The world has been restless for the past few months. Though the Earth seems to be taking some rest from humans’ foolishness, still, it has been difficult for most of us to keep up with taking extra care of ourselves sometimes – not when the coronavirus is still ‘attacking’ somehow. The virus is spreading rapidly in many countries and the death toll is still climbing – but the majority of people are recovering from the infection. That being said, as a person who provides Melbourne SEO services, I can say that this virus is not only affecting and threatening the lives and the health of billions of people in the world, but it is also affecting many businesses out there, globally. Crazy, huh? But no matter how difficult it has been, you must survive and do what you can do. To save the world, you have to stay at home, but to save your business, you have to manage your business and your work-from-home employees straight from home. How? Keep reading this article to find out!
It is true that working from home means more distractions, fewer ways to interact naturally with fellow employees, and more social isolation — all of which can lead to less productivity. To overcome these challenges, employers should explore new ways to manage and collaborate with employees and enable more ways for employees to connect with each other. For that reason, the most important part of this work is management.
Give your team tech and productivity tools
One of the most important ways to manage and help teams succeed while working from home is to get them tools to help them stay connected and productive. For example, you can introduce them to project management tracking apps like Asana and Airtable, chat/messaging apps such as Slack and Microsoft Teams, and video conferencing apps such as Zoom and Google Hangouts. Equipping teams with these new technologies can enable managers and employees to all stay on the same page no matter where they are working from, whether it is from home or waiting in a long line at the grocery store. These new apps might also help keep your team more productive and connected after coronavirus fears lessen and people go back to work.
Check-in on the employees daily
I don’t mean to sound “strict” in this part, but this is important and you don’t need to feel bossy for that. With managers no longer getting daily face time with employees and employees not being able to chat around the proverbial water cooler, creating a daily check-in routine is an important way to set priorities and foster connections. A morning check-in via video chat, phone call or instant message can create a sense of normalcy. These check-ins can be one-on-one or held among small groups. This will not only help you manage your team properly, but you can also take care of them in such a way that lets your employees know that you care about them. After all, checking in on your employees doesn’t always mean only checking for their absence, but it also means checking whether or not your employees stay healthy during this situation.
Provide emotional support
In this situation, of course many people are worried about their safety, not to mention their loved ones. For that reason, it is important to give them the emotional support they really need – some pep talk, if you may. Leaders should set the tone for their virtual offices with a calm and upbeat presence, which helps create a level-headed workplace where people can still get things done. Not only can this help you achieve your business goals effectively, but your employees will appreciate you more for your support.
I can’t tell you that this is going to be easy, but let me tell you this; my advice in this article is going to help you a lot. As a business owner as well as a leader, you are required to not only manage your employees, but you are also required to help them in some way that your employees will not only appreciate you, but they will also feel more encouraged to work hard to help you achieve your goals and dreams.