The remote work model finished 2021 with great success as more and more companies adopted work from home. But it was a completely unknown experience for most of us, and transitioning to remote work might still be confusing.
To help businesses out, we’ve prepared a quick guideline involving the best practices for remote work in 2022. Start strong by implementing these once you transition to remote work.
How to set up a remote work model
Remote work is already more popular than you might think. According to We Work Remotely, 47% of business owners already adopted the remote work model permanently. So, it’s best to stay ahead of the competition and transition to it now. But how do you do it?
First of all, you need to find a way to provide remote access to the team members for company resources. Set up your network, choose the services you’ll store data in, and specify credentials and access levels. This will help your team have an orderly working environment.
Secondly, you need to make sure to have the essential online tools. These may include online communication services or task management tools. Useful tools will help you create a virtual office and keep the operations going.
You might also consider providing the employees with technological devices such as capable notebooks. Especially if their job demands high technology, these devices will definitely increase productivity.
Remote work best practices
1-) Prioritize team communication
Remote work can alienate the employees from their colleagues as everyone works individually. It is your responsibility as the owner or team leader to make sure they can connect effectively.
Subscribe to team communication tools such as Slack and create casual chatrooms as well as business-related ones. Letting employees chit-chat and encouraging them to socialize is crucial for productivity.
McKinsey also states that productivity can increase five times when employees communicate thoroughly. So, do the best you can and leave the rest to your team members.
2-) Create a strong cybersecurity structure
Working in remote settings means that company networks need to be available remotely without location limitations. This equals increased exposure to cyberthreats and data breaches.
That’s why you must deploy a robust cybersecurity structure to protect corporate networks and provide secure remote access.
Try consulting online VPN providers as they already have an experienced security team and comprehensive services. This will take the burden off your shoulders. If you want to learn more about remote work cybersecurity, you can check out NordLayer’s guide (https://nordlayer.com/blog/working-from-home-security-best-practices/) on the best security practices.
3-) Don’t evaluate performance by time, but by outcomes
Most supervisors assess performance by work hours in physical offices. It’s always considered to be sufficient when employees come and go between specific hours, but not all supervisors worry enough about the end products.
You can’t evaluate employees by working hours in remote work as there is a physical distance between you. They might be wandering around or watching videos and still be online.
That’s okay though. What you really need to do is specify weekly or daily tasks and expect them to be delivered within the deadline. Assessing per task is much more efficient than assessing per working hours.
Final word
We know that remote work is still a remote concept to most employers. Even those who adopted it might not have the best practices on their remote work model.
But 2021 taught us valuable pros and cons about remote work and now, it is much more applicable and productive. Rooting from the experiences of the past two years, this quick yet helpful guideline will make sure your company can easily transition to the remote work model.
