People around the world are living in unprecedented times currently due to the coronavirus pandemic or COVID-19 pandemic. It has brought the world down on its knees in the wake of forced coronavirus lockdown measures that can last for quite a few months. The COVID-19 pandemic has especially come as a shocker to businesses that were never prepared for remote working. There are also fears that social distancing could lead to employees losing their productivity and a lack of communication can lead to the lower business output. However, it is not the time to panic as there is already work from home tools available that companies can adopt to ensure business continuity. Here are some of the best work from home tools along with a few measures, which companies can implement right away.
Video conferencing tools
Video conferencing is one of the best work from home measures that can help employees stay connected with their peers. Email communications surely work but they have a limitation in terms of personalization. Working from home can be difficult for some employees who have never done it before. Besides distractions, employees can get stressed out if they are not able to maintain their productivity. A video call can act as a great source of bonding. Besides regular work-related talks, a few light-hearted banter can help employees lighten up their moods and get back to doing their best. Video conferencing tools like Zoom and Google Hangouts are some of the most used work from home tools, offering myriad functionalities. Remember to make use of their screen-sharing and recording functions.
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Instant messaging apps
Video calling with team members throughout the day is not practical in the real world. However, the next best option to clarify or communicate smaller details is instant messaging apps. Microsoft Teams and Slack offer excellent value whether you are looking for communications individually or across the departments. Employees can discuss their work-related ideas and stay connected with each other throughout their working hours. These tools have always been there even when people hardly worked remotely and today, when the coronavirus breakout has installed work from home permanently in some businesses, the importance of these tools have seen unprecedented growth.
Productivity trackers
Working from home can be a bit troublesome for employees who cannot concentrate due to the disturbance they face at their homes. Due to frequent breaks, the working hours could also get extended and employees could end up working more hours than what they were supposed to. This can clearly hit their productivity and lead to anxieties. However, time-tracking tools like Todoist and Toggl can help employees line-up their tasks, manage them effectively throughout the day, and take necessary breaks in between.
Cloud storage
Cloud storage applications such as Google Drive and Dropbox are excellent work from home tools that are a great savior during the current coronavirus crisis. As employees cannot access the internal servers of their employers, these tools are excellent alternatives. Businesses must ensure that all the important documents are stored on the cloud to ensure seamless access to information for every member of the team.
Project management tools
It can become very daunting if managers have large teams. Tracking their productivity and workflows can only be done effectively through certain work from home tools like Airtable, Monday.com, Trello, etc. These tools offer dashboards through which each task can be assigned and the progress can be monitored right till the completion of the project.
Due to the uncertainty of times the world is living in at the moment, these work from home tools are becoming quite handy. Companies cannot afford to lose business continuity and employees cannot risk their productivity taking a hit. These effective work from home tools will become the new norm in the coming months as businesses try to keep their employees engaged and committed towards their deliverables. However, a lot of it is easier said than done as the majority of people in India have not worked remotely previously. It can be quite daunting for employees to maintain their productivity at the peak, especially if they have just started. Anxieties among employees are also likely due to fears of their health and safety. In such testing times, businesses must be empathetic towards their employees and understand that the productivity of their employees can get affected due to several factors.
Communication through the remote working tools listed above can be an effective measure that could ensure the success of businesses that are working remotely. Businesses must make consistent communication with their employees, keeping them updated about everything they would want to know to function effectively. It can just be the right time for business leaders to display their emotional side to their employees. As your employees settle down at their “new” workplaces, make sure you do everything to keep them motivated and engaged. Offer them tips and valuable advice on how this is just a temporary phase where everyone needs to maintain their focus and stay strong to sail through effectively.
Also, it can be quite tempting for certain managers to keep track of their employees in regard to how they spend their working hours. This can definitely be avoided at all costs as it could show a clear lack of empathy and trust towards employees. Micromanaging was never appreciated even in traditional working environments and doing so now will only lead to troubled times. Managers can keep their interactions with their team members on the casual side because virtual discussions have always a possibility of the message being perceived wrongly.
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Lastly, it can be very helpful for both employers and employees if there are regular employee engagement surveys. These can reveal the general mood of the employees and help employers go on a course-correction measure if issues are identified.
Reference: Top Tech Tools to Keep Your Team Connected During Coronavirus – uschamber.com, Nicole Fallon, Mar 16 2020
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