A recent study discovered that globally, nearly 70% of people work remotely at least once a week. So, it’s quite concerning then that not many employers offer their employees insight into how to work remotely efficiently and effectively.
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Yesterday’s post explored why it’s important to train your employees how to work remotely before they start working remotely on a regular basis. And today’s post will cover how to train your employees on how to work remotely.
Here are some things you’ll want to do when training your employees on how to work remotely.
Start Slow
Unless it’s necessary, don’t allow your employees to go from never working remotely to suddenly working 5 days a week—remote full-time—within a week or less. Instead, have them work 1 day a week from home for a month or so, and then slowly work toward allowing them to work remotely full-time, if that’s what they wish and what ensures their highest levels of productivity.
Establish and Agree on a Policy
Don’t ever allow your employees to guess what’s expected of them and when it’s expected of them, especially if they’re working from different locations and are not familiar with working remotely.
Establish a policy for remote workers that outlines their required work hours (even if they set those hours themselves), how they’re going to report to their managers and stay connected to their teams, their weekly meeting requirements, etc. And then have them sign the policy document and officially agree to those terms so that expectations are firmly discussed and agreed upon by all parties.
Offer Technology Training
Some workers will need to be trained in how to use certain platforms, software, and apps before they’re able to be productive working remotely. So, make sure each employee is very well acquainted with the technology he or she will be required to use, and that it’s properly downloaded and installed on the employee’s devices, before he or she begins working remotely.
Provide Guidance in Time Management
More responsibility is placed on employees who work remotely. No one will be telling them when to complete a task or where. And it’s a lot easier for them to get distracted by everyday personal responsibilities, too.
So, train all remote workers how to manage their time effectively so that they can discover when they’re most productive, what tasks are higher priorities, how to juggle calendars and work schedules and meetings, etc.
Encourage Effective Communication Skills and Practices
Effective communication is already challenging when every team member is in the same room together, and it becomes even harder when each team member is working from a different physical location or time zone.
Be sure that your remote workers are well versed in effective communication skills and remain collaborative and engaged with their remote teams. Otherwise, productivity levels will decrease, along with remote workers’ satisfaction levels.
For more insight, read “How to Ease Your Employees’ Communication Anxieties in the Workplace” and “6 Communications-Based Skills Every Employee Needs in 2019.”
If you want your remote workers to remain productive and engaged, be sure to train them how to work remotely efficiently and effectively, as detailed above.