Remote work is an integral part of our culture. While it was already on the rise, the COVID-19 pandemic caused it to skyrocket in popularity, and many businesses and employees have stuck with it thanks to the benefits.
Allowing your employees to work from home lowers your overhead, boosts flexibility, and promotes a healthy work-life balance. The happier and more relaxed your team is, the more productive they’re likely to be.
But, let’s face it, when you’re working from home and staying comfortable in your pajamas all day, it’s not easy to want to get a lot of work done. Some people have a harder time staying focused and limiting distractions at home, so their productivity suffers.
Thankfully, there are things you can do from a leadership level to boost productivity and efficiency and help your employees strike a healthy balance between getting their work done and enjoying their time out of the office.
Let’s take a look at some of those “hacks,” and why paying attention to your team’s productivity is important.
How Productivity Impacts Job Performance
As suggested above, a healthy work-life balance is one of the great things about a remote position. Unfortunately, if you have an employee who struggles with productivity when they’re at home, it could end up impacting both their job and their personal life.
The more productive someone is, the more motivated they’re likely to remain. Think about what happens when you set small goals for yourself instead of a single major one that feels impossible to attain. With each small goal you accomplish, you feel good about yourself and more motivated to move on to the next one. Productivity works the same way.
So, it only makes sense that an employee who is struggling with productivity might also struggle with a lack of motivation. If they get too far behind, they might also deal with extra stress, or even anxiety.
If you’re concerned about employee performance, you might want to consider tracking productivity with a software program. There are plenty of time-tracking platforms available, as well as programs that allow both you and your employees to keep track of daily workflow. Some of the biggest pros of tracking productivity include:
- Reduced waste in business expenses
- Improved productivity
- Increased engagement
Of course, there’s a fine line when it comes to employee tracking. You might find that some team members aren’t comfortable with it. It can create privacy concerns and decrease employee trust. If you do start tracking remote productivity, be transparent about it, and make sure you don’t overlook any potential legal issues that might arise if you try to keep it from your employees.
Encourage the Right Environment
One of the biggest reasons why remote employees can struggle with productivity is their environment. There’s no denying that a traditional office setting has a very different “vibe” from someone’s living room. If an employee wakes up in the morning and sits down with their laptop on the living room sofa, they’re not in the ideal environment to get things done.
Obviously, you can’t tell your employees what to do with their homes. But, you can encourage them to have their own workspace. Ideally, that means transforming a room, or even part of a room, into a dedicated office. Doing so can help with focus and motivation and can help to eliminate distractions.
Even if your employees aren’t able to dedicate an entire room or area of the home to office space, there are things they can do to optimize their space for productivity, including:
- Utilizing natural light
- Choosing the right scent(s)
- Managing noise levels
- Keeping their space as organized as possible
Eliminating distractions is always a good idea. There are bound to be more distractions at home, so give your team tips on what they can do to limit them, like putting away cell phones and getting dressed in the morning instead of wearing pajamas to work. Giving your team these suggestions can help them create a space that feels more conducive to productivity, so they’re more likely to be motivated when they sit down to work each day.
The Importance of Routine
Speaking of starting work each day, it’s equally important to encourage your employees to establish a routine. Some employers with remote workers don’t worry about when their team works, as long as they get things done.
While that kind of flexibility is nice, it isn’t always great for motivation and productivity.
If you’ve found that your team is struggling to meet deadlines or get projects done on time, set expectations for specific working hours each day. Encourage them to unplug from work completely outside of the expected hours. Not only will it help to boost your business, but it will also improve your employees’ well-being. People thrive on routine, whether they realize it or not. It gets them in the right mindset, provides consistency, and gives them an idea of what they can expect each day.
In addition to setting working hours, encourage your employees to adopt healthy routines of their own, including things like waking up at the same time each day and doing the same thing each morning before sitting down at their jobs.
Some people are more productive at certain times of the day. If someone from your team approaches you about working different hours, be open to the idea if it works for them. But, make sure you’re still setting expectations when it comes to the number of hours worked.
No matter what your employees’ routines are, encourage them to let their family members or roommates know, too. Because more people are working from home, it’s not uncommon to have two (or more) people under the same roof all day. Make sure they’re not distracted by that. They can let their family members or roommates know when their working hours are, and not to be disturbed during those hours. Not only will it keep them focused, but they’ll feel better about clocking out at the end of the day and having the freedom to finally spend that time with loved ones.
Practicing Self-Care
Self-care might feel like a bit of a buzzword these days. But, it’s actually an important necessity that will keep your workers happy, healthy, and on track.
Self-care looks different for everyone but can include things like:
- Prioritizing sleep
- Cooking healthy meals
- Journaling
- Exercising
- Practicing mindfulness and meditation
Mental health issues in the workplace are a major problem that can lead to lost working days and serious mental disorders. Many Americans are stressed at work, and even if they’re working from home, the pressure to perform can take its toll. Some people end up working longer hours or never really “clocking out” of their workday because they can stay connected 24/7. That leads to extra stress and a lack of necessary personal time.
Employee wellness programs are becoming incredibly popular in the average workplace, and there’s no reason you can’t encourage your remote employees to prioritize their well-being, too. Regularly discuss the importance of self-care and how it can help them maintain their mental well-being while doing something good for the company. Encourage frequent breaks. Allow for flexibility. Make sure your team is socializing with others and that individual employees aren’t isolating themselves.
Give Your Employees What They Need
Employees are more likely to be stressed and less likely to be productive when they don’t have the tools and resources they need at their fingertips. You don’t necessarily need to purchase every piece of equipment your team members will use at home.
However, you should absolutely make sure they’re set up with the right software to keep everyone connected, and any necessary equipment that can make their lives easier. For example, if they’re going to be staring at a computer screen all day, they could start to experience eye strain and fatigue, which can eventually impact productivity. Investing in something like blue light filters for your team can help them feel more awake and energized even when they’re dealing with a lot of screen time.
It can also be a good idea to optimize your team’s workflow by giving them checklists or regular to-do lists. These are things they can create on their own if necessary, but if you can provide an organized digital list of everything that needs to be accomplished — especially with dates — it can give them a clear picture of what they need to tackle first. That can take some of the guesswork out of their daily tasks, and can make it easier to stay focused on one thing at a time.
Whether your entire business operation is remote or you’ve decided to let a few team members work from home, prioritizing productivity will always be important. Some people will naturally be more productive in a more comfortable, familiar setting. For those who might struggle with it, consider some of the tips above to help them with the adjustment and to keep them on track with the work that needs to be done.
Remote work is here to stay, and it will undoubtedly become more prominent as technology keeps advancing. Make sure your team is doing what they can to stay on top of their tasks no matter where they are.