As the nation enters another week of lockdown, many operations are looking at their data to see how the integration of remote working and the closing of their business premises has affected their productivity. Hopefully, at least some will be pleasantly surprised. After all, there’s evidence to suggest that remote workers can be even more productive than their office-bound counterparts. Just so long as they have the right infrastructure and guidance to ease them through the transition. 

Part of ensuring that employees are at their best when working remotely is making the experience feel less, well, remote.

A big part of this is making sure that they still feel part of the team and that you’re just as invested in bringing out the best in them. Here are some ways to maintain your commitment to employee excellence, even if your physical office is closed. 

Check in regularly

The workplace isn’t just a place of work. It’s a social space.

Your employees used to spend more time with you and the rest of your team than they’d spend with their friends and family. They’ll miss you, and one another, if you drift too far out of touch. So be sure to check in as regularly as you can.

Carry out your weekly meetings via video chat and allow for social engagement at the end of the week via video chat, too. A happy and cohesive workforce is a devastatingly effective workforce.

Use videos for training and orientation purposes

Employee excellence starts with employee training. Just because your employees are working remotely doesn’t mean that they can’t learn new skills, test themselves and take on additional duties if necessary. Video can be your greatest asset in facilitating employee training or orientation, helping them to make the complex and esoteric understandable and accessible.

Great corporate videos can not only make remote training easier, they can also help employees to feel more included and motivated. Which brings us to…

Make use of employee recognition platforms to maintain motivation

It can be difficult for employees to remain motivated when they’re working remotely.

The rewards of their efforts can feel less tangible, and delivering effective employee recognition can be a real challenge for management. Fortunately, there are employee recognition platforms which your team can use on their computers or mobile devices. These look and feel just like social media platforms (Facebook even has their own, called Workplace).

These platforms allow not only for managerial recognition but for peer-to-peer recognition. So members of your team can congratulate one another on a job well done, even if they’re not sharing a physical space. Best of all, these can be used in the office when things return to normal, helping you to maintain that sense of momentum. 

Give access to skills-building resources

Your employees are now likely to have a little more free time on their hands. They’ll be free of the rigors of their daily commute and likely won’t need to take as long for their lunch breaks. Why not allow them to make better use of their newfound free time?

Give them access to libraries of resources which will allow them to build on their skills, test themselves or prepare themselves for promotion or lateral progression within your organization.

Your office doors may be closed. But your commitment to employee excellence needn’t be lacking. 

© New To HR