A growing number of organizations are recommending their employees work from home to reduce social contact and, in turn, help mitigate risks associated with COVID-19. As the virus shifts how teams work, you may find yourself in a situation you never imagined: managing a remote workforce. If so, this guide provides useful strategies to align your remote workers and keep projects, such as hiring new employees, moving forward.
A common mistake is to assume that your employees know how best to work from their residence. They may never have found themselves in a non-office environment and have trouble transitioning to the new type of workday.
Help make the move to remote working easier for them by pointing them toward online resources that can help them, as well as personal tips from yourself that provide a personal touch. For example, you might share in a group email to staff how you set up your desk at home to be as efficient as possible.
Other valuable topics to cover in company-wide newsletters and bulletins are how best to organize time, ways to multi-task, and ways to avoid burnout.
Ensure each remote worker has access to the technology they need to complete daily tasks. For example, each person could have a company-issued laptop, or, if not, a persona lPC or laptop.
Make sure they knowhow to maintain the security of their laptop and any other device used to conduct business activities like staff onboarding, such as a smartphone or tablet. Update related security and confidentiality policies given the new remote workplace and ensure your staff knows about these policies.
Also, ensure that each member of your team has access to the tools they need to do their daily work as effectively as they would back at the office. For example, intuitive recruitment software can help your HR department fill vacancies, from sourcing through to the interview and managing their offer letters, all from home.
New candidates are sure to appreciate your company’s flexibility and ability to stay current as hiring practices change to reflect the circumstances surrounding COVID-19.Meanwhile, your HR employees will be happy that they can still successfully recruit candidates.
To encourage collaborations between workers and help them feel less isolated at home, hold video meetings. For any in-person meetings previous planned between employees and between the hiring manager and candidates, reschedule them to occur virtually.
Begin slowly though with this process so that everyone understands how to use the videoconferencing software you’ve chosen. Do a rehearsal before holding the first video meeting to help make everyone comfortable.
Video tools help remote workers feel like they are in the same room, so they naturally feel more connected. Likewise, video can help a hiring manager get to know a candidate better through eye contact and facial gestures. As with using a phone, video allows you to hear the tone of voice, which adds a deeper meaning to a message that you wouldn’t get with email or text messages.
If you encourage employees to work from home amid the COVID-19 outbreak, be patient as they transition to their new environments and figure out how to structure their days. Keep in contact with them and help them communicate effectively between themselves to keep the organization moving forward with hiring activities and other projects using the suggestions above.
