Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, employees in many companies are working remotely. In some ways it is the largest work-from-home research project ever.
But as much as remote working has its benefits, it can be challenging too. If you want your company to pull it off successfully, there are five tips that will definitely help:
- Don’t Overlook Security
When employees work remotely they often aren’t protected by the sandbox or firewalls of the office network. If you aren’t careful that can lead to many complications, or even result in a data breach.
To avoid that, you need to implement security measures for remote working. A VPN would be a good start, but it isn’t exactly a full solution. Instead, you should also look to employee monitoring software like WorkExaminer that can fill the gap and actively track the activity of your employees.
It should be noted that WorkExaminer can not only monitor activity, but it can also track emails, IM chats, and even file uploads. In short it will help you to flag any suspicious behavior that might be a sign that your security is compromised.
- Take Advantage of Collaborative Apps
Nowadays there are many apps that have collaborative tools, and you should take full advantage of them. Both Google Apps and Office 365 have built-in collaborative tools that you can use. Aside from that you can try project management apps to help you organize and assign tasks.
If you want a way to track what employees are doing, WorkExaminer is the right option. With its features you can keep tabs on employees and check that they’re working on the right tasks, as well as the time they spend working.
- Map Out Communications
When working remotely, communication is key. Ideally, you should choose how your team is going to communicate, and map it all out.
The good news is that there are many communication tools and apps out there, including Google Hangouts, Zoom, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Telegram, Skype, and so on. However you need to carefully pick out which one you feel fits your needs and has the features that are required.
- Measure Performance and Productivity
Productivity can be an issue with remote workers. Some may be highly productive, while others may not. That is why you need some way to measure performance and productivity, so that you can keep tabs on your remote workers and take action if it is necessary.
To accomplish this you can use WorkExaminer. Its activity tracking features will let you record exactly what your employees are doing and how they’re spending the hours that they should be working. Based on that data, you can measure their productivity.
By using WorkExaminer you can track the websites your employees visit and the apps that they use. That makes it easy to spot if time is being wasted, and you can correlate it against their performance to figure out if their productivity is affected.
- Pay Close Attention when Managing Remote Workers
Humans are social creatures, and the isolation faced by remote workers can often cause problems. While there is no guaranteed way to prevent it, the best that you can do is pay close attention when you’re managing your workers.
As a rule you should try to conduct frequent one-on-one meetings, use video conferencing, and also work in some ‘casual’ time. On top of that, be sure to attention to potential early warning signs such as a drop in performance.
Final Words
It is safe to say that by the time the COVID-19 pandemic draws to a close and people go back to work, remote working will be part of the new normal. Some companies may even find that it is more convenient and effective.
By taking the time to improve your company’s remote working processes now, you could benefit from it in the future. A good place to start is to take a look at WorkExaminer, seeing as it could prove to be a tool that helps you out on multiple fronts.
Of course you should also look at other communication, collaboration, productivity, or security tools that you may need.
