Working from home makes the majority of your employees more productive. Yet, there are certain problems that come with WFH that, if left unresolved, can reduce that productivity and cost your business quite a bit.
According to Logitech’s research, a large percentage of remote workers have a set of problems related to their remote work environment that they face every day:
- 77% of people don’t have ergonomic setups
- 64% of workers don’t have adequate lighting
- 58% of employees experience problems with background noise during business calls
These issues inevitably lead to a reduction in productivity. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), labor productivity decreased by 1.8% over the last four quarters.
Decreased productivity of this magnitude can result in substantial revenue losses. For example, if a company’s annual revenue is $10 million, a 1.8% drop in productivity could equate to an $180,000 loss in potential earnings
But it doesn’t only affect their productivity. It also affects their health, which adds to the company costs due to their medical expenses as well as related absences.
How many of your people struggle with seemingly marginal things while working from a remote working environment that end up decreasing their productivity?
In this article, we list leading advice on how to help your employees make their home offices into places conducive to productivity and creativity. We also look into how introducing remote work software tools and better boundaries can help your employees do more within office hours and eliminate overtime work.
Organizing a Physical Workspace
Here are several tips you can share with your employees to improve their productivity:
Select a Secluded Location
Remind your employees that setting up their workspace in the middle of their living room is not a good idea. Explain that there are too many distractions, like unfinished chores, the TV, etc.
Advise them to find some secluded space and clearly communicate their work hours to their household members.
Find a Quiet Space
WFH involves a lot of auditory distractions. Noisy places with a lot of “traffic” will make it significantly harder to focus and stay productive.
Having a quiet place to work is especially important on the days when you have meetings scheduled.
Choose Ergonomic Furniture
Comfortable and ergonomic furniture is vital for your employees’ physical health and productivity when using a remote working environment.
Advise your workers to choose good quality chairs and desks. Here are some guidelines for choosing a chair:
- Good lumbar support
- Adjustable height
- Reclining ability
- Adjustable armrests
Remember to offer reimbursement to all employees who decide to upgrade their basic office furniture.
Go for Natural Light Sources
Another good tip to share with your employees is to aim for a space that has a natural light source. Natural light improves mood and lifts energy. This way it makes people more productive and creative. It also reduces eye strain, a major issue for many knowledge workers.
Provide a Flow of Fresh Air
Stuffy corners are never a good place to get your creative juices flowing. On your next team meeting, call attention to the importance of airing your workspace throughout the day. This will help your employees keep drowsiness and lethargy away.
Declutter Your Workspace
Talk to your employees about the importance of keeping their space organized and clean. Cluttered space is a minefield of distractions and makes it difficult to focus on your work.
Pay Attention to Your Workspace Decor
Design and decor are not a priority when it comes to home office organization. Yet, there are some things your employees can do to create a more pleasing environment. Encourage them to keep their comforting blanket nearby or suggest framing a motivational quote. Just remind them not to go overboard and create clutter.
Organizing a Virtual Workspace
If you want to reap great performance results, try these strategies to get the best use out of digital tools and keep employees connected and engaged:
Ensure a Stable Internet Connection
A stable and high-speed internet connection is one of the most important conditions for remote work. Help your employees get a high-quality connection, especially if they have a lot of video communication with clients.
Provide Noise-Canceling Headphones
Noise-canceling headphones are among the home office essentials. This is especially true for your employees who spend a lot of time on calls, or simply have a noisy environment.
Implement an Activity Tracking App
Activity tracking tools bring many benefits to your team. One of their major advantages is fostering trust between the employer and the employees. You can see all your employees’ actions, which drives them to give their best.
Yet, it also gives them the freedom to mute notifications for a day and dedicate their time to deep work. With a work monitoring app tracking them, they don’t have to worry about being constantly responsive to you or their managers.
Rely on Collaboration Platforms
From project management platforms to virtual whiteboards, there are numerous digital tools that can help your team collaborate remotely. Go for platforms that also have commenting options—this further assists collaboration.
Set up Dedicated Communication Channels
One of the predominant challenges remote workers point out is the lack of communication. Start with vetting the current communication channels and substituting them for more functional ones. This will help your team stay connected and collaborate more easily.
Limit Digital Distractions
Digital distractions are everywhere. Your employees need to navigate work-related pings, private messages, the allure of social media, etc. Encourage them to mute notifications on business platforms when they need to focus. Also, remind them to silence or turn off their private devices to reduce the amount of interruptions during work hours.
Create a Routine
Having a routine helps stay productive and avoid procrastination. Advise your employees to set a regular schedule of work hours. Encourage them to choose their most productive period of the day for the most demanding tasks. Sticking to this kind of schedule will help them be more efficient and maintain work-life balance.
The bottom line is that you need to stay connected to your employeesin their remote work environment and always be aware of the obstacles they are facing. Helping them promptly resolve any issues and having an ongoing initiative for the improvement of working conditions is a sure way to avoid a decline in productivity and related financial loss.
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