Some companies have always employed team members who work from home – either part-time or full-time- whereas, there are businesses who only switched to remote working because of the global coronavirus pandemic in 2020. If your staff are home-based, you will undoubtedly be on the lookout for ways to improve their performance.

With this in mind, here are four key ways to boost the overall efficiency and productivity of remote working in your business.

1.   Connectivity

When employees spend the majority of their time working out of the office, either at home or on their road, you rely on their self-discipline to get the work done. You can help them to work as productively as possible, by ensuring they feel just as connected and part of the team, as they would do if they were in the office.

It is therefore important that you concentrate on project management utilization, and invest in a service such as CoAmplifi, which will help bring together, your office-based and home-based staff. Well-connected employees are certainly more efficient.

2.   Invest in Your Staff’s Wellbeing

Remote working can sometimes be quite isolating, and certain members of your team maybe struggling withself-motivation when it comes to their working day.Also, the lack of socialization and collaboration with colleagues, can sometimes lead to loneliness.

Luckily, there are many ways to improve the culture of remote working throughout your business model, including but not limited to:

• Encouraging employees to take proper lunch and coffee breaks away from their desks
• Being mindful of their mental health needs
• Minimizing the amount of stress, by managing their workloads
• Fostering strong and cordial working relationships
• Trusting your employees
• Praising their good work, and setting achievable targets

3.   Schedule Weekly Meetings

Another important way to manage, and ultimately increase the volume and quality of work you are getting from your remote staff, is to schedule weekly meetings with the entire department.

This provides the opportunity for you as the boss, to set new targets, discuss progress on various projects, and essentially ‘check in’ with your employees to see if they are ticking all the right boxes. You can iron-out any miscommunication and ensure that everyone is on the same page. Regular meetings are also key to team bonding – colleagues can discuss new ideas and get to know one another’s way of thinking.

4.   Improve Your Own Methods of Communication

Finally, the fourth most effective way to encourage the productivity of your remote workforce, is to clearly set out your communication expectations and guidelines.

You should always aim to base your workplace communications around the following:

• Implement feedback processes and ensure that you always take action where needed
• Provideguidelineswhich define the company ethos, expectations and responsibilities of each and every employee, so they’re fully aware of their obligations
• Employ etiquette and ensure onlykey employees attend meetings relevant to them
• Set the right tone and language in the advice and disciplinary regulations you use