Everyone wants to be happy in their lives, and while we pursue activities we enjoy, we also have to earn an income to fund that lifestyle. As more and more companies turn to a hybrid work model, employees can work away from the office and into their homes or anywhere else around the globe. This builds a happier, healthier workforce, but it comes with added responsibilities for employers and employees.
Communication, collaboration and productivity are among the most critical factors in keeping the company’s culture and ethos intact. This is best achieved by laying out clear parameters for team members. Here are the most effective ways of setting employee expectations for remote work.
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Construct The Work Environment From Day One
The best time to implement a system is at the beginning. If you are transitioning to a remote workforce or hiring new work-from-home employees, set expectations from day one.
Not everyone is familiar with working remotely, and it can be hard to separate work life from home life. When you set the parameters of what is expected and how they can be successful, these workers have a clear direction at the beginning and don’t have to unlearn bad habits later.
Set Up Working Hours
A big part of a remote workforce is their geographic location outside the company’s main operations. While many employees live in the same area, some will be nationwide and beyond. This can cause a lag in communication if everyone is not working at the same time.
You must establish an effective availability window where staff can work together. While remote employees can often get work done around their schedule, you need to have time slots where they can communicate with other team members and management.
Digital Workplace Platform
Working in a hybrid model creates the need for flexibility with collaboration on shared projects, which can be challenging. Keeping everyone updated in real-time while working is critical. The most effective way to do this with remote employees is through a robust, digital workplace platform.
This will keep everyone on the same page as they conduct work in a shared environment and allow staff to collaborate across all devices, from computers to smartphones.
Remote employees will use various connective software to stay plugged into the office, which requires a working knowledge of these platforms. They must embrace the platform and use it to its full potential so they can be productive, despite being a distributed workforce.
Check-In Daily With Remote Employees
In a traditional office, you see staff face-to-face throughout the day. It is easy to monitor their production and take care of any issues when they occur. Remote employees don’t have this connection and often feel like dangling on the outside with no clear direction.
When you have a daily check-in with remote staff, they are better aligned with their duties and expectations. You can ensure they are on track and hitting their goals while resolving problems they may be experiencing.
When remote employees know they are being checked up on, they are more likely to focus on their daily workload and complete tasks as required. It keeps them accountable and connected with the business while allowing managers to instill good habits and ensure they are current with the company.
Workplace Well-Being
To retain remote employees, they must be happy with their work environment. Working from home isolates people, and they often miss out on casual interaction in an office during the day.
Digital platforms help as they help connect employees through a dedicated hub where they share information for work as well as interact socially. Other ways to keep remote employees connected and part of the team are through:
- Virtual coffee breaks
- Group chats
- Video hangouts
Encourage all employees to interact throughout the day to keep the company spirit alive and well. Sometimes you must set up this culture, so your team members will communicate and feel part of the company. This will, in turn, bring your hybrid workforce into the fold and make them more productive and satisfied.
Working remotely has its challenges; to succeed, you need to feel connected to the team and held accountable for your duties. Having clear expectations from management keeps employees aligned with the company structure and focused on completing their work while contributing to the entire team. Implement these strategies and see how your entire team flourishes.
