As more and more offices are working from home, there’s no excuse not to make the virtual workplace every bit as manageable and enjoyable as the traditional office. As the US, along with many other countries, is entering the second period of lockdown, companies need to act on the lessons learned from the beginning of the year. Fluctuations in productivity were excusable in March, as everyone was forced to adapt overnight to virtual offices’ challenges. But we are now over half a year later. Employers worldwide have sufficient experience to tackle some of the most damaging productivity issues they faced in March 2020. 

Flexible Routine for Your Staff

Working from home can introduce a lot of new pressure for your staff. Parents need to juggle with childcare, school runs, homework, and online classroom needs on top of their day-to-day work schedule. And the truth is that it can get challenging, especially for those who have young children around. Therefore, employers must encourage their staff to develop a work at home routine that works for their lifestyles, as per http://transpremium.com/3-tips-to-stay-productive-while-working-from-home/. Ultimately, looking after children is a full-time job, so working parents may need to reschedule their typical 9 to 5 routine to fit other duties. But the same principle also applies to professionals who don’t have kids. Ultimately, getting some fresh air under lockdown is not a luxury but a necessity to support concentration, menthol health, and cognitive acuity. Introducing the idea that everyone can work at the hours that suit best (within reasons) enables people to make time for fitness, break, errands, and household chores. 

Keeping IT Safe and Reliable

How safe is the home office? Most staff may be digitally savvy when it comes to using everyday tech solutions, but that doesn’t mean they are aware of all the security risks in the home office. You can introduce basic training and information material on how to keep their laptop secure on the home network. Avoiding unwanted intrusions on your staff laptops is only half of the problems. The next step is to ensure that the cloud solution you’re using to stay connected is secure and can sustain multiple, simultaneous use throughout the day. There’s no miracle solution; you won’t find an off-the-shelves IT system that works for you. But reaching out to dedicated consultants, such as https://www.cyberjaz.net/it-consulting/, can ensure you’ve got IT engineers on board to help you scale out your IT strategy and relocate your servers and services for best remote work safety. 

Monitor Virtual Meeting Fatigue

It’s easy to organize online meetings. Zoom meetings and other video call services have enabled people to replace face-to-face interactions. However, too many Zoom meetings can lead to call conference fatigue. While the webcam offers a new source of interactions, it’s fair to say that not every task requires a video call. Excessive meetings can lead to fatigue, even if they all happen at your desk. It’s important to end the Zoom call frenzie, making sure that each project proceeds with the communication format the most meaningful and productive for its needs. And sometimes, a good old phone call can move things further than a Zoom call! 

Staying productive at home is no walk in the park. For many companies, it’s time to implement best practices and solutions that can protect their teams and support everyday productivity. From keeping the virtual workplace safe to encouraging flexible schedules, we need to make our business environments home-friendlier.