covid-19

COVID-19 and Work From Home Best Practices

Once COVID-19 hit the United States in March, it’s likely your company was one of the 74% that had to quickly transition employees to remote work. There were undoubtedly some rough spots, but things probably smoothed out over time and your organization’s productivity stabilized. Fast-forward three months, and we’re starting to see signs of reopening. But the virus is still out there, and the future remains uncertain. Most states are not fully open, and it’ll be a while before state and local officials will allow things to open up completely.

Engaging Remote Employees

Getting through the home stretch and beyond is going to be a challenge. Your employees are likely experiencing cabin fever, and you don’t want to see productivity drop. You can mitigate this by offering support, ideas, and reassurance while keeping them in the loop about how and when operations will fully resume. Meanwhile, consider these steps to help the process:

1. Evaluate your employees’ tech

If everything was thrown together quickly from a tech perspective when quarantine was implemented, now’s a good time to do an evaluation. Touch base with your employees to see if their hardware, software, connectivity, and VPN are all working efficiently. If not, determine what they need and offer support to help them get what they need to continue working productively. 

For instance, some employees may find they need noise-canceling headphones, security software, or other devices to help them work. Or maybe their Wi-Fi signal isn’t strong enough. Pinpoint the problem and, if there is a way you can intervene to help, do it.

2. Set a check-in schedule

Employees might feel isolated while they’re working from home. To help them, if you haven’t already (and if it’s feasible), set a schedule to check in with them regularly one-on-one. This way, you can virtually discuss any concerns and address any questions they have. 

Also, team members may be used to sharing ideas during impromptu discussions at the proverbial water cooler. In addition to one-on-one meetings, hold weekly — or more often, if needed — virtual team meetings, as well.

3. Encourage connections with customers

Many of your employees probably work directly with your clients and customers, and you want to ensure that they’ll be able to provide the support needed to maintain these important relationships. Work with them to make sure they have ways to connect.

  • Be sure their tech can handle sending mass email blasts.
  • Supply them with mailers, postcards, and promotional gifts to send to customers.
  • Keep staff informed with the latest news, changes, or reopening information so they can provide frequent updates to customers.

The better equipped your employees are to maintain connections with your customers during the COVID-19 pandemic, the stronger these relationships will grow once the threat passes.

4. Establish a firm quitting time

People who work from home can lose track of time and put in many more hours than they should, leading to burnout. Make sure employees take established breaks and end their shifts at a reasonable time every day. This is not the time to push more work on your employees as they deal with the anxiety and stress associated with the pandemic.

Encourage them to take time to exercise or go for a liberating drive after work to let off some steam. Leisure activities are important at any time, but even more so now, since mandated restrictions have been hard for many people.

5. Have an opening strategy

Re-establishing business is not going to be easy as “flip the switch and get to work.” You may have to make many adjustments, and your employees are likely wondering what those will be. Establish a reopening strategy and share your plan with your employees so they’ll know what to expect.

  • Create a system for tracking any COVID-19 cases or exposures in the workplace.
  • Establish mask policies if people are working in close proximity to one another.
  • Set up social distancing measures in offices or on the floor (use decals, tape, or other markers for the latter). You may need to install plexiglass barriers, too.
  • Order enough personal protective equipment, sanitizer, and disinfectant supplies for staff and customers.

Reassuring your employees will go a long way toward eliminating any anxiety or concerns about returning to work once the work-from-home stage is over.

6. Offer other supportive ideas

Extended isolation has created a lot of difficulty for people across the United States (and globally, too), so be as supportive as you can. Remember: Your employees likely have been dealing with personal or household problems as they’ve sheltered at home, in addition to keeping up with their professional lives. During your check-ins, offer encouragement and ideas you may have to help them out.

  • Offer to help them formulate a child-care plan they can implement when physical workplaces reopen.
  • Re-evaluate your company’s health care offerings to ensure they’re still cost-effective and meet employee needs.

Your employees will appreciate any support, large or small, that you can provide during this difficult time, and they’ll remember any kindness you offer. (In the long-term, your support now could reduce costly employee turnover later.)

Transitioning to remote work — and back again when the crisis finally passes — is a huge deal. But giving your employees the support they need during the health crisis and in the post-COVID-19 months will go a long way toward helping both them and your organization survive and prosper in the long term. The more successful they are, the more successful you’ll be. 

 

Authored by Jessica Larson, SolopreneurJournal.com

 

 

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