Since the pandemic, remote work has become a standard expectation for many employees. After all, their fuel expenses dropped by quite a decent amount, and the time they saved commuting improved their work-life balance.
Now that we’ve returned to some sense of normalcy, the benefits of remote work are still improving employee mental health. With hybrid and completely remote models also being shown to increase productivity, it would be a major mistake to simply revert to the old way of doing things. Instead, business owners should find ways to support employees who want to keep working remotely.
Of course, it can be challenging to know where to start, so we’ve put together a list of tips to help:
Establish a Virtual Office
One of the first and most important steps to supporting your remote workforce is to provide them with a central hub. That could involve a serviced office for your local employees and virtual offices in Australia and other regions you work with. This type of setup can save you a significant amount of money on rent and office-related costs. Crucially, it ensures your workers have somewhere to go – whether that be physical or digital – to connect with you and the rest of the team.
Deliver the Right IT Support
Security software is vital in protecting your data and ensuring your staff has access to the platforms they need to do their job. We suggest running a VPN for security and ensuring that you have a quality enterprise backup and disaster recovery program in place so that if anything does get lost or corrupted, it can be restored.
Supply Quality Equipment
You’ll also want to supply high-quality equipment so employees never get held back by the capabilities of the electronic devices that they’re using. Getting everyone set up with laptops and other devices may cost a bit. However, productivity will be much better when staff isn’t arguing with ancient technology or using their personal equipment to perform work tasks.
Be Understanding
In addition to providing your employees with the flexibility and equipment they need to get their job done well, it’s also essential to understand and make allowances for each staff member’s unique personal circumstances.
Putting effort into increasing diversity in the workplace in Australia is good for business and society, and having a remote workforce provides you with a unique opportunity to take diversity initiatives to the next level. For example, you could work with an inclusive recruitment agency or hire parents to work part-time during school hours.
Reward Productivity
Studies show that remote workers are often more productive than those heading into the office every day. That is fantastic news for you and your team – they get to enjoy their lives more, and you get to enjoy the benefits of increased productivity.
Just be sure to reward any productivity gains with an appropriate form of compensation. Staff who perform well deserve raises for the improvements they make within the company. Fail to pay them what they’re worth, and you might find them going elsewhere.
A hybrid or remote workforce can be highly beneficial to your company. However, staff must still be supported, so it is vital to install processes and procedures that help everything flow smoothly. The tips in this article will help, but every business is unique – just like all of its staff – so finding things that work for you and your team is more important than simply ticking boxes. Remote working isn’t going anywhere, so embrace it and reap the rewards.
