Things aren’t always simple for remote work, considering the absence of a commute, comfortable dress code, and greater flexibility for family and personal priorities. In recent years, the human resources department’s role has expanded beyond enforcing policy and procedures, hiring, onboarding, and organization development.
HR leaders must ensure a positive employer brand as well as develop initiatives to enhance employee engagement and productivity. They should build a connection between the company and employees that extends beyond their tenure at the organization. HR onboarding activities can also increase employee productivity. HR’s role is not to direct technology decisions, but to collaborate with the IT team to create strategic priorities for remote workers to guide which gadgets, applications, and connectivity are selected.
Goals & Practices
HR must set targets that describe the accomplishments that must be attained to realize the company’s Objectives and key results (OKRs). All tasks should be directed towards achieving those objectives. Employee roles should be defined and aligned with the organization’s strategy. Every goal should be approached positively and tailored in an attainable manner.
Urge Your Employee to Avoid Working Overtime
Remote work frequently makes it simple for employees to blur the line between their professional and personal lives, and some may work overtime. Working overtime every day can lead to serious burnout, physical and emotional fatigue, and a deterioration of mental health. Do not assign multiple tasks and set unrealistic deadlines. Divide the workload evenly among available employees and ensure they have the necessary technology to carry out their job duties. Motivate your supervisors to listen to your employees’ concerns and solicit feedback from them. Finally, when your employees work from home, make flexibility a top priority.
Keep The Team Engaged & Productive
Working remotely positively affects employee productivity for stand-alone tasks that don’t require additional collaboration with team members in terms of meetings and discussions. Collaborative tasks that require team collaboration can greatly decrease employee performance if clear communication between team members is not possible. When a feeling of connection and empathy between team members is discovered to be lacking in the remote working model, it is the responsibility of the human resource team to cultivate it. Frequent but brief meetings that are timed to the strategy can help stay focused, aware, and energetic. Ensure that your team has access to online tools and resources to remain engaged and productive. More engaging and involved teams result in higher levels of employee productivity.
Conduct An Employee Survey
Using an employee survey, try to determine what obstacles are impacting productivity. Many online programs enable you to create survey data that can be sent in bulk if you don’t have systems in place. Ask important questions such as, Are you happy at work? Do you understand the company’s career path and advancement opportunities? How satisfied are you with your work-life balance? Employees must maintain a work-life balance to be productive. If you receive negative responses to this question, it’s time to look into other factors that may be causing additional stress for your employees. Inquire about the work environment, the frequency of meetings, distracting sounds or workers, and flexible work schedules. Only ask questions about your company’s offerings. However, the overall goal is to identify and eliminate any barriers to employee productivity.
Use Technologies
Technology plays a critical role in enhancing the distant working experience for both employees and employers. A successful remote working strategy requires online communication and collaborative tools. Collaboration tools like Slack, Skype, Zoom, and Google Meet, as well as file-sharing services like Dropbox. The organization can use Google Drive to enable easy communication among team members. Onboarding software tools such as UserGuiding, Charlie HR, MobieTrain, and 321Forms aid in the clear communication of team members’ work orders and proper training.
Conclusion
Work from home is a new trend that requires a lot of attention. Follow the steps outlined above to create a welcoming work environment for your remote employees and boost their productivity. Remote working can be made more productive and have a less negative effect on employee performance with proper HR onboarding practices in place. Furthermore, maximizing the use of technology can bridge the communication gap and ensure that the working remotely concept is efficient and effective.
