Thrive as a Remote Employee in the Days of Coronavirus

Thrive as a Remote Employee in the Days of Coronavirus

There’s no doubt coronavirus (COVID-19) has drastically changed the business landscape in 2020, with more businesses than ever encouraging or requiring employees to work from home. While many employees already do some work remotely, many workers and managers are still trying to adjust to this paradigm shift.¹

Some of the biggest challenges for employers include employees struggling with loneliness, managing their time, and communication among staff members. What’s more, as schools and colleges have shut down across the country, working parents must juggle company and family priorities.²

While this all can be tough, finding a strategy that works can help you make it through. Here are the best ways to stay productive and lead a team while working from home, according to the US Chamber of Commerce;

Equip your team with technology and productivity tools
First and foremost, one of the most important ways to help teams succeed while working remotely is to get them tools to help them stay connected and productive. These include project management tracking apps, chat/messaging apps, and video conferencing apps.

Equipping teams with these new technologies allows managers and employees all stay on the same page no matter where they are working from.

Establish daily check-ins
With managers no longer getting daily face time with employees and employees not being able to chat with each other, 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.

Encourage dedicated workspaces
Many regular office employees have never needed dedicated workspace in their homes, but if they are now regularly working from home, managers should encourage the creation of home offices that are separate from communal space.

Provide emotional and steady support
As working from home can contribute to loneliness and negative emotions, employers should do what they can to provide emotional support to employees. In a fully remote work setup, managers should also be more available than usual for check-ins and other questions that may come up given the unfamiliar circumstances. Leaders should additionally encourage self-care among their employees, who mentally are trying to adapt to remote work, the stress of new environments and the stress of daily updates around COVID-19.

Don’t forget about non-work interactions and team building
Finally, one last thing that may not be obvious to managers is the importance of facilitating non-work interactions among remote workers. One way to do this is to host a weekly virtual team-building exercise to build bridges between employees.