No matter what your opinion on having your team work remotely is, the COVID-19 outbreak has made doing so a necessity for workers all over the world.
Right now, many businesses are scrambling to catch up with the software, hardware and best practices required to do this successfully. If you are concerned that an unavoidable office shutdown is imminent, itGenius has some helpful tips on preparing for and transitioning to remote work.
Preparing for the transition
In Australia, we are lucky that most people have a computer and an internet connection at home.
If this is not the case at your office, now’s the time to talk to your staff about how they will get and stay connected. One option is for people to ‘hotspot’ and use their smartphone internet data to get their computer or laptop online.
Before you go ahead with this, ask your staff to reach out to their provider about increasing their data allowances. For example, one hour of video streaming is approximately 1GB of data. If someone has a limit of around 30GB per month, they may quickly go over their limit so it makes sense to upgrade their plan. The additional cost could either be a tax-deductible expense for them or a business expense for you.
For those who do not have a landline or broadband connection at home, a mobile broadband device could be a temporary solution. These act as mini-modems without the need for a landline connection. Again, talk to your provider about how to get the best possible connection from home.
Hardware is another area to address. If your team does not have laptops of their own or business ones to use right now, seek options for payment plans or leasing which won’t require you to take a massive financial hit to get your entire team working from home.
When purchasing computers, check for a webcam, a good microphone, an earphone jack and Bluetooth capability for those with wireless earphones. Look for devices with at least 8Gb RAM, otherwise, they will operate so slowly that your staff finds it impossible to be productive.
Next, it’s time to think about software solutions. At itGenius, we recommend G Suite, the Google solution which brings your business into the cloud. We use this ourselves and have helped hundreds of businesses get set up on this platform.
G Suite includes cost-effective options for:
- Document and spreadsheet sharing
- Video chat (via the Hangouts platform)
- Instant message (also via the Hangouts platform)
Using this solution allows your team to connect, make conference calls and collaborate on documents in real-time. Having everything in the cloud means work-related content can be accessed via any device that has an internet connection.
If you haven’t done so already, now is the time to transfer important documents into shared drives. This will allow everyone to hit the ground running from home… figuratively speaking.
Right now, all basic-level G Suite now offers access to many upgraded business plan features, including conferencing for up to 100 people.
Finally, make use of task management software to keep track of what is being done and when. We recommend Asana as an excellent option for a medium-sized team but there are plenty to choose from.
Business as usual from home
If your team is used to working in the same room, it can be a shock to suddenly be geographically isolated from each other.
Set a process for checking in. This can include one-on-one catch-ups between managers and staff on a daily basis, even if it’s only for ten minutes.
You can also schedule whole team video calls. These don’t all have to be for business-related communications. Make time at the end of the week for ‘Friday drinks’ and have a casual catch up session with some tunes.
Encourage your team to keep communicating via instant message. Even though it’s a stressful time, a few fun memes being shared here and there can keep the mood light.
Keeping accountable
At itGenius, we have operated as a remote team for the last 5 years with 30+ team members all working from home in both Australia and The Philippines. In that time, we have had very few issues with accountability. This is because we have a genuinely supportive team who are all motivated to ensure the business succeeds.
If you’re concerned about productivity, one thing to do is set KPIs so your team still has responsibilities, targets, and goals. Check progress regularly and you’ll quickly identify the people who aren’t committed to making things work.
The psychological factor
Working from home is an introvert’s dream and an extrovert’s nightmare. Not everyone thrives on being alone all day long and some of your team members may feel the strain.
Staying occupied when home alone is imperative, so find ways for your team to continue to actively contribute to the business, even if it is quiet. Can they start building better systems and training documents, or perhaps work on marketing material to use when things pick up again?
You may already have mental health support plans in place for your team. If this is the case, encourage them to make use of it.
The most important thing for remote workers is to not feel forgotten about. Even if you think they’re fine, touch base regularly to see how they’re doing and remind them of how important they are to your business.
If having your team work remotely is the new reality for your business, be happy that at least you can keep them at work. Staying engaged and actively contributing to the economy is essential right now so support your team and try to stay positive while we collectively navigate this crisis.
Need help to migrate your workforce to home offices? Get started with a remote ready consultation or talk to us about a complete Concierge service.
