COVID-19 inoculations are moving rapidly. And with President Biden calling for the United States ‘Mark our independence from this virus’ by 4th of July, things are happening even faster. Hopefully soon, our country can get back to some semblance of normalcy. And that includes taking a look at your team members who work remotely.
In this three-part series, we will look at some things to consider when team members head back to the office.
Evaluating Lessons from Remote Operations
Have you thought about how to bring your team back into the office? This is an opportunity to make operations function better now that you’ve had time to evaluate.
Remote Work Challenges and Limitations
During the pandemic, many companies understood and accepted the challenges and limitations of remote work.
Common challenges for employers include:
- Employee distractions and interruptions. Let’s face it, they’re not under a watchful eye and even the best employees have interruptions while at home. This is perfectly normal.
- Technology issues. There are technology issues that arise even in an office. With remote work, fixing IT issues are even more challenging.
- Communication challenges. From teaching tech-challenged employees how to use Zoom to not having tech support at a moment’s notice – communication challenges can happen.
- Lack of embracing remote work. Some team members may not enjoy the freedom of working from home. Maybe they don’t have the discipline or do not embrace the unfamiliar.
For many companies who have never used remote work, it is a learning curve. You have to trust your employees are doing their job. Yet, still have compassion that these are unprecedented times. Let’s face it, they’re at home and there are going to be many of the issues above.
Yet, sometimes there are benefits, as companies often saw productivity increase. That same employee who runs late or has errands, now had the opportunity to focus on work on their timeline. This is often conducive to employees working harder because there is less stress, no dressing up, and no set hours (for some companies.)
Assess What Worked and What Didn’t
Before bringing your team members back to the office, take a look at what worked and what didn’t.
For example, did production increase with employees having more flexible schedules? If so, consider implementing a way to allow more freedom.
If you saw a decrease in production, address that as well. This shows you that remote work may not be for your situation. Or, there may need to be changes for it to work well for the company.
Explore Hybrid Roles
In some cases, hybrid roles work out for the company and the employees. This is the ideal time to evaluate opportunities to explore teams coming in on a rotating basis. Of course, there will be times when all hands need to be on deck. And that’s fine too. Yet, allowing employees to work remotely on a rotating basis may be your best bet.
This Is New to Everyone
We get it, this is an entirely new experience for most. What this does do is allow you, as a business owner, to step back and take a look at how the changes affect your company. What worked? What isn’t going as smoothly as you like?
About Synergy
Synergy Solutions is an executive and contract search firm focused on roles Bringing Team Members Back within the technology sector. If you have questions regarding this article or would like to discuss strategy on open roles at your company, please contact us and someone will get back to you within the next 24 hours.