion

Many skeptics point out that WFH is not possible in many industries. There is definitely some truth to the matter. However, most industries, especially the service-related ones, can make the transition to a WFH set-up. This requires proper planning, resources, and setting up newer processes and structures.

Depending on the field you are in, the equipment your team needs to work from home may vary, so be sure to talk to them and whenever possible assist them in getting what they need. WFH can be a good thing or a bad thing for your organization, depending on whom you ask. While some people might like it, others would be waiting to go back to their past realities of the office.

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