How to Optimize Your Remote Team’s Productivity in 7 Simple Ways
We’re now seeing companies that are remote-first, meaning that they don’t even have an office. Many speculate whether remote or office workers are more productive, but everyone who has not had to commute yet does their job knows what’s better.
If you’re running a company that has remote employees, or if you’re fully remote, you’ll have to implement certain strategies in order to reap the benefits of remote work. This article delves into both basic and advanced methods in order to maximize your employee’s productivity.
Differences Between Remote and Office Work
As a manager, you’ll notice that there are a lot of differences between working in the office and working remotely. First and foremost, that sense of connection with the employees might seem weak. This is totally understandable, as people are social animals.
There are a lot of ways you can solve this, starting from regular video meetings up to periodical real-life meetings. The other important difference is that you don’t have to pay for office space and utilities. This can be a massive benefit for your budget.
Furthermore, you’re saving time, energy, and money for your employees. They won’t have to wake up earlier, prepare, and commute to work. Commuting can be both expensive and tiresome.
Renting office space can also make up a significant part of your budget if you’re operating from a large city or a business hub. The bonds between employees will also be weaker in remote environments, which can sometimes cause a problem.
Remote work transfers collaboration from real-life meetings and talking to communication and collaboration platforms. This can be great for some, but it can also be problematic for others. But overall, this is nothing that can’t be fixed with policies and right tools.
What can also be problematic with remote work is the lack of cybersecurity regulations and policies. Since everyone will work from their own device, this can be a potential vulnerability that can be exploited. Your employees should, regardless, have some form of cybersecurity training.
Is Remote Work Better?
Whether remote work is better than office work depends on who you ask. It’s the same as choosing between Metallica and Megadeth, it boils down to the personal preference of the employee for the work environment.
However, business owners can cut their costs significantly while losing only a portion of their productivity or even improving it. Besides the skills that your employees should have for their role, it’s expected of them to have a sense of time organization, and accountability.
Their skillset should also include good English skills, as remote businesses are often multicultural, with English being the primary language for communication. The tech-saviness of each employee can also be a great addition, as some problem-fixing could require technical skills.
Remote work removes a lot of stress that employees have, and that’s tied to commute and family life. Some people lose their whole day traveling, which means they’ll both be stressed for work and once they come home.
Working remotely also requires the employee to understand their work-life balance. Some people are workaholics and would have a hard time if they were able to work anytime they want. This can take a toll on their mental health and lower their productivity in the long run.
Strategies for Optimizing Remote Worker Productivity
There are a dozen strategies that you can implement to improve your workforce’s productivity. Some of them are more efficient than others, but the solutions to your problems depend on the nature of your business and employees.
The strategies outlined here are only a portion of what you could do to optimize your employee’s productivity. If you’re unsure about what’s most helpful, you should conduct internal surveys or consult with productivity experts online.
1. Async Communication
When working in a remote business, it’s unpredictable when your employees will work. It’s not uncommon for someone to avoid work from 2 to 4 because of their personal chores yet make up for it from 5 to 7.
It’s totally understandable for this to happen, but it’s important to set clear policies about communication and work hours. Some businesses implement a policy that requires the employees to reply within 4 hours.
Others extend this period to up to 2 days. Regardless of what you think the best choice is, employees should be aware that they won’t get a reply immediately. Some companies have schedules for individual employees.
If you’re a writer collaborating with a graphic designer, you’ll be able to take a look at their work hours and know when to expect a reply. Overall, it’s important that your employees are transparent and straightforward about this.
2. Onboarding & HR tools
Some of the best ways to improve your employee’s productivity is through the implementation of HR tools. Many of them have onboarding features that allow your newly hired employees to start small and then build momentum.
For example, you can assign them tasks to organize their first one-on-one, log into all the necessary tools, and complete their first tasks. HR tools can also help with communication with the HR department and management.
Flowlu is a handy tool that makes onboarding much easier. It keeps everything—tasks, communication, and workflows—in one place. Managers can assign tasks, track progress, and help new hires get up to speed without wasting time. It’s a straightforward way to keep things running smoothly.
There are also numerous AI tools that could help your business analyze the performance of the workers and then adequately award them or help them improve their performance. Furthermore, they are a helpful addition for going on holidays and vacations, with everyone in the company being able to see that and understand they’ll be offline during the period.
3. Knowledge Base
Employees require certain skill sets and problem-solving skills. To avoid having to have meetings about the same problem multiple times, creating a centralized knowledge base for all departments can save you a lot of time and money.
Flowlu has a built-in knowledge base where you can store all your important resources and company policies in one place. Your team can quickly find answers to common questions or check how things are done in their department without needing to wait for a meeting. It’s a simple way to save time and keep everyone on the same page.
You can also combine PDF files to create a singular document that addresses all the potential problems and solutions. On the other hand, you can create a blog-like section for your website that will cover everything the employees must know.
Knowledge can revolve around the company’s policies, but it can also be targeted towards department-specific skills. So instead of an SEO manager teaching an employee how to find keywords, they’ll only have to take a look at the document that explains the process.
4. Regular Meetings
As we’ve mentioned multiple times throughout the article, a remote environment can be problematic in terms of social contact and bonds between employees. One way to bridge this gap is by having regular meetings for teams, as well as at the company level.
Through regular meetings, employees will be able to get to know each other better and get a sense of community. Meetings can also be helpful for productivity, as managers will be able to address certain problems in front of all of their employees, helping them reach their goals.
You can use a tool like Flowlu to keep your meetings organized and productive. It helps you schedule meetings, keep track of what was discussed, and make sure everyone knows what they need to do next. Plus, it’s handy for following up on tasks so nothing slips through the cracks. It’s like having a digital assistant to keep your team on the same page.
5. Open Communication
Whatever industry your business operates in, fostering open communication between employees is important. Employees should be able to explain their problems and get adequate support when it’s necessary.
Avoiding having tough conversations can lead to toxicity and burnout. Even in a remote environment, employees should be able to share their problems and have them addressed.
6. Productivity Policies
Many businesses I’ve worked for had some form of an employee-tracking application. This is often considered intrusive to the privacy of the employee. On the other hand, many consider it unnecessary.
As long as the results are visible, there’s no need to micromanage the employee's work day. To achieve your business’s productivity goals, it’s important that you implement key performance indicators, on which you’ll be able to analyze the employee’s performance.
Remote work is the future and businesses should learn how to optimize it
There isn’t an exact answer to whether remote work is more productive. However, with the strategies mentioned throughout the article, there’s no doubt that your employees will work effectively and productively.
IT companies, for example, have a workforce that’s already prepared to work in the digital space. On the other hand, some businesses could have problems with communication and productivity.
Whether you’re implementing policies on communication and productivity or you’re using advanced collaboration tools, the end goal is to achieve your company’s goals and deliver the results. There’s no need to micromanage or worry about time spent on work by employees if the results are delivered.
One of the trickiest things is keeping everyone connected and on the same page. It’s easy for communication to feel scattered, and team bonds can get weaker. Regular check-ins, clear policies, and tools to keep everything organized can make a big difference.
Staying motivated can be tough when everyone’s working from home. Encouraging open communication, giving people credit for their work, and setting up regular team chats can help. Little things, like acknowledging effort or having a quick check-in, go a long way.
Definitely. Tools that let you manage tasks, share knowledge, and track progress are super helpful. For example, using something like Flowlu can help keep everyone on track without making things feel overwhelming. It’s all about finding what works for your team.
