Working from home for a small business is a great challenge. One of the reasons it can be challenging is the lack of prior remote working policies. Every day, for such a business, it will be a learning day on how to work from home effectively.
Secondly, the home environment is not conducive for working, especially in the absence of a home office where you can lock yourself up and concentrate on your work. At our homes, there are family members and television that can be distracting. The kitchen and bedroom are a few seconds away and can trick you into procrastinating about your work.
The business must continue to run at any cost, even in situations where the physical doors are closed. Remote working is not meant for pandemic periods where fewer groups and social distancing are encouraged. More businesses will be forced to adopt this method even after the pandemic is over. Employees need to stay productive and focused in achieving the goals of the small business. Visit blog.guusto.com for more information.
This Electric Home suggests setting up a workstation or office at home and install the necessary electrical appliances and equipment so you can work productively. The workstation must be secure to protect the electric appliances and equipment from damage from other family members. It should also be organized and in a quiet place to prevent noise. How can you adopt remote working? To know more check out thepaystubs.com on how to set up your own home office.
Stay connected
Working from home can be lonely. This can cause stress and later depress you as an employee. It is advisable to talk to colleagues often and enquire about their progress. There are various ways in which this can be achieved. Connecting to employees by talking to them is a great way of giving new task staff and reprimand mistakes. The staff has an opportunity to narrate their struggles and come up with solutions.
Phone calls. Make a call to an individual or a conference call to involve all members in your small business.
Chatting. There are various apps on our phones, computers, and tablets that can be used for messaging. When looking for chatting apps, consider apps that are secure to prevent your information from falling into the wrong hands. WhatsApp is among the best messaging apps and allows you to form a group for your whole team. Signal and slack are also options you can use for your chats. Video calling.
Video conferencing is a great way of having a face to face conversations. Zoom is the most popular app used for video conferences. Skype and Google hangouts are also used for video conferencing. They are advantageous because, besides face time, they allow screen sharing.
Design a program
Remote working means that employees will not come to the workplace where they can be supervised. As managers, you can approach an employee and discuss a concern or call an impromptu meeting. When phone calls and chats have replaced these personal interactions, it is difficult to track both employees’ and managers’ discussions. Set a program that employees will follow.
If you are the manager, an employee can come up with their own. Set boundaries for a workday. The time to start working and also the time to end the day. Activities can be tracked by asking them to sign in and sign out online after work.
Be clear on how the objectives are going to be met. The amount of work covered in normal situations should be the same or more. Employees should meet day-to-day objectives, and no exemptions are to be made. As a colleague, give immediate feedback to avoid anxiety from unsolved issues. Stay motivated and dedicated even when times are tough in a home environment.
Be more productive and keep the business going
Leverage the use of productivity tools to ensure you are on the right path. For small businesses, the tools act as reminders and help them be more accountable with activities they engage in.
Trello is designed to help businesses check projects and small tasks. Using this tool will ensure that all the assignments are done.
Basecamp Business. This is engineered to monitor the progress of multiple assignments from a dashboard.
It gives you a 30 days grace period to be up-to-date with your work.
Google drive. It allows file sharing to many people. It is convenient as you can share large files. DocuSign and HelloSign allow you to attain signatures from your customers when away from the office. It comes with a free trial before you start paying for the services.
Motivation
Motivation is a great supplement for workers’ morale to work. It is impossible to have an office party or a trip to celebrate achievements. But the celebration is important and should not be skipped. There are fun ways to celebrate remotely. With the use of electrical appliances and equipment, a virtual party can be performed. Any gifts rewarded to staff should be mailed to the specific employee.
Unlike in the office, you can bring along a pet to keep you company during working hours. Break the rules and bring some snacks and chew on them as you work. Allow family members to check on you from time to time. This can boost your creativity levels and break the monotony. If your chair is uncomfortable, you can sit on a couch as long as you feel comfortable to continue working.
Another way to stay motivated is to work on assignments early. Do not wait for the deadline to come so that you can do an assignment. This will lower your morale and poorly done work. An automated alarm can be a great friend in such times. Take enough breaks to refresh your mind and release stress. Breaking away from work can help you balance your life and be more productive.
Final Comment
You cannot tell how long your business will require you to work remotely, and it is advisable to choose low-cost digital tools for communication. All members should work together to know which communication will be effective for easy coordination. Adopting these tools does not guarantee total success. It is the employees who work resiliently until the goals and objectives are achieved.
Honesty, trust, and volunteering are essential to growing a small business from home. Stay open and informed. This could be the only way to prevent the closure of your business.
