A growing number of remote workers weren’t always intending to take on that role. But current circumstances being what they are with the CDC recommending businesses have employees stay home wherever possible has temporarily changed the landscape.
Not all companies were set up for this kind of transition. As a result, sometimes they find themselves either short-staffed in technical roles or trying to figure out how to help their home-bound employees.
In case you’re in the same boat, here are 4 things to do to help the remote workers at your company.
Not all IT departments were fully staffed before Covid-19 hit. Some companies were relying on one or more employees to handle IT requests in addition to their regular role. They may be quarantining now or have moved onto greener pastures. Also, the need for additional support is greater now with much more staff trying to connect remotely.
If your company is struggling to cope, then it’s worth considering using a Managed IT Services provider. Companies like Iconic IT provide a full range of services from IT support to Office 365 backups to 24/7 network monitoring. Just the kind of tasks which an already busy team might not manage to get to.
The risk with remote workers is that they’re not able to see what’s going on in the business and will begin to feel detached from it. Once this sets in, it’s difficult to resolve later especially as people cannot necessarily meet up.
To address this, it’s important to use digital tools to continue communication. This can include Zoom or Skype video calls for team meetings and Slack for text communication.
To keep current with what projects are being worked on, the tasks requiring action, and how close to completion everything is, it’s necessary to use software tools.
Using a project management tool is beneficial at this time. It can give managers a clearer visual overview of every project and task, where it’s currently situated, who is responsible for it, and when it’s likely to be finished.
One of the more useful tools is Kanban Flow. It allows a business to have multiple users, so teams can see all the outstanding tasks and where they stand. Access is available over the web, so a review of each task’s status can be made from a desktop, tablet, or smartphone.
Look to create a Brainstorming Support Group. The idea behind it is to help employees share smart ideas about how to resolve issues relating to being at home.
Posts could be something as simple as linking out to Yoga YouTube channels that employees are finding useful or tips for avoiding feeling too isolated during a lockdown. It doesn’t even need to be work-related because it’s aimed at being a support group for staff to make remote working easier.
When supporting staff well, it’s possible to overcome most of the deficiencies in the remote worker model. Failing to do so can lead to poor performance and declining morale.