The pandemic has had long lasting effects on the workplace of today. There are, of course, the obvious effects such as plastic screens, mask signage, and vaccine policies. But we need to not forget the not so obvious effects -- the redefined workplace.

I think we can all agree that the pandemic has shifted how we define “workplace.” We’ve scrambled to manage employees working from various locations, we’ve relied on virtual meetings and conferences hosted on telephone or Zoom, and we’ve had to learn how to turn on-campus classes into virtual learning environments. In truth, the pandemic caused us to redefine how the workplace functions. 

And this shift doesn’t appear to be abating. A recent survey released by The Conference Board recognized that only 4 percent of employers are requiring a full-time return to the on-site office. And 90 percent of businesses surveyed are opting for a hybrid work environment, while 60 percent made working remotely completely optional. This survey also revealed a struggle to find and retain professional and office employees in traditional practices. Most notable was that 49 percent of organizations were now willing to hire fully-remote workers, a six-fold increase from pre-pandemic numbers. In addition, many companies, once reluctant to permit “work-from-home,” are now realizing the cost benefit of leasing less office space and saving on their overhead budgets.

This means that remote work is no longer a trend, it’s a reality in this post-pandemic modern workplace. While many organizations may find this daunting, the truth is that remote options open your organization up to a wider depth of talent than you could find in a local only environment. In order to reap the rewards of the remote environment, let’s discuss how to prepare for remote work success.

Make Sure IT is Ready
This seems simple enough. Do an organizational evaluation to make sure you have the infrastructure to support your remote workers. Microsoft Office 365, Google Drives, email servers, video conferencing platforms, and project management software are all integral to the remote worker experience. Ensure your licenses will cover remote seats and that they offer a seamless experience for users. Also ensure that you have tech support lined up as well for your users. Consider whether or not your remote workers will be using company hardware or personal hardware with company licenses.

Set Expectations
Most remote workers understand that work is work, regardless of where it is performed. A company also needs to set their own expectations. Outline what your organization requires of their remote workers to include dress codes for all video conferences, set hours and/or flexible scheduling, team meetings, technology usage, IT policies, and work product clauses. Don’t assume that company expectations are general knowledge, make sure that these things are clear and concise. It will help both the employer and the employee keep a healthy work-life balance. 

Rethink Organizational Flexibility
Allowing a portion of employees to operate remotely shows a willingness for flexibility. I encourage any organization to keep flexing. Be willing to look at whether work can happen during fixed business hours only or if productivity can reign at various hours. Perhaps it’s best to have a mixture of both -- core work hours for meetings and instant messaging with flexible productivity outside of that core set. Feel free to look outside your time zone to allow a fully remote worker the need to work set hours that work for both the organization and for them. It will pay dividends with the increase in depth of talent you can pull from when you hire. Rethink gauging success by whether an employee is present -- instead run work evaluations around key performance indicators or KPIs. These KPIs can be built out of each job description and easily share a set of expectations with each employee and each manager, and KPI flexibility can give you a higher level of productivity and accountability.

Increase Team Communication
Team communication is crucial to remote workers. Ensure that each remote worker is connected with their team and managers. Using communications outside of email such as weekly or daily Zoom briefs, instant communications, and project collaboration are key to making remote work successful. Yes, it seems a lot, but when stopping by someone’s office or cubicle isn’t plausible, another method of communication must be built. For some organizations, Slack is something that is helpful for instant needs. Microsoft Teams is very popular for communications and file-sharing. For others, daily Zooms fill the need. Shared documents that track changes and perform version control are key to ensuring productivity in a remote team environment.

Rethink Project Management Tracking
I feel this needs to be a special point outside of just communication. Yes, have those weekly meetings, but help remote workers assign and keep to tasks by investing in project management software. This software will allow multiple users and managers to assign and complete tasks. Programs and sites like Monday.com or Trello ensure that complicated projects can be managed across multiple worksites, time zones, and remote offices without a hitch. Also consider a team debrief after each major project to review and refine the process.

Build Camaraderie
One of the things we all remember from our in-person office work days is surrounding the coffee pot, or water cooler, for some camaraderie. While seen by many as “off-task” moments, this is what helped build work culture and bring about close-knit teams. Don’t be afraid to help foster such moments in your remote teams. Encourage your teams to put “face-first” when able -- video chat about a question instead of just picking up the phone or sending a quick message. Encourage activities that build teams such as a Wednesday luncheon over video conference or a weekly trivia round. It seems off-task but recreating a work-place camaraderie for your remote workers will increase their communication and thus their productivity. Schedule open “Coffee Talk” times during the week, when employees are encouraged to get on a video chat and just talk…about anything. Also consider whether or not an in-person meeting, even if once a year, is viable or needed for your workforce, and if so, make this required in-office time intentional.

Ensure Accountability
Remote work should not mean a free-for-all. While I absolutely encourage you to let your workers be productive on a flexible schedule, because after all I am a caregiver who is most productive at the oddest hours (3 AM is common for me), I also encourage you to hold your workers accountable. Those KPIs should be known and gauged through regular performance evaluations. Missing tasks, meetings, and deadlines are all issues that should be dealt with in a remote workforce sooner than later to make sure that employees have the knowledge and support they need to succeed. Set measurable and firm expectations when it comes to work goals and KPIs in order to gauge performance. Ensure continuing education opportunities are established and taken care of so that continual performance improvement is attainable. Get to know the strengths of your remote workers, just as one used to in the office, and utilize those strengths.

The pandemic did indeed bring about an entirely new definition to the modern workplace. It is a definition that, if used wisely, can ensure that organizations can access the best possible fit in employees. This new workplace allows an unparalleled opportunity to leverage a diverse and talented workforce, but only if an organization rethinks the way its business runs. Today’s workforce is proving that they will give far more when allowed the possibility within this new workplace. Make sure that your organization is capitalizing on this new dynamic.

Resources:

The Reimagined Workplace

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