While in-person work environments may be less popular these days, not every job has shifted to working online smoothly. Managing work from a distance can prove challenging and require a different approach than in-person work due to the unique challenges invoked by distance, work environments and working styles. These challenges can be addressed if you give them the necessary consideration. Here are some tips on how you can keep your business organized so that you can embrace the best success possible.
Document Management
The number of documents that are necessary to do our work can feel overwhelming when there is not a clear and manageable system for keeping everything organized. If your job deals with a lot of forms, documents or records, using a document management system can help you streamline and improve your organizational systems. Don’t waste another day fumbling around cluttered servers, inefficient systems or waiting for a colleague’s answer and instead, harness the power of a system that increases your efficiency.Project Management
Similarly, projects are another area of the work environment that can leave you feeling stressed. If your team handles projects or different aspects of a process, you can simplify your life by introducing a project management system. While many teams once functioned using Excel spreadsheets, there are automated tools like Trello and Monday.com that provide you with an interactive management system that allows you to work smarter. With the implementation of one of these tools, you can work more effectively as a team.
Clear Expectations
Clear expectations are a necessary part of workplace success for both employer and employee. When rules are clearly defined, everyone understands what is expected of them, the deliverables and how to achieve success. This shared understanding is even more important in remote work settings because everyone is working at separate locations. If you want to take it a step further, you can clearly outline the expectations and bring your team into the conversation by having them weigh in on workplace standards and guidelines. This helps bring the community into the conversation and builds ownership of the rules and norms within the organization.Transparency
Another key aspect that influences workplace culture, especially when working in an online environment is transparency. Employees will want to understand why decisions are made, what the influential factors are and their role within the organization. By keeping transparency as a fundamental value, you can help illuminate decision-making processes and allow for more equitable workplace culture.
Regular Hours and Breaks
When working from home, it can be easy to let your home life and your professional life bleed into one another. Lacking clear boundaries can be challenging and lead employees to work longer hours and reduce the number of breaks they take. While hardworking employees are a wonderful asset, if your staff is working excessively, you are likely to find them burnt out before you know it. To avoid this, make sure that you encourage staff to logoff at the end of normal business hours and take breaks. Not only will this promote a healthier work environment, but you will also reduce your likelihood of employee turnover.
Minimized Redundancy
We all have attended those meetings that seem to take up endless hours within our days and have little purpose and this is even worse in online environments. If you want to keep your employees focused and motivated at work, don’t bog down their days with useless and unnecessary meetings. Instead of wasting time, reduce your redundancy at work by holding meetings with clear purposes and only the attendees who truly need to be there. This can help everyone reserve their energy for what truly matters.Motivation
One of the hardest things about working from home is keeping staff motivated remotely. Inspiring your employees when you are in person can be challenging enough, let alone when you have to energize them when you aren’t together. Strategies like healthy levels of competition, a connection to the broader mission and purpose and having fun at work can all be useful in a remote work setting.Supportive Culture
colleagues who become friends or friendly acquaintances share a unique bond with you, as people who understand your unique workplace challenges and celebrate the wondrous wins at work. Achieving a community and supportive culture is not always the easiest task, and in an online environment, this becomes far more challenging but not impossible. Setting up time for fun, laughter and opportunities to get together with one another will play an important role in creating a healthy and supportive working environment. Don’t let your digital work create distance and disconnect within your community and be more intentional when establishing a community at workWorking remotely works well for some jobs and employees, but it can also present unique challenges. As you continue to work remotely, it is important to find strategies that work well for everyone to promote a positive work environment for all. Don’t waste the opportunity that you have in front of you and take the initiative to improve the environment for everyone.
