But it has to be built on a foundation of trust and there needs to be a shared level of understanding about how you will work together with your team.
We’ve put together some top tips for managing staff who are working from home.
A Suitable Workstation
You do need to ensure sure that your staff members have all the equipment, resources and technology that they need to do their job.
Communication is Key
All leaders need to be virtually visible to home workers and managers need to make sure that staff have two way communication in place. Set up a schedule of meetings, 1:1 chats, video conferencing and virtual coffee breaks to make sure that the communication is flowing. If you just rely on emails then home workers can start to feel isolated and lonely.
Work Planning
It is important that you discuss expectations with your staff and how you are going to work together. You need to decide on work activities, workloads, goals, targets and agree on how work performance will be supervised and measured.
Getting Creative with tasks when business is slow
If business is slow then it’s important to get creative and think of things to do that you maybe never have time to achieve during the busier periods. Tidy up those electronic folders, review and update systems and processes, refresh your comms and marketing material, do some company research, think of new strategies for future plans within the business. Make the most of this time!
Well Being
Make sure that staff are stocked up with food and drink and are taking regular breaks including getting some fresh air. Listen to your staff and help them to feel motivated, positive and focused. And if they are feeling unwell then they obviously shouldn’t be working and they need to sign off sick.
Empathise with home workers who are also carers
Be understanding towards people with kids at home and appreciate that their time is going to be split and compromised to a degree between working and childcare.
You and your team can achieve great things when working from home without regular distractions, so manage the time wisely and look after your staff while they are working at home alone.
Useful links:
ACAS - Homeworking – A guide for employers and employees
Anna Maher’s top tips for Working from Home