According to Forbes, the number of individuals working from home has increased from 2% to 42%. The Covid-19 pandemic is behind this tremendous increase. The world anticipates the trend to continue until 2022. Companies are reopening their offices, but employees work from home. There is a need to make your remote work environment conducive to engage your employees and enhance productivity.
Encourage Remote Workers to Get Suitable Rooms and Set Relevant Work Schedules
Balancing between work and home chores may be challenging if you work from home. Therefore, ensure you advise workers to dedicate a comfortable room to act as their office. Also, let your workers use comfortable furniture while handling their office duties. Moreover, advise your workers not to work from the bedroom as they may be tempted to rest during working hours.
A regular schedule will enhance your employees’ productivity. Plan your employees’ working time to avoid working up to late hours. The human brains work well under steady and predictable conditions. Dedicate specific hours when your remote staff needs to be in their remote workspaces. Equally, you should encourage your employees to plan their day to avoid confusion on the type of jobs they handle each day.
Apart from a work schedule, you should also encourage workers to create a home schedule. Working from home can either make your employees workaholics or lazy individuals. Employees should balance their work and personal life by having a plan. For instance, encourage your employees to set aside time for walks and regular activities. Being organized will enhance their productivity at home and in their remote work environment. In the end, your employees will become orderly and highly engaged in their remote work environment.
Encourage Self-discipline Among Your Remote Employees
Working from home comes with its freedom and responsibilities. Your employees may be tempted to engage in house cleaning during working hours. Markedly, you should encourage your employees to remain disciplined and engaged during working hours. Ultimately, this will help workers stay focused and engaged when working from home.
Encourage Your Workers to Utilize the Opportunities at Home to Improve Themselves
Working from home allows your employee to have their space and to enjoy the privileges that come with it. For instance, an employee doesn’t need to go out for lunch. You encourage them to make health-conscious decisions by preparing healthy foods to boost their health. Besides, depending on the type of music they love, they can play some soft background music to boost their mood as they work from home. Also, remind them they have the freedom to dress casually and comfortably. Thus, by making healthy decisions, choosing the right music, and dressing comfortably, your remote workers will remain highly engaged.
Encourage Your Remote Workers to Keep their Working Area Neat and Tidy
Your employees may be overwhelmed by work, and at times, their remote working environment may become untidy. However, if your employees keep their work-spaces disorganized, they may mix work files with home stuff. Such a scenario may be confusing and tiring when they urgently need a specific file. Therefore, encourage your staff to invest in a partitioned cabinet to organize and file work documents for easy accessibility when needed. With a tidy and organized environment, your remote workers are bound to remain engaged.
Promote Socialization Among Your Remote Workers After Working Hours
Working from home has its fair challenges. For instance, your employees might often feel lonely and need to socialize with others. Without proper plans, your staff may develop depression and mental problems. Therefore, you should develop a virtual team-building platform and create time for social events your employees can interact. Such plans help your workers remain focused and engaged when working from home. For instance, you can encourage workers to schedule dinner dates or watch their favorite sporting events with their friends. Markedly, this will keep your employees connected and reduce the loneliness associated with working from home. In the end, you will keep your employees engaged when working remotely.
Remote working may not be easy for some employees when used to working in an office environment. However, with the right tips, you can keep your employees engaged by encouraging and facilitating to create enjoyable work-spaces. You can embrace various strategies to keep your workers engaged when working remotely. For instance, encouraging remote workers to get suitable rooms with relevant work schedules, develop self-discipline, and utilize the opportunities at home to improve themselves. With these tips, you can be sure to keep your employees engaged when working from home.
Amy Sloane is an alum from Oregon State University and spends her free time as a freelance writer and knitting enthusiast. Amy loves reading, cooking, and spending time with her dog, Molly.
Remote employees stock photo by Supamotion/Shutterstock
