Empowering Remote Workers in Times of Change

The global pandemic and its disruptions continue to affect companies worldwide, large and small. Where possible, many businesses have chosen to have their employees remain or move to working remotely rather than risk travel and the standard office environment.

Work-at-home will save U.S. employers over $30 Billion a day in what would have otherwise been lost productivity during office closures due to COVID-19. - Kate Lister, President of Global Workplace Analytics

Because of the nature of our business, many of our Enavate team members are used to working remotely, but for others, it can be a predicament presenting new and evolving challenges.

At Enavate, our core values include taking care of our team, adapting and innovating, driving results, and maintaining integrity. We’re also concerned about our clients, and we are well equipped with the technology and the tools to make your remote operations as secure and productive as possible.

Here is our approach to helping organizations thrive while teams continue to work remotely.

1. Create or update a communication plan.

Success begins with excellent communication and guidance from the top. Team leaders and their superiors need to shepherd remote workers, so they don’t feel isolated and stranded. Have a specific communication plan and stick with it. Listen to workers’ concerns and provide direction when needed. If you don’t hear from your employees, don’t just assume that everything is fine. The enduring crisis is more difficult for some than for others, so keep everyone in the loop and informed.

At Enavate, our planning and communication with team members and customers about Covid-19 started late last February. We established a Corona Situation Pod, made up of team members from across the organization. These team members keep a finger on the pulse of our workers and provide direction, advice, and recommendations. We established weekly All Hands calls to make sure the entire team is up to date on the status in each of our global regions. We entertain questions on all relevant subjects and solicit input.  We also provided an executive coach to speak with our team about managing emotional wellness in the midst of uncertainty. The more communication, the better.

2. Equip team members with the tools they need.

When quickly transitioning to remote workplaces, it can be a challenge to ensure that all employees have the technology, tools, and access they need to continue doing their jobs. Perhaps some have the technology at home or were able to bring it from the office. Others may require help from IT to get set up on a Virtual Private Network. Even when they have the technology, team members, customers, partners, and suppliers will still need access to specific applications. This might require authentication methods such as PINs or other sign-in credentials.

To learn more about secure, multi-factor authentication through Azure, look at this tutorial.

3. Support workers’ devices.

Your workers may want to use a variety of different devices to work remotely: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, etc. When your team is spread out, it’s vital to support all the devices they use to stay connected.  For instance, Microsoft uses Microsoft Endpoint Manager (MEM), which offers a self-service enrollment to join Azure AD and access company resources securely. To learn more, check out this MEM overview and tutorial.

You might want to put together webinar tutorials showing how to connect from various devices.

4. Share productivity resources.

Make it as easy as possible for team members to collaborate and work productively from their remote locations. Apps such as Outlook mobile, Microsoft Teams, and OneDrive make it easy to connect on a range of devices. If your company has moved to the Cloud, accessing files, having real-time collaboration and saving their work will be much easier. Other productivity tools might include apps for generating white noise to help with concentration or having opportunities to check-in with teammates throughout the day — much like a virtual catch-up over the cubicle wall. A weekly video conference or a dedicated messaging app channel will keep everyone in the loop. Plans may vary; choose what works best for your company.

At Enavate, we’ve gotten creative using Microsoft Teams to host virtual happy hours, virtual lunches, and a virtual “breakroom” available whenever needed. We’re also embracing the challenges that come from working from home with children and pets. We encourage our team to share their funny video call moments on our office Facebook group to lighten things up a bit.

5. Make meetings user-friendly.

Your team may be still trying to adjust to a new normal under disruptive circumstances. They may have to carve out a workspace where they can while coping with homeschooling and children and pets who need attention. Online meetings, as valuable as they are, may present additional challenges. Set standards, such as using the same conferencing app for every meeting and try to streamline sessions. Have a schedule that your team can count on.  Be flexible with team members who may request to have meetings recorded for later viewing.

Above all, be gracious and understanding as everyone works to accommodate the changed circumstances.

6. Care for the company culture.

In times of transition, especially when it comes to working separately from their teammates, team members may be especially vulnerable to anxiety and isolation. Stick to your company values, and don’t underestimate the power of leadership. Be transparent about sharing information while being encouraging about the future. Think of ways to drive engagement and empower team members to build communities across teams. You may even set up a dedicated channel on your collaboration apps with encouraging tips and tricks for successfully working from home.

Mark Shepard, one of our Enavate team members, recommends getting into a routine.  “Have a dedicated workplace away from household distractions,” he says. “Treat each day/morning as if you were going into the actual office. Get up, shower, [get] dressed … Get as close to your old morning routine as possible.”

Another idea from the Enavate team is to turn your former commute time into stretching time. We tend to sit in one place a lot more when working from home vs. walking around an office. Finding an app with 10-15 stretches might help those working from home to feel better.

Making the long-term transition to working from home can be challenging, but with the right systems and support in place, it can be a smooth shift.

Are you looking for tips and tools to manage ongoing change in your business operations? Contact our team of experts at Enavate and ask how we can help.

By Enavate, www.enavate.com