1. Identify the main priority, limit non-essential projects
Priorities change quickly and often unpredictably. Still you need to keep things under control, so it is quite all right to view your business from a distance in order to gain perspective. Identify what is at the heart of your business, leaving aside all unimportant tasks and smaller projects. Invite managers and team leaders to review the work with their teams and remove at least one non-essential activity that they will not deal with now. This leaves your hands free for key projects. For example, Pepsi has asked each of its employees to name one of the processes that hinders them in performing their job faster.
2. Give employees flexibility
Distance-based work certainly requires flexibility from both company and employees. For example, your business may be based on fixed working hours from 9 am to 5 pm, which may not suit everyone and could even covertly hinder many workers in their productivity. Now is the opportunity to change this. Give staff the possibility of setting their own way of working. Let them manage their own schedule so they may both perform their tasks and take care of their family and loved ones.
3. Listen to feedback from employees
The need for belonging is one of the basic human needs. But how can you help your staff work remotely? Ask employees for feedback using, for example, a short survey. Ask regularly. You might choose a form of satisfaction rating by scale. Try including, for example, the following statements:
- I am satisfied with my employer's response during the state of emergency
- At the moment I feel well supported by my employer
- I know now what to focus on
- I have the necessary resources for my job
At the same time, add an open question for employees, such as: "What else would help you in your work right now?" Success lies not in a perfectly compiled questionnaire, but in its regular evaluation and flexible adaptation of conditions.
4. Use fun activities to strengthen bonds with your team
In addition to regular conference calls and meetings via apps such as Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts or Skype, companies encourage staff to use other chat tools such as Slack or Twist, and share non-business matters. Examples include home photo contests, virtual lunches, exchanging recipes, reading tips, and so on. All these activities greatly help to strengthen social ties.
5. Support CSR activities and volunteering
The Deloitte Volunteer Survey in 2017 showed that 89% of workers believe these programs create a better working environment. For example, your company may set up a material aid program in the form of donations to nonprofit organisations. For example, Apple, Salesforce, Facebook, and Johnson & Johnson donated protective masks for healthcare professionals. Uber Eats donated 300,000 meals to front-line people and healthcare professionals, and U-Haul offered 30 days of free storage to university students. There are countless ways you can help and you can easily figure out an example for your own business.
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