In a word, the last two years have been… strange.

And while we instinctively learn how to cope in our home lives, the truth is that many businesses are remaining stagnant instead of adapting with the times, which can be disastrous for employee productivity. More and more people are working remotely, and this appears to be a trend that will likely continue when/if we pass through this COVID era.

So what can you do as a business owner to ensure productivity stays high when everything around your employees is changing?

Here are a few ideas that have proven successful for other companies:

Get Your Technology Solutions Set

One of the more positive things to come out of this pandemic is a shift towards unified technology solutions. However, that can be both a curse or a boon, depending on how well the tech fits your current flow. Make sure that all your technology choices:

1.    Are user-friendly

2.   Available for all platforms

3.   And integrate well with your existing tech

Zoom and Slack may be the biggest names to take a jump as people do more remote work, but there are others out there to explore, like the ones listed below:

●     Asana and Trello for project management

●     GoHighLevel as a multifaceted CRM

●     Google Workspace for online collaboration

Add Another Layer of Structure

One of the challenges to remote work is the idea that your employees will be less productive when they’re physically not at your business location. Your self-starters will obviously find their inner motivation, but others may not be so driven.

For exactly this reason, establishing a more defined structure to the working day can help keep them on task:

●     Planning, planning, planning - Have your employees submit a broad outline Friday of what they hope to achieve and what they need to do for the next week.

●     Morning check-ins - You don’t need to have a detailed meeting with each employee, but think of your daily check-ins as the same process as just saying hello in the office.

●     Availability - You may be in the office, but to remote employees, it can feel like you’re unavailable. Go out of your way to show that you’re ready to answer questions or discuss issues by making your available hours clearly visible.

●     Breaks - If you’ve got everyone taking their lunch at different times, it’ll wreak havoc on your internal communications. Set more fixed lunch and other breaks to keep everyone on the same page.

Build Better Company Culture

If there’s a clear loss when it comes to working remotely, then it’s found in how employees internalize company culture.

Without being at a physical workplace, many remote workers feel more like a freelance contractor than an actual employee, regardless of how hard you’ve tried to create a sense of belonging.

Now more than ever, it’s crucial to show your employees that they’re a valued part of your organization, and even small gestures go a long way. Make sure you:

●     Publicly acknowledge employee achievements and efforts

●     Inject fun into the daily grind

●     Communicate often

●     Remember to say thank you

It’s clear that remote work has entered the mainstream and will be here for years to come.

As such, businesses that are able to adapt and overcome the specific challenges that are part of this new era will be in a better position to succeed when there’s more stability. Until then, make double and triple sure you’re doing all you can to keep employee productivity at peak performance.