Over the last five years, working remote has grown by over 44 percent.
With the work-from-home movement due to COVID-19 , the question remains whether working remotely will continue to surge after the pandemic is over. There are varying opinions on this matter: some people think that the global pandemic could cause a permanent shift towards remote work.
Remote work is becoming one of the most sought-after benefits an employer can offer. The flexibility to work from wherever you want offers employees the freedom to pick and choose their work environment. On top of that, they can also choose how they want to work, their atmosphere, music, and so much more.
As you’ve probably figured out by now, remote work is completely different than what most of us are used to. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, or burned out trying to figure it out, just remember that you are not alone.
Here are a few things you should address to make sure that you’re setting yourself and your team up for success.
When you’re working remote….. Over communicate!
When you are working remotely, less isn’t more. You need to be super clear about expectations and procedures. Make sure and be very thorough in all your instructions, at least in the beginning until everyone gets a handle on how things are done.
Use guides
As you are learning and using new tools and processes, write everything down in a place that’s easily accessible to everyone on the team. This can be in your project management platform or something simple like a Google Drive.
Set Goals
If you’re managing a team or even just your schedule, focus on the end goals and not as much on the path that’s taken to get to those goals. Cut yourself some slack.
Get Social
Just because you are working from home doesn’t mean your daily water cooler chat should end. It helps us maintain our sanity and ensures that we can take our minds off work every now and then when we want some social interaction. You might even want to consider having a virtual coffee break where everyone brings a drink and catches up via Zoom.
For now, we all need to focus on being productive and making remote working “work” for our team! There’s no reason why you can’t see success while working from home when using the steps above and having people on your team willing to work hard for you and your business!