Here's How Remote Teams Can Increase Their Work From Home Productivity
There has been a lot of recent talk about whether companies should let people work from home or make them come back to the office, now that most people have learned to live with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although working from an office has been the traditional way of doing business, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the most effective.
The arguments for returning to physical offices are weak.
What are employers supposed to do with all that extra office space they're not using and for which they're paying exorbitant rental fees? Some employers are issuing return-to-work mandates to justify their rental expenses.
Employers also seem to be having trouble wrapping their heads around the idea that remote employees are just as, if not more, collaborative and communicative than before.
If productivity is going up because a lot of people are working from home, how can we take advantage of this and get rid of the stigma?
Does remote work increase your productivity?
Advocates for remote workers contend that it reduces employee absenteeism and improves both job and life satisfaction. However, critics point to potential distractions that arise from working from home, which can reduce productivity.
Despite all the benefits that working from home has to offer, there is still a common misconception that working from home will negatively impact productivity.
According to a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research, remote workers are just as productive as those who work in an office and are less prone to being distracted than those who work in an office.
The benefits of working remotely
There are three other main benefits of remote work:
- Flexibility: Remote workers can set their own hours and be more flexible with their schedules. This is helpful for those who want to plan their day away from a traditional 9-5 or need to care for family members without incurring extra costs.
- Work-Life Balance: Working remotely can provide more time for family, friends, and personal activities that may not be possible if you were working in an office environment with long hours.
- More creative freedom: Working remotely allows you to focus on what you love doing instead of what other people are doing.
Tips for boosting work from home productivity
If remote employees are not as productive as they should be, there might be a few underlying causes. Lack of social interaction, being far from the office, and always being connected to work can all lead to less work getting done.
But there are many ways to boost the productivity of remote employees. Here are some of them:
Create a culture of trust
Remote employees are more productive when they feel that the company cares about them and their work. The culture of trust is built on three pillars:
- Communication: Communication is the foundation of any culture of trust. Employees need to feel like they are heard and that they have a voice in the company. This can be done with regular one-on-one meetings or by having a culture where employees can speak up without fear of being judged.
- Collaboration: Collaboration is also important to boosting productivity among remote workers because it allows them to work together on projects and tasks even when they are not physically in the same space.
- Encouragement: Encouragement is another key ingredient for building a culture of trust because it helps employees feel motivated and supported.
Offer a wellness stipend
The shift towards remote work has not been without its challenges. Some companies have trouble retaining their team members, who are often tempted to go back to a traditional office where they can talk to their coworkers in person and use cafeterias and gyms.
But some companies have found the perfect solution to this: providing wellness stipends to employees who work remotely. A “wellness stipend” is a cash allowance that an employer gives an employee to spend on benefits. There are various wellness stipends that companies offer, such as:
- Gym memberships & yoga classes
- Nutrition & health coaching
- Meditation App memberships
- Memberships to co-working spaces and local networking events
A wellness stipend ensures that remote workers are receiving the same physical benefits as their in-office counterparts, and providing one to work-from-home employees can result in higher productivity.
Provide opportunities for growth
Employees who have the opportunity for growth will always look for ways to learn new skills, which leads to higher productivity levels as well as higher job satisfaction levels, too.
One of the best ways to build a strong bond with your employees is to encourage them to learn new things and get engaged in work life. The more invested they are in their work, the better their job satisfaction levels will be, which leads to greater productivity as well as loyalty and dedication.
Many remote teams now offer a ‘learning stipend’ which encourages employees to take online courses to upgrade their skills.
Organize virtual meet-ups
Virtual meetups are a great way to keep remote employees connected and motivated. They feel closer to their coworkers if they can communicate via video calls, chat, voice calls, or other means that let them see each other's faces every so often.
Virtual meet-ups:
- Can be used for brainstorming sessions, which help generate new ideas and ways of solving problems. Help them stay motivated by keeping them connected to the company’s culture and vision.
- Can be a way to discuss the progress of projects and identify any potential issues or concerns that may arise in the future.
Support them with the right tools
It is vital for every remote team to use the right tools to boost their productivity. These tools help the team stay organized, in sync, and do their jobs not only quicker but also better.
- Project management tools: Some of the most popular project management tools are Trello, Airtable, Basecamp, and Notion. They help with completing tasks on time, avoiding conflicts, and making sure that they are on the same page.
Collaboration tools: Services like Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom, and Google Meet can help your remote employees easily keep track of their team's conversations, share files, and even use add-ons to automate parts of their team's workflow.
Task automation tools: Providing your remote employees with a task automation tool like Text Blaze can help them automate tasks such as repetitive typing. Those few seconds spent doing repetitive tasks every day add up to hours of time that are spent doing low-value work and instead can be focused on more meaningful tasks. You can get started for free today and save hours of your time!
Security, accessibility, and automation are at the heart of these remote employee productivity tools. Whether you’re working from home, within driving distance of the office, or in another country, working from a hut with the ocean breeze kissing your face, these tools will help anyone aim to be more productive.
Assess their issues frequently
Remote work also carries some disadvantages, such as being disconnected from your colleagues and not being able to see them in person. They are more likely to experience stress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness than their counterparts.
Ultimately, it’s important for managers to monitor their employees’ mental health and make sure they are adjusting well to remote work.
Encourage them to embrace self-care. Giving them wellness stipends ties back into this. Sending out monthly questionnaires where they can answer anonymously will also give you a pretty good handle on their mental health status.
Wrapping up
Productivity is a big deal for employers who want to keep skilled and experienced workers who can do their jobs from home without having to be there to supervise them. Because of this, employers have come up with ways to increase work-from-home productivity using technology.
Giving your remote team the right tools and employing the correct methods will definitely help you increase work from home productivity.
We hope you’ve learned some useful tips after reading this article. Boosting your work from home productivity isn't that complicated. With Text Blaze, remote teams across the world are saving hours of their time and eliminating boring, repetitive typing for good and focusing on more meaningful work. Get started today!
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