It can be stressful trying to run a business during these times of social distancing. It is easy to wonder how one could possibly keep everyone on task from afar. Here are a couple of tips to help you promote productivity while your employees work from home.
Give Them Plenty of Tasks
Lack of productivity most often stems from lack of responsibility. If you consistently give you employees enough tasks to keep them busy and productive, they will not only get more done (benefiting you and your business), but also feel that they have an important role within the company.
However, there are always cases where employees slack off for other reasons than lack of work, such as frequent distractions, bad health, or confusion over assignments. Minimize these concerns by organizing your company’s process in a way that involves frequent accountability. This is helpful with a time frame and specific deadlines. Setting a deadline is the best way to keep someone accountable and gives them a time frame to get their work done.
Have Virtual Meetings Regularly
Even when your employees are working from home, you can still schedule regular meetings. There are many virtual programs that allow you to video call large amounts of employees at one time. Continuing regular business meetings through online platforms will help your employees feel connected to each other and to the business. It is also a much more effective way to divide assignments, provide training, and clarify instructions.
Maintain Social Interaction
More than likely, your employees are probably feeling anxious or depressed during these unprecedented times, whether it be over economic stress, fear, or isolation. Lack of mental health leads to ineffectiveness and inefficiency within the workplace.
To combat this rampant problem, come up with fun ways that your employees can continue to socialize together while maintaining social distance. Set up a chat where employees can post pictures or thoughts. Set up conference calls that are unrelated to work, just so your employees can chat and laugh together. Send emails with advice on how to stay mentally healthy during social distancing. Implementing any of these activities will help your workforce stay happy, which leads to greater productivity.
It can be difficult maintaining efficiency and productivity during these times of social distancing when most of your employees are working for home. However, following these guidelines will help you preserve efficiency, as well as a good work environment, within your company.
If you need more help with time management or efficiency in your business, contact us to schedule some coaching!
