Our planet now has new rules for traveling, working & every other single activity because the pandemic affected the whole world very badly. To be up to date with the changing lifestyle, many industries & workplaces started acquiring small work ideas & mandatory infrastructure support.
Working remotely has not been a new idea. Mainly IT sector employees have used it sometimes. However, most people have used it for a limited time (Once or twice a week). Earlier companies used this concept to boost the morale of the employees that would lead to increased productivity.
From the last few months, the company has shifted towards a remote work policy. These changes are not only due to the passing time but also due to the circumstances. Companies shifted their focus not just towards remote work but also in ensuring remote work & productivity.
A question may always strike in our mind as to how to increase productivity while staying at home! In this post, we try to summarize various elements to improve productivity.
How to Boost the Productivity of a Remote Team?
As per the FlexJobs report, 66% of professionals said they become more productive while working from home than in the office. So, if you’re still struggling in terms of productivity, here are the points to increase productivity during work from home.
Communication is the Key
Communication plays a significant role in any relationship to grow & flourish in the right way. It is a mandatory thing to consider either in case of work from home or in the office. And in the remote work environment, it is foremost to try & reduce misunderstandings as much as possible.
In the office, you can go to any team member’s seat to ask & clarify anything, but in work from home culture, you need a communication medium to communicate with the team members.
Besides, to avoid any big mistake that hits badly in financial terms, ensure that all the team members have each other’s contact numbers, and respond quickly while working remotely.
Flexible Environment
Shift your focus from time spent in a day to achieve the targets. It will be helpful in the trust-building factor among the employees & the productivity will automatically improve.
Outside the standard office timing, try to be flexible according to the need without hampering the work & “ME” time.
As long as workers get their work done appropriately, don’t try to micromanage your team members over small issues like time spent in a day, leaves, etc. Build a culture of working smarter than harder.
Quiet Place & Dedicated Workstation
The big difference between working from home environment & office lies in smaller things like proper lighting, a comfortable chair, desk, etc. The office management manages all these things in the office, but you need to do these things by yourself if you are working remotely.
Since working remotely is becoming a daily routine, for better productivity, you need to create a dedicated workstation and a quiet place inside your home for yourself & also encourage your teammates to do so.
A dedicated workstation & a quiet place to work at home keep you away from the various home distractions if you live with your family or roommates. Consequently, it will increase productivity.
Stable Internet Connection & Proper Electricity Backup
Remotely accessible operations like remote desktop, various small applications need higher internet bandwidth & proper electric backup for continuous connectivity.
So, if you cannot meet such high bandwidth traffic, you become less professional in the other’s eye. Therefore, upgrade to a better internet plan that ensures quality work.
Strengthen the Relationship Between You & Your Team
For getting the top results, it is essential to have a good relationship among team members. This is one of the vital tips to improve productivity. Remote managers must be encouraged to create a chat room for some informal chit-chat to enhance team-building activity.
Consequently, it will build great camaraderie & works as a stress buster for employees. Plan a weekly team building activity or an informal chit-chat session to bridge work from home.
Set Goals
Goal setting is an excellent way to build a business. While setting the goals of a company, try to fix the long-term & short-term goals for yourself. This will help in boosting your productivity.
Try to make sure that you give a detailed description & issues about your task to your respective manager, which will help meet the work on time.
Take Feedbacks as a Motivation
Encourage yourself by regular feedback, either positive or negative. Feedback acts as a catalyst to perform best again & again in positive feedback or improve yourself in adverse scenarios.
Getting appreciation from your manager reflects that your company is valuing you. So, you will get the motivation to perform better.
Show Your Human Side
Last but not least, work from home can sometimes create negativity & loneliness because of the physical absence of teammates. So, everyone should provide emotional support to their colleagues by regularly asking about difficulties in professional or personal life, if any.
Managers should encourage self-care among their workers. He/she should also try to be calm in tone & maintain an upbeat presence for their virtual office.
Managers should recommend quality sleep, exercise & meditation to their employees to create a healthy environment.
Dress For Work
As it is not mandatory to dress appropriately in a remote working environment, but it creates a sense of responsibility among workers. While attending any client or co-workers call, if you are dressed well, it will convey a message that you are seriously doing your work. Some professionals feel more productive when they dress formally.
I hope you find these productivity tips beneficial to increase productivity. Remote managers must be bright enough to identify their employees’ nature to make them more useful for work.
