More so now than ever before, work is happening on the employee’s terms.
With the advancement of technology and freelancing, the strict boundaries of when and where work has to occur no longer apply.
The flexibility of remote work is an overall positive development that can lead to more job satisfaction and productivity. However, it also leaves employers with the difficult task of recreating office culture online. Without a common office space, employees might feel isolated or lacking in the support they need, and it’s up to the employer to counteract this for them.
Basically, for a business to thrive in the age of remote work, employers need to bring all the benefits of the old way of office life to the more convenient digital platforms.
Read on for tips on how to recreate office life and provide your workers with the tools they need to succeed working from, well, just about anywhere.
1. Provide Training Materials.
Even before the remote age, training new employees was a difficult hurdle to overcome.
Digital training can be extra time-consuming and exhausting for both the employees undergoing training and their coworkers picking up the slack. There’s also the matter of putting together training videos and other materials meant to replicate in-person explanations.
If you want your new employees to have better online training than you feel you can provide, consider bringing in outside experts. Training companies focus on ensuring your company has the best training tools possible, so draw on their training know-how and let your workers learn from Learn to Win instead.
2. Invest in Office Materials.
Not having an office space doesn’t mean you don’t have to provide the materials that come with one. Too often, employers just assume everyone has the tools necessary to do their work properly at home when in reality, that’s not always the case.
A stable wifi connection or a high-functioning computer, scanners, and printers are just some of the tools your workers might lack.
If you think your employees might not have everything they need, survey them to see who is missing what. If there are some big holes in their technological access, consider providing them on a short-term or subsidized basis.
What you spend on overhead supplying your workers’ homes with wifi and tech, you’ll make up for in their increased work performance.
3. Prioritize Office Socialization.
Going about work as though there is no play involved is a false assumption. Workers who feel socially comfortable in their work environment and on friendly terms with their coworkers are significantly happier and, thus, more productive on the job.
Though the proverbial water-cooler might be a thing of the past, there are still ways to facilitate socialization amongst your employees. Hosting zoom hang-out sessions is one option, as well as putting together in-person meet-ups in various cities and even holiday parties.
Regardless of how you build friendly work relationships amongst your crew is up to you. The main thing is that you know how important they are to a successful business.
Conclusion.
Providing a supportive office environment while operating remotely online can be a difficult task for employers to overcome. Yet, the success of your business greatly depends on it.
By taking into account what your employees might be missing from in-person training, office supplies, and socialization, though, you can significantly increase office morale and productivity.
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