According to a survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in March 2022, 46% of all Australians with a job worked from home to some degree. Post-pandemic, the business landscape has undergone a shift towards remote work as many have realised the flexibility and work-life balance offered by this model, as well as increased productivity.
As seen in a Future Forum survey, full-time remote workers felt most satisfied with their work-life balance. Fully remote workers also report feeling around 20% happier overall than those who work in an office.
Marino Sussich understands that as rising evidence suggests remote work is the way to go, determining the best ways to begin operating a business of remote working employees is important to ensure a smooth transition with the best results in employee satisfaction and business success. Here are 9 remote work business solutions to assist your business in adapting to the new normal.
Communication and collaboration is important to ensure your team is able to work efficiently and successfully. With employees in various locations, you lose the convenience of being able to walk over to someone’s desk to ask a question or check progress on certain projects. The right technology can assist with this.
Platforms such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom have become invaluable tools to foster communication, connection, and share documents and progress, and are recommended for your remote business.
For a successful remote work culture, we-defined policies and guidelines are important. You should ensure any expectations regarding work hours, task deadlines, and communication protocols are clearly understood. This will assist in fostering productivity and consistency across all employees.
With remote work, the cybersecurity threat becomes increased due to additional reliance on communicating sensitive information through the online sphere. It’s important to invest in strong cybersecurity measures and use VPNs, multi-factor authentication, and cyber threat training to ensure employees can identify risks and understand cyber safety protocols.
Virtual team building activities are essential to boost morale and maintain employee well-being. When employees feel connected to each other, they are also more engaged and productive. Some ideas to boost team spirit and contribute to a positive remote working environment include online games, virtual coffee breaks, or team challenges.
In any work setting, continuous training and development is essential not only for business growth, but for individual employees to feel they are excelling and growing and do not feel stuck. This also promotes overall resilience and adaptability of the company.
It is recommended that you invest in online training platforms and webinars to promote skill development.
While working from home generally encourages work-life balance, it can also be difficult with increased pressure to be constantly productive throughout the day without breaks to converse with colleagues and without escape from the workspace after hours. Breaks should be encouraged to promote better quality efficient work, and discourage overtime.
Quality work and productivity is often influenced by the quality of the employee’s home office setup. Reliable internet connection and equipment, as well as a clearly laid out space with no distractions, will contribute to employee productivity. Discourage “working from bed” or “working from couch”, and ensure all team members have access to a quality workspace and comfortable chair.
For optimal accessibility and collaboration from anywhere, storing essential business processes on a cloud is an excellent way to ensure your team is able to access information with ease. Especially if your company was not always remote and is just beginning to transition, ensuring all existing files and projects are accessible via a cloud is essential.
In a period of time that is characterised by constant change and uncertainty, it is important to remain flexible and agile. Regularly assess remote work policies and adjustments as necessary based on feedback or in line with the evolving needs of the industry.
Marino Robert Sussich is an international business expert well-versed in innovative business solutions that are designed for success. Achieve business excellence with Marino, contact him today to arrange a consultation.