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There has been information published in the last couple of months that indicate new, open workplaces are actually destroying productivity rather than inspiring it. Offices with individualized workspaces offer employees more concentration and fewer distractions. But another popular trend is actually proving to be more productive than either open spaces or working in an office. That is remote working. Working at home is becoming the best choice for many companies and employees. It lowers the cost of overhead for a business, and helps employees work more efficiently and avoid a commute. This summer, Staffing Industry Analysts published the statistics on working from home. They found that 23% of employees surveyed spend some time working from home. However, across the board, remote working options were important for overall employee satisfaction. If you think you can allow your staff to work from home or want to offer ideas to client companies, here are several ways you can update your work from home policy to improve everyone’s experience.
Know the best days of the week.
Unless your office has remote working every day, if you want to ensure productivity, avoid allowing work from home situations on Fridays. In spite of the best intentions, Fridays at home can quickly become distracting. Working Monday from home is a good choice since it gives your employees time to organize their week and work on new projects without interruptions like office phones and meetings. Other employees like Wednesdays so they are out of the office mid-week.
Create team based goals.
One challenge that many companies face when considering work from home options is encouraging team work. When employees don’t see their coworkers on a regular basis, they can become disconnected. Instead, offer everyone on the team incentives to complete a project by collaborating remotely. These goals will help them work together but will also provide added brain power to solving problems as they come up.
Provide all the right tools.
To enable this, it is imperative that you’re able to provide the right tools so your team can succeed while working from home. The first step is to invest in cloud technology so company-based information can be assessed through the internet. There are many online communications tools that will help as well. Slack is one of the most popular today because it is easy to use and offers options for video conferences right from the chat window.
Consider results based performance metrics.
Managers are often concerned about evaluating the performance of their remote employees. They feel if they’re not there to oversee what is happening between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., employees may take advantage of them. But there is no harm in an employee throwing in a load of laundry while waiting on a conference call to start. Rather than worrying about every minute being busy, start measuring performance based on results.
Are you considering a work from home plan for your business?
About Anserteam Workforce Solutions
The ANSER to your North American workforce management needs starts with A-Team solutions. Anserteam is the alliance of North American staffing and employment resources. Since 2004, Anserteam has grown to service over 750 locations across the United States and Canada. Are you a best-in-class staffing firm looking to increase your client base and secure a greater market share? Contact us to find out how to become part of Anserteam.
