Many businesses and universities have been asking their workers to operate remotely because of the uncertainties posed by COVID-19. While almost one-fourth of the US employees were already working remotely, know how to go about it. At the same time, several workers and their supervisors are left out and isolated from each other for the first time as per the new policies. Remote work is not a luxury to a few anymore.
While effective remote work policies and training are often ideal, this degree of readiness cannot be achievable in times of crisis or rapidly changing circumstances. Luckily, even if there is little time to plan, there are practical measures based on research that managers can take without much effort to enhance the engagement and efficiency of remote workers.
Communication is essential to building and sustaining engagement with any employee, not just one who is working remotely, but staying in touch with your remote workers may often feel forced or painful. That’s why it’s essential to go the extra mile, create more opportunities, and communicate with them.
In engaging or re-engaging the workforce, technology plays a crucial role. Technology should be used innovatively and strategically. Social media and mobile apps are potent assets available readily at disposal. Active engagement of employees is a blend of planning and investment in the little things. Investing in the right technologies and harmonizing workers with common values is essential to efficient communication and engagement.
Today the best technologies deliver automation, user-friendly interfaces, and seamless integration with other tools and software. For remote working strategies to succeed, it is essential to provide workers with the right remote working tools. The reason why we have created a comprehensive list of the tools and the best technologies each organization with remote workers can take into account.
#1. Mobile Hardware Tools
Contrary to what some business owners may say, remote employees, do need access to all of the physical devices, equipment, and hardware they usually use in a traditional office environment. This could include everything from computers and telephones to printers. Staff would possibly need equipment built with mobility in mind rather than desks, seats, and break rooms. That means businesses will have to provide computers, smartphones, and other stuff that staff need to do their jobs effectively. Workers will also need a high speed and protected internet connection. All of the advanced hardware tools will always be the latest models and the fastest subscription plans available, which fall within the IT budget of your business. Note, these pieces of equipment are vital devices in the arsenal of a remote worker and should be kept up-to-date and sharp.
#2. Virtual Collaboration & Communication Tools
The lifeblood of an effective remote work strategy is the virtual coordination and communication tools. Email platforms like Outlook and Gmail are essential, as is Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), to allow employees to make and receive calls. Such techniques, however, are vintage. There is increasing research and innovations happening in virtual spaces, such as chat rooms and video conference environments. Applications, such as Slack Chat, are designed to facilitate collaboration between team members smoothly and seamlessly. However, not all conversations can begin and end on a chat. Video conferencing is the new face-to-face meetings. Millennials and the generation-z personnel are more comfortable and familiar with video chatting apps, e.g., Skype, which allows them to interact in person and in real-time.
Some of the most used applications are:
- Chat: Slack, Skype, Mattermost, Rocket Chat, Flowdock
- Video conferencing: Google Hangouts, GoToMeeting, Skype, WebEx, Fuze
- File-Sharing: Google Drive, Dropbox
#3. Project Management Tools
Project management and teamwork during remote work can be a massive headache if the right equipment is not used or if you have the tools, they aren’t being used effectively. Nevertheless, project management and planning can be fast and can take place entirely online without time-consuming meetings or stifling micromanagement with the correct technological support. The application for virtual project management mostly integrates their software or third party resources into their environments to help assign tasks. The best project management tools allow teams to set their goals and targets, track the progress they have made, review the finished work, and be responsible to each other for meeting deadlines.
Some of the most used applications are:
- Project Management Tools: Basecamp, Monday.com, Teamwork Projects, Trello, Microsoft Teams, Asana
#4. Employee Experience Tools
In a remote work environment, evaluating employee experience can be challenging when managers and staff do not communicate in person regularly. Communication is required not only to create, maintain, and uphold company objectives and values, but also to keep your remote worker engaged. Employee experience tool helps you accurately recognize the strengths and weaknesses that drive employee engagement among your remote employees. Whether you are carrying out employee engagement or employee satisfaction surveys already, employee pulse surveys can be worth considering. Many companies that perform employee pulse surveys witness change in organizational culture and higher engagement rates.
Some of the most used applications are:
- Employee Experience Tools: Medallia, SoGoSurvey, Delighted, Qualtrics.
Regardless of which tools and technologies you want to incorporate in your remote operating strategy, the right IT infrastructure is vital. Collaboration and research are no longer limited to the office or between 9 AM and 5 PM. Employees are often linked- through emails, texts, and messages. A 24-7 support and a streamlined and efficient IT- approach is crucial to the success of businesses today and in the coming decades.