Posted By 
By Shannon Hicks
For the Financial Independence Hub
For businesses to thrive, they must give importance to their employees. They are an essential part of any company because their competence is what drives growth.
As an employer, there are a number of practices that you can adopt to make your employees more efficient at their tasks, especially in these times when a worldwide health crisis is at hand and most employees are at home.
Working from home poses a lot of obstacles to employees. Hence, as an employer, it is important to motivate them to concentrate on their respective tasks. This way, even though the whole world and economies have been disrupted, your business is still able to generate high-quality outputs.
Here are some tips to transition your employees to working from home:
1.) Help them set up their workspace at home
The first problem that employees face when they start working from home is whether or not they have the hardware necessary to carry out their tasks. So, as an employer, it should be your first concern as well.
Thus, when transitioning your employees to work from home, ask them if they have the necessary equipment or hardware, such as a computer, for them to be able to perform their tasks. If they lack the essential implements, then, allow them to borrow those from the office. Let them take home the units they use at work; after all, no one would be using those. Of course, they need to return the devices once they resume working at the office.
Furthermore, allow your employees to download or install applications that your company will be using to communicate and manage tasks. Make it clear which tools and workforce management system will be utilized so they can have them installed on their respective devices as soon as possible.
For example, Slack can be used for communication purposes, while Zoom can be used for teleconferencing. Making this clear early on will allow your employees to familiarize themselves with the tools, so they would be efficient in using them as soon as they need to.
2.) Be flexible in your working policies
Each employee will have a different setup at home. While some are living alone in their own apartments, some are with their families and may even have kids at home. Thus, it is understandable that when employees start working from home, they will have different schedules as to when they are best able to work.
So, when making policies for employees working from home, be understanding of their circumstances. For example, you may not need to set specific working hours; rather, keep them focused on finishing tasks before or on the deadline.
For better communication, you can schedule a weekly or bi-weekly teleconference, or you can also take advantage of a specific time when everyone is available. Thus, communication is always open and everyone can regularly give updates on their tasks.
3.) Keep communication lines open
Weekly teleconference or virtual meetings should not be the only time that managers and employees are able to talk and give updates.
Make use of communication apps and encourage socializing through chatting or messaging. This way, employees will not be scared or hesitant to contact their superiors each time they encounter a problem. If you don’t work at the same time, you should still respond to the messages and let them know the time you will be available to help them.
4.) Trust your employees
Trust is an essential issue when it comes to working from home because employers or managers are not able to monitor their employees. Thus, as an employer, you should prevent yourself from micromanaging your employees. Give them the freedom to figure out how to solve the problems they encounter. On your end, you can continue to encourage them to ask for help if they feel that they need it.
Trust your employees to produce the results you expect from them and to submit requirements on time without the need to constantly remind them. There are applications that set deadlines for your employees, so make use of these and just trust the process and your employees.
Conclusion
Working from home is not a new concept. In fact, many companies have practiced this setup for years now. Of course, this working condition may not be ideal for other companies due to the nature of their services. However, with the current pandemic bringing a lot of industries to a halt and keeping people inside their homes, companies that have to continue providing services to their customers must also adapt.
Transitioning to work from home can be challenging, but if employers and employees work together, get the right tools, and trust one another, they can do it smoothly and successfully.
Shannon Hicks is a business consultant who works with new entrepreneurs in establishing strategies for optimal productivity and budgeting. Shannon usually helps entrepreneurs in deciding which strategies or software to implement in order to better employee productivity and business finances.
