Is Now The Right Time to Implement a New Remote Policy for Your Team?
If you're on social media or stay tuned into any news networks, you're undoubtedly being bombarded with opinions on what the "new normal" will or should look like, but what does getting back to work truly look like for YOU and your team. The near future is an overwhelming thought for employees and employers alike.
Whether you are a decision-maker for your organization with the difficult task of preparing new “WFH” policy, or you’re one of the estimated 16 million employees who was swept into a remote work lifestyle and you’re contemplating your remote future, we’ve got 3 quick tips to determine the ideal remote situation.
1) Do your research. Chances are, you’re not the first team in your industry consider implementing a remote work policy. Make a list of successful companies in your industry and do a little investigative Googling to find their work from home policies. If you’ve got specific pain points in your current remote situation, get connected with other leaders and see if they have real experience with tools that could be a successful long-term solution. Try joining our Greater Detroit or Central Florida LinkedIn groups for Finance & Accounting professionals in your market to connect and share ideas and experiences.)
2) Collect feedback. Getting feedback from your employees can help you gauge how urgent the need for a new remote policy really is. It is also good for employee morale to know they are being heard. This is also a great chance for you to identify potential future leaders. You might have a team member who knows the ins and outs of the team’s workflow with a solid-gold solution just waiting to be heard!
3) Assess your team’s actual efficiency. This pandemic didn’t result in a short stay at home. You most likely have nearly 2 months of monitoring your team under your belt. Are team members who are usually top performers seemingly slacking in their new setting? Consider their role and how the pandemic has changed their workload. Did you have furloughs? Did this result in bulker task lists for your team? Do you have a central task management system? Pull reports there to see how completion and progress were actually affected. There are articles upon articles of pro-remote stats about employers trusting their employees to get their job done is the only way to move forward, but the silver lining in this unprecedented time we’re going through is that you’ve been given a glimpse at what you can truly expect from your team.
Are you curious about how your professional peers and competitors are navigating the push for revised remote policies post-pandemic? We polled employers and employees in our network. Check out the results here -- They may surprise you!