A recent New York Times article pointed out Millennial and Gen Z workers prefer the remote option while Gen X workers are keen to get back into the office. For a small business, it seems like the in-person option is the only option for employees, but that’s not the case. Whether it’s working with outsourced vendors or providing the employees freedom to work from home, remote collaboration is here to stay. Therefore, it’s wise to make working remotely work for everyone.
Create Quantifiable Productivity Goals
The problem most employers have with remote work is trusting employees to be as productive out of the office as they are in the office. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, many workers were more productive in remote settings than in the office. The increased productivity was due to objective productivity goals. In the office, qualitative assessments often occur and influence supervisory activity. Remote work with clear, quantifiable productivity goals is proven to work.
Use the Right Systems
Part of collaboration means having a shared set of tools. If employees working remotely use different systems than people in the office, or other remote employees, chaos ensues. More time is spent making products compatible. There are plenty of platforms for all businesses, but small businesses can’t afford the in-house options created by an IT team. Solutions like the G Suite are excellent for their needs.
Create Interaction Time
One issue with remote work is when employees come and go as they please, it’s hard to make interaction happen. The financial industry spoke about the “organic innovation” that only occurs in face-to-face interactions as motivation to get back to the office. This idea is completely unquantifiable, but what is quantifiable is creating time during the day for employees to interact. Video conferencing forces people to listen to each other, and there’s a chance these interactions could yield impressive results.
Creating systems for small businesses to thrive with remote work is exactly what Preveer consultants do. Get an advantage over the big companies by making your small business remote work friendly. Email here.
