Is remote work everything it’s cracked up to be? If you want to unlock a new level of productivity and see a very real boost in employee morale, then it could be a great move for your business.

While working remotely is nothing new for some businesses, others may find themselves needing to offer remote work for the first time ever due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has affected more than 180 countries around the world.

These employers will have to act quickly to establish remote work best practices and protocols that are right for their teams. That’s why we have put together this list of tips so you can get your team connected, communicating and working together as though you’re all still in the same office.

Remote work is not going anywhere

Some used to view remote work as a trend, but that is not accurate. As its popularity among the workforce increases, it is clear that remote work is not going anywhere.

Social media management software company Buffer published a report in 2019 that reaches this conclusion in convincing fashion. Among the people who responded to a survey included in the report, 99% said they would like to work remotely at least some of the time for the rest of their careers.

Those same respondents said they encourage others to work remotely, 95% to be exact.

Many tech employers’ teams are fully remote

Some employers are just now starting to discover the benefits in productivity and employee morale that come with allowing their teams to work from anywhere. Tech companies, on the other hand, have been the driving force behind making this trend an expectation.

Many well-known and established companies are leading this innovative group of employers. But other companies are getting on board, including Rosetta Stone, Intuit, UnitedHealth Group, Williams-Sonoma, Humana, Dell, Aetna and many more.

Why remote work is so popular

Buffer’s report illustrates clearly why remote work has grown to a nice amenity to a must-have for many people in the workforce.

When asked what they value most out of their ability to work remotely, 40% stated the flexible schedule that gives them time to accomplish other tasks rather than spend that time commuting. Other benefits included the freedom to work from any location (30%), more time to spend with family (14%) and working from home (14%).

1. Check in often with your team.

Communication is critical no matter where teams are working. When they are not located in the same building or office, though, communication becomes even more important.

Check in frequently and at planned, regular intervals with your entire team. This not only helps team members stay on track and focused, but it also helps them keep that feeling of connectivity with their coworkers.

Whether that check-in is an email, a conference call or a longer virtual meeting, be prepared to place these check-ins in everyone’s schedule.

2. Encourage employees to think critically about communication.

Critical thinking is a must when employees are working from home or from many separate locations. It’s not possible to run every little thing past someone else on the team - and not everyone has the time to solve every problem someone else may have.

This is where critical thinking comes into play as a way to avoid miscommunication and better individual problem solving.

When you do communicate, make sure your message is being sent at a time when someone is able to respond, such as between normal working hours.

Another tip is to ask for feedback whenever in doubt.

3. Help employees establish a productive home office

Most people who chose remote work prefer to work from home. According to Buffer 84% of the respondents in last year’s survey said they preferred working at home, while only 8% preferred coworking spaces and only 4% said they liked to work out of coffee shops.

But employees who chose to work from home need to know how to remain productive while working from home. It is actually fairly easy to become distracted by little tasks that add up quickly to lost time.

Instruct your teams to set a schedule for working hours and to stick to it. This makes it easier to get in the zone, so to speak, and get more work done.

Employers should also be prepared to set their teams up with the technology that they need to not only communicate, but also to complete any other functions of their jobs. Don’t let technical difficulties throw your team off track.

One last note about home offices: Allow for discussion that is not related to the job. Think of it as a virtual water cooler. Small talk is fine as long as there’s time. It will actually increase your team’s morale and help them feel more connected.

4. Managers should be proactive.

Some managers enjoy being known as hands-off. While there is certainly room for this in a remote work setting, it’s not a go-to strategy because of how much proactive communication must land in managers’ laps.

Managers must make sure everything runs smoothly for their teams. This is where those regular check-ins matter. If falls to the manager to set a standard of what team communication can and should look like.

Help employees keep larger projects on their schedules. This can be easy to miss when they aren’t working out of the same building and must still accomplish day-to-day tasks.

5. Have the right communication tools.

Remote work depends on the strength of a team’s communication practices and tools. That’s why managers and business owners must select a reliable way to communicate with employees and keep companies productive.

One of the advantages of telephone and audio conferencing is that it relies much less on the strength of an internet connection than other virtual meeting software. You can also find an excellent service packed full of features for free without sacrificing quality. All it takes is a little research.

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