Working from home isn’t a new concept. Employees have been using their houses as work locations since 2005. But it continues to grow more popular each year.
When COVID-19 hit, working from home became more of a necessity than a luxury, and employees haven’t looked back since. If you’re considering making this a permanent fixture for your employees, read on, and we’ll tell you how to transition from in-person to remote work.
Talk With Your Employees
Everyone in the office needs to know about the new changes. Getting them ready for the transition is always the first step. They need to be aware of the important dates coming up and what their expectations are.
Try and refrain from doing the big transition when you have any important meetings or tasks due for clients. Some days are busier than others. Transitioning from the office to home shouldn’t cause too much of a disruption, but you don’t want to face any technical difficulties on the day of an important meeting.
Create a Policy
Next, you’ll need to create and draft a remote work policy for everyone. Some companies have requirements that staff members come into the office at least once a week or month. These are usually on a day when you need all hands on deck.
Others have a policy where employees never need to come into the office. Decide which route you wish to take. You might have a business that requires a physical presence every now and then, or there might be some employees who need to be in the office more than others. Make the distinction and draw up plans for everyone to follow.
Organize the Office
With fewer people in the office, there’s a cause for some reorganization. Your business might decide it no longer requires such a big space. If you’re looking to relocate, you need to consider moving the office equipment.
You never know if you’ll need to move everyone back into the office again, so consider putting most of your items in storage. Keep all of your important documentation close by and categorized in the right places. Encourage your employees to stay organized in their homes, too. When you give them their equipment, provide them with a few other supplies to keep their documents together.
Improve Communication
Communication is crucial when it comes to remote work. Because everyone is in a different location, you need to ensure that the entire team remains on the same page for all matters. There will be topics that are more important than others, but either way, everyone should remain in the loop.
There are tools and software that help improve communication for you and your team. Do weekly check-ins with your team so that they know the lines stay open. Use email, video calls, and chat as a way of communication. Also, have everyone update their status if they’re ever on lunch or away from their desk.
Transitioning from in-person to remote work might take some time for everyone to get acclimated to, but soon, things will run better than when everyone was in the office.
