As businesses across the globe are embracing hybrid models for growth, as per Gartner 88% of business organizations encouraged teleworking for employees.
There are several benefits of teleworking. However, employers and employees should be familiar with a few effective teleworking tips.
Whether you are a teleworking employer or employee these telecommuting tips will come in handy.
Stay tuned!
12 Effective Telework Tips for Employees
Telecommuting employees often find it challenging to work from home because they manage work on both personal and professional fronts. Here are some telecommuting tips for employees to cope with those challenges:
1. Schedule daily activities
For most telecommuters, working from home can be distracting. While an employee is working on a project, they may suddenly realize the pile of laundry waiting for them. Hence, to reduce such distractions, scheduling their day in advance matters.
Employees must identify the priority tasks. Set realistic targets and organize tasks in a manageable way. Schedule the breaks too. Once every 30 minutes or an hour, employees may leave the computer and take a walk or complete a household chore. Then, return to the workspace and refocus.
2. Prepare well
One of the basic telecommuting tips is to prepare for telework. Make sure the internet connectivity is stable and that the laptop is working just fine.
There is nothing worse than not finding files at the time of performing the task. So, prepare a list of the files and ready the resources needed to complete the tasks. Back-up important files and use cloud storage for easy access.
3. Organize your workspace
A tip for successful telework is to have a separate workspace. No matter how big or small, make sure there is an adequate place to sit and work in peace.
First, find a corner that is well-lit and relatively less noisy. Set up a desk, place your system, and organize all the required documents. Keep the work necessities within reach. But avoid cluttering. Declutter every once in a while and keep the space clean.
Also, add some table-top plants, and quotation frames to make the space look good and feel good.
4. Get ready for work
Dressing up professionally when working from home is hard.
Try not to jump right from the bed to the workstation. Employees must dress up when working from home just like they do when working from a physical office. It helps to sync into the work mindset and switch from the ‘at home’ mode to ‘at work’ mode.
Also, when well-dressed, employees can answer the doorbell instantly, without any embarrassment.
5. Be on the move
While it is not recommended to walk while attending a virtual meeting, keep moving at intervals.
When telecommuting, employees miss out on the quick walk to their co-worker’s desk for a little chat. Also, they forgo the movement involved in traveling to and from the office. Hence, to ensure good health, fit some exercise into the day’s schedule.
Try doing some quick stretches every 60 to 90 minutes of work or go for a 15 minutes stroll. All in all, ensure movement instead of sitting for long hours.
6. Avoid checking out social media
Social media can be one of the biggest distractions when telecommuting.
Though it may be tempting to scroll through the news feed, do not open your social media profiles unless it is work-related. Surfing the internet can be addictive and it can very easily get employees stuck, leading to delays in work.
Keep the phone away unless it has some work stuff in there. Make the laptop ‘for work-purpose only’ and avoid installing any application apart from the ones required for work.
7. Be professional
Whether working from the office or home, maintain professionalism.
Stay active and productive throughout the work hours. Use professional judgment skills to conduct habits and finish the tasks at hand.
Communicate with co-workers and managers. In case of exceptional circumstances, make sure to inform the manager beforehand.
8. Keep the communication flow intact
Employees must keep their team and managers updated on tasks. They must give subtle reminders of their existence to ensure getting the daily tasks.
Log in to the organization’s communication system and keep up with the information sent therein. Let them know about your availability and respond to their messages.
Today’s advanced tech platforms make it easier to maintain communication with teams. Hence, use these channels effectively when telecommuting.
9. Draw a line between your work life and home life
One of the most common challenges of teleworking is maintaining a work-life balance.
Believe it or not, remote employees often tend to work longer hours when working from home. Thus, it causes an imbalance between their personal and professional life.
Set boundaries. Make it a point to ‘go to’ work at the start of the day and ‘leave’ work at the end. Even though it just means switching the laptop on and off, make it a habit to ensure limiting the work hours.
For instance, fix 9 am to 5 pm as the work hours and after that, spend some time on self-care. However, employees can also enjoy the flexibility that comes with teleworking.
10. Rest when you are not productive
Employees must not work forcefully, especially when they aren’t in the right frame of mind.
When telecommuting, employees often tend to lose their focus and the productive vibe.
At such times, they must unchain themselves from the desk and take a mini-break. Get some space, go for a walk, listen to some music, and then get back to work. It will boost employee productivity.
11. Give yourself some credit
This is quite an uncommon teleworking tip. But it definitely can make employees feel better.
At the end of a busy day, self-appreciation and rewards can be motivating. Employees can save their commuting expenses and spend them on some small rewards.
Use it to buy some self-care stuff, get a tasty meal, or even better. They can use it for paying off their outstanding bills.
12. Get the remote work position you love
All of the above-mentioned effective teleworking tips can help when employees master the process of finding the right remote job for themselves.
If they have the remote work they love, they can easily apply all the teleworking tips that we have listed.
So, picking the right remote position would be essential.
6 Best Telework Tips for Employers
Now, let’s look into a few teleworking tips and tricks for employers and managers.
1. Provide your employees the support they need
What type of support do your telecommuting employees require? They may need your help with a job, resources, technicalities, or something else.
Ask your employees, and conduct meetings to understand what they need from you. Think it through and give them the support they need to telework successfully.
2. Communicate company policies and expectations
Be clear with your policies and expectations. Let the employees know about your organization’s work policy or telework policies. Also, communicate about the deadlines, work hours, availability, workload, job responsibilities, etc.
3. Get to know your workforce
To help your team, you must know their strengths and weaknesses. Once you know, you can understand which employee needs what to succeed in teleworking.
4. Follow a result-based management
The final one of the teleworking tips for employers is to manage employees by results. That means you must start managing your employees by their work quality or performance.
First off, you must decide what results you want to see and then manage your team accordingly.
5. Celebrate success
Don’t forget to celebrate your employees’ successes, even though the achievement is huge. Celebrating successes, rewards and recognition motivate employees to perform better.
Employers can create videos for their websites showing employees’ contributions. Also, recognition in a meeting works well in motivating employees. It feels more personalized than an email.
6. Follow a result-based management
The final one of the teleworking tips for employers is to manage employees by results. That means you must start managing your employees by their quality of work or their performance.
First off, you must decide what results you want to see and then manage your team accordingly.
Quick Tips on Telework Etiquette for Employers
When teleworking, there are a few etiquettes that you must follow. Here is a list of quick tips related to telework etiquette.
- Be on time. Join that conference call or virtual meeting 5 minutes earlier than late. Do not keep people waiting.
- Engage in meetings. Be engaged in remote meetings. Give your 100% attention, make notes (if needed), and clear your doubts by asking questions. Avoid multitasking during e-meetings.
- Be an active listener. Respond to what is being said in a meeting or conference call. You can acknowledge that you are listening by using short statements.
- Encourage participation from teleworkers. In conference calls, the people on the other end of the phone line have no way to indicate that they want to speak. Hence, encourage them to speak their opinions and suggestions.
- Set up conference lines. When you schedule a meeting, set up conference lines so that the option to join remotely is open to your co-workers.
- Introduce yourself. For teams with more than three members in the meeting, state your name to avoid any confusion.
- Regular feedback is a must. When giving feedback, be empathetic. Give specific and constructive feedback that helps your employees to improve.
- Stay connected. Communicate with your employees through calls, emails, or messages. Inform them about your availability, share your calendar, ask for assistance, discuss work, etc.
- Create an ideal workspace. When telecommuting, make sure your work environment is suitable for you. Declutter your space, keep it comfortable, and ensure minimum distractions.
- Stay connected over suitable communication channels. Communicate with your employees through calls, emails, or messages. Inform them about your availability, share your calendar, ask for assistance, discuss work, etc. For regular updates and easy conversations, use messaging channels like Slack. On the other hand, for potentially complex conversations like problem-solving or work discussions, choose virtual meeting platforms like Google Meet, Zoom, or Skype. You can also go for in-person calls.
- Be ready for virtual meetings. When in video conferencing, make sure you dress up well. Keep your background clean. Adjust the lights and keep them professional.
Ready to Become a Better Telecommuter?
With several companies offering remote positions, telecommuting tips have become important for both employers and employees. Hope our tips for successful telework have helped you gain some insights.
Besides, telework can be a lot easier for employers with Multiplier’s solutions. The platform can help you set up payroll for your global remote teams compliantly.
Plus, you can depend on us to manage the onboarding process, compensation and benefits of employees, etc.
