Working From Home - How To Maintain Productivity

Maximising the Team’s Productivity and Morale while Working Remotely

Due to recent events, we can’t help but wonder, has the pandemic pushed forward the natural progression of more businesses working remotely from home? If ‘necessity is the mother of invention’, the current pandemic is doing a significant job in pushing offices to work remotely from home.

Here at WorkPlan, we understand that in this unprecedented time of mass global uncertainty, the flexibility that many offices have for their employees to be working from home without a huge compromise in the workflow is absolutely critical in staying afloat.

Maximising your team’s productivity whilst unable to be face-to-face can have its challenges, but with the right tools in place, you could find yourself ahead of your competitors. We’ve compiled a list of our best tips for keeping your team morale high:

1. Find Routine

Encouraging yourself and your team to maintain a morning routine, where you wake up and make the bed, shower and get dressed as if you were to have an important meeting that day. This can help to manipulate the mind into thinking that it is business as usual and that there is work to be done! Treat your day as you would any other work day, it’s hard not to be distracted by quickly putting on that pile of washing, or tinkering in the kitchen, but if you can try to leave those tasks as you normally would during the hours of work, you’ll find you can be more productive.

2. Over Communicate

With everything you have to coordinate when preparing/transitioning into remote work, it’s easy to forget the little things like operational communication. Scheduling a 10-minute video call in the morning with the team to update them on what you’ll be rolling out for the day/how everything is tracking will significantly improve their focus for the morning. The same could be done in the afternoon or at least a few times a week, just to tie off any loose ends and ensure that the channels of reaching you are easy and scheduled in-between ad hoc conversations.

3. Invest in Reliable Tech and Systems

In order to maintain these channels of communication, ensuring that you and your staff are equipped with the right amount of technology to get them by will keep the workflow consistent. Being able to replicate your workspace from home adds another dimension of work-life normalcy throughout these times. Integrating an engagement and productivity program and finding an instant messaging platform to reach everybody on (i.e Skype, Microsoft Teams, Stack) will exponentially help to keep the team updated and on top of their work.

4. Makeshift Workspace

Working out of a separate room in your house or a work office is the ideal remote location for keeping things as distraction-free as possible. For a lot of people though, the size of your home might not be suitable and you’ll need to get creative in your approach. Instead of working in bed or off the couch the entire day, it would be best to set up your working zone on your dining table or kitchen countertop. If you’re isolating with your family or roommates, setting clear boundaries around when it is and isn’t work time will need to be established.

5. Maintain Social Interaction and Take Breaks

Casual workplace interactions (i.e water cooler breaks) can be such a vital part of the day to break up time between tasks, keep you refreshed and motivated. Working remotely can reduce the amount of social interaction you have access to, so it’s important to take a bit of time to catch up with your colleagues throughout the day and generally just check in that everyone is doing OK. Since you’re going to be home, it’s easy to skip the traditional break system that you would normally have established at work. Try and maintain the usual schedule you would and make the most of having no commute in the mornings and afternoons for some added time in the day to relax and exercise. If you’re the manager, encouraging open communication during this time will be vital in keeping your team engaged in the company values as a whole. After all, teamwork makes the dream work!

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