Social distancing has become the reality in the current coronavirus pandemic. With many businesses, both small and large, taking a hit in the nationwide lockdown, the era of work from home has dawned on us sooner than expected.
During these extraordinary times, while practicing social distancing, many employers as well as employees are bound to have questions regarding the sudden shift in work culture vis-a-vis work from home. It is necessary for managers and the thinking caps of the company to be prepared to answer the questions of the staff who are working from home during COVID-19 so as to help them be productive and stay motivated.
Below are some frequently asked questions that remote workers often seek answers to:
1. How can remote workers stay focused and prepared to work from home every day?
It is easier when employees adhere to a strict schedule as they would on a normal office day. The comfort of being in one’s home can often be alluring to take things slow but keeping up with a strict schedule will help maintain productivity and also keep the feelings of loneliness and isolation at bay. Managers too should keep a tab on their employees to keep them motivated and connected with the company.
You might also be interested to read: COVID-19: India Inc Embraces Work From Home
2. How can companies and their heads help their employees during work from home?
Remote working was a thing of the future until the coronavirus outbreak took over. Given the size of many organizations with over thousands of employees, the organizations were taken by surprise. Now that organizations have been forced to remote working, leaders or managers should focus on setting up the correct infrastructure in place. Determining which software and what devices will employees have access to is critical. Managers need to make sure no employee is left behind without the correct access to company resources.
3. What are the expectations from a leader?
A leader must motivate his team to stay physiologically as well as psychologically healthy and active. Having daily virtual meetings is a good way of starting the day. Communicate with them and keep them in the loop of what’s happening and how can they do better. Working from home can make employees feel disconnected from the company so keep updating them on the latest information about the company. Include some fun activities in these virtual meetings to boost employees morale.
4. Will the employee productivity be affected and how can it be measured while working remotely?
Productivity of employees shouldn’t change if not enhanced with office commutes and other office distractions out of the way. Being with family may also create some hassles but keeping a professional attitude will help a lot. Managers should hold meetings at the end of the work day to track employee productivity. Equipping them with the right tools and assigning them tasks on a daily basis should help them stay focused and stay productive. Trust them enough to do the job they are hired to do.
5. Will the coronavirus pandemic change the way organizations operate in the future?
If nothing, the coronavirus pandemic has pushed the business world to adopt remote working and broaden their capacity as an organization. The benefits of working from home are making employers reconsider their business models. Certain skills such as artificial intelligence and augmented reality that seemed a thing of the future have been adopted by virtue of the coronavirus. TCS, India’s largest IT service firm, recently announced that post COVID, 75% of their employees will be working permanently from home by 2025. Many other companies are in similar footsteps. But how much of their workforce will work from home permanently in the future is to be seen post COVID.
You might also be interested to read: Work From Home The Right Way
References:
- “Working from Home: Frequently Asked Questions” by Leon for the Balsamiq Blog on March 26, 2018
- “9 questions to ask to boost your remote workers’ productivity” by Alyssa Place.
- “8 Job Skills To Succeed In A Post-Coronavirus World” by Bernard Marr for Forbes, April 17, 2020
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