Today, numerous businesses have switched to remote work settings as a safety precaution against coronavirus. However, if your employees aren’t used to it, they might have difficulty adjusting to their new working environment.Related: Working Remotely: How to Effectively Manage Remote Employees During The Pandemic
Dealing with the Negative Effects of Working Remotely
In our experience, we’ve seen five common downsides of working remotely. We have come up with solutions to tackle them so that you don’t have to experience them as well.
1. Lack of Communication
Communication is one of the essential elements that make a business successful. However, it’s common to lack it when you don’t see each other in person.Unfortunately, a lack of communication can cause even more problems, like delayed work, misinformation, output errors, and many more. So, you have to go the extra mile when communicating with your remote employees.
The Fix: Find Better Ways to Communicate
Our team leaders and executives are tasked to check up on their members from time to time to see how they’re doing. In addition to quick daily check-ins, every week, or depending on what the leaders see appropriate, each team conducts video conferences to touch base and have task updates.Some of our clients who have dedicated outsource teams with KDCI have also opted to use project management tools like Trello, Asana, and Basecamp. This makes task monitoring easy, and it gives them the ease of quickly knowing what everyone is doing, what still needs to be done, and what has been done.
2. Building Team Spirit Is More Difficult
Inspiring passion is one of the many qualities that a business owner must have to encourage their employees to stay and work for them. However, building team spirit can be difficult now that almost all of your employees are working remotely.
The Fix: Build Relationships
KDCI leaders never forget to check up and empathize on the well-being of their teammates, especially during the quarantine period. We develop personal relationships with each other by having casual conversations from before a video conference starts, or sometimes joking around in the company-wide group chat.
3. Productivity Is At Its Low
Compared to the usual culture of working remotely, the spread of the pandemic has rendered everyone incapable of going around town almost entirely. This can affect the productivity of your employees, especially if they don’t have the technology and office setting in their home.However, not all home settings are conducive for work. Some of your employees might find it difficult to concentrate with everything going around the house, like family noise, taking care of and homeschooling the kids.
The Fix: Encourage Production, Not Screen Time
We are all going through lifestyle changes because of the quarantine, and that includes our sleeping schedules. Some of your employees will have reverted to their usual nocturnal lifestyle. In contrast, others may have maintained their usual morning routines.As a solution, we set production expectations in sprints and not the amount of time our employees spend on screen. This allows them to incorporate their unique preferences into their tasks, and let them be productive whatever time they choose, as long as they meet their deadlines.In terms of tech, some of our employees don’t have computers and stable internet connections. Hence, we provided them with equipment and wifi sticks to make working remotely sustainable for them.
4. Issues with Payment
Because of the quarantine, fixing issues with payment will not be as easy as running to the bank to check what happened to your payroll. You will have no other choice but to settle with online transactions, especially when you have offshore employees.
The Fix: Find Better, Easier Payment Options
KDCI has rarely had issues with payment, but we address them with urgency and empathy, and we always ensure that every employee receives their salary on time. When problems arise, opt for finding better payment options, like cross-bank transactions, and online payment providers.If you are looking into hiring remote talent overseas, you may encounter issues with taxes and government requirements. The quickest, easiest fix is to partner with an outsourcing company. They will handle payroll, HR tasks, and everything your team needs to stay productive.I Want to Hire Remote Talent
5. Security Concerns
Many security issues can arise when all of your employees are working remotely. You have to ensure that their home computers or laptops are secure and capable of handling the work. Otherwise, data leaks and data theft can arise.
The Fix: Invest in Data Protection Solutions
KDCI handles data security daily, especially when our clients specifically asked for security agreements. Therefore, we guarantee the safety and security of their data by investing in data protection software like LastPass, VPNs, and updated antivirus software.Before going fully remote, we conducted a run-through of the capabilities of each of our employees to work from home. We ensured that their computers have all the necessary data protection requirements.If you want to learn more about our data security measures and how we protect your business, don’t hesitate to contact us and ask.Let's Talk
Handling Remote Work Issues Doesn’t Have to Be Difficult
While there may still be other adverse effects of working remotely, there will always be a solution if you look for it. Here at KDCI, we help our clients stay afloat during this difficult time by assisting them in managing their remote teams and keeping their business running.Handling employees who are working remotely doesn’t have to be difficult if you have the right outsourcing partner to assist you.
