Here are 6 Ways to Keep Your Employees Productive While They WFH

Here are six ways to keep your employees productive while they work from home.

1. Educate well in onboarding

One way to keep remote employees productive is to set expectations early. You may hire a new employee who has never worked from home before. They’ll need an effective onboarding process to ensure they can keep track of everything and have confidence moving forward in their position.

Besides training for the job, it’s essential to give remote employees a sense of belonging to the company. Getting settled in may be easier in person because of the in-person camaraderie and intimacy with the workplace. Remote work can increase the sense of impostor syndrome, where employees doubt themselves and feel fraudulent about their abilities even though they’re doing fine.

2. Reward high productivity

In any workplace, productivity is the name of the game. It keeps the lights on and the wheels turning for businesses and corporations. Some companies monitor their employees with productivity trackers, especially for remote workers. These tools can be effective for keeping workers productive if they know their productivity numbers matter for promotions and bonuses.

Some employees may dislike the tracking tools, but you can keep them engaged by offering monetary incentives. You could hold contests every month or quarter to see which team members are the most productive, rewarding the winners with a bonus or another prize. Another motivation tactic is incorporating productivity levels in their performance reviews when judging raises and promotions.

3. Keep technology up to date

Your employees are only as productive as their technology allows them to be. Some companies provide their employees with laptops, desktop computers, tablets and other devices for day-to-day tasks. Other organizations may enable remote workers to use their personal devices because of their familiarity with the technology.

An excellent way to increase productivity with teleworkers is by gifting them new tech gadgets to improve their workstation. You could provide devices once you’ve hired the employees or during their first few months as incentives for their hard work. Some examples of tech gifts include storage devices with more memory, a better printer, secondary monitors or a new router to speed up their internet connection.

4. Upgrade workspaces

Staying productive in a remote setting can be challenging for some people. In contrast, others say they’re more engaged at home than in the office. Technology upgrades can improve employees’ lives on the computer, but what about their workspace? Setting up a home office conducive to productivity is another critical factor in keeping remote employees engaged, and businesses can lend a hand.

Some companies have started to give work-from-home stipends to their employees to upgrade their workspace. Workers can use this money to buy a more comfortable chair, noise-canceling headphones or anything else that will improve their home office setup. Teleworkers sit at their desks for hours at a time, so helping them feel comfortable is a terrific way to enhance their productivity.

5. Encourage balance

One of the pros of working from home is the convenience of staying at the house, saving time and gas. Many companies are leaning toward remote work because they know it’s popular and helpful for their employees. Even though it’s convenient, telework can be a mental struggle for some people. In-office employees can easily separate work because there are separate locations for home and work. Remote workers have one place for both.

Working in the same place as you live is challenging for some employees. Managers should help their employees find that balance between work and life, or they could find their remote workers become less motivated during work hours. Encourage them to have designated work areas away from their living room and bedroom if they can avoid it. Separating work and home life can be difficult, but it can significantly help morale and productivity.

6. Schedule meetings

A primary difference between remote and in-office work is the social aspect. Face-to-face interactions with coworkers foster a friendly work environment. That aspect may go missing with remote work, but there are still ways to keep the positive work culture going with regular meetings. These video conferences don’t have to be every day. But once a week or so can give employees a continuous outlet for any inquiries they have.

These video calls can be an excellent way to check in and see how they’re doing with the job and life. Remote workers will feel more comfortable and motivated if their management truly cares about them. Another way to increase morale and productivity is to have meetings for fun activities that don’t involve work. Assemble your team and have a happy hour during the week where you play games and discuss anything besides the job.

Increasing productivity with remote employees

Working from home has become more than a temporary solution during the pandemic. It’s the new norm as remote work has become more popular and reshaped how Americans go to work. Some managers wonder how they can keep their employees engaged remotely. These six ways can help keep remote workers productive from anywhere.