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July 21, 2021

How to Effectively Transition Your Office To Working Remotely



Now that more employers and employees are clocking in from home, there's one question on every business owner's mind: is remote work the new future? And, if so, how do businesses ensure that they are operating at their maximum potential? 



It may sound surprising at first, but transitioning to working remotely can lead to a positive shift in business affairs and employee satisfaction. Don't be fooled — it's not as easy as sending your team home with computers and a WiFi (News - Alert) router. You're going to need a few expert tips at your disposal to do this right.

If you see your business going fully remote soon, here are a few essentials to make sure your company not only survives in this setting but thrives.

Upgrade Your Software To Better Support Cloud Networks

With office settings becoming increasingly irrelevant to the workforce, the need for cloud networks is becoming more crucial. Suddenly, you're responsible for data sharing, communicating, and collaborating with colleagues entirely through the internet smoothly. 

To ensure that your cloud networks are running efficiently and decrease delays caused by backhauls, upgrade your traditional router-based WAN to SD WAN and create a cloud-first internet architecture. This switch will increase user experience and productivity, as well as decrease costs for IT.

Running business affairs through cloud computing streamlines supports remote work by making all necessary data readily available to your team and enhancing security. In addition, ensuring that your operating systems are set up to best support cloud applications will eliminate many potential technical issues down the line.

Budget To Improve Home Office Environments

Many companies pride themselves on creating an office atmosphere that feels warm and welcoming. During the transition to remote work, companies need to prioritize bringing that optimistic energy to each person's home environment. 

Studies show that an employee's physical surroundings directly affect their job performance, satisfaction, productivity, and morale. You'll need to invest time and energy, and even money into making their home setup feel comfortable. 

We recommend the following ways to make working from home a more enjoyable experience for your employees:

  • Reimburse your team for ergonomic desk furniture
  • Provide your team with laptops that meet industry standards
  • Share a “tips and tricks” list for effective desk organization
  • Host weekly challenges with rewards to keep up morale

Not only will this enable your employees to create a setup that works for themselves individually, but it will also increase employee satisfaction and garner their loyalty. 

Invest Time In Supporting Remote Communication

Working remotely can eliminate many irritating distractions for employees, like morning commutes. However, remote work brings its own mishaps, such as poor internet connections, lost passwords, etc.

Team management applications like Slack, Trello and Google (News - Alert) Meets are designed to support your teams' workflow and increase communication. However, regardless of which apps you use, you must spend time training your team to be well-versed and unified in best practices across all platforms. 

The essential way to curb pesky digital miscommunications is to encourage transparency. Checking in with your team periodically on their goals and encouraging feedback on processes is sure to foster a more efficient workflow. We recommend starting a digital bulletin board or channel where everyone can chat and update each other on what's happening at work.

Conclusion

Adapting your business from an in-person office environment to remote work can be tricky at first. However, once you can overcome the initial obstacles, you may find that you aren't anxious to get back to your old office. 

By investing time, money, and effort into making a smooth transition to remote working, your team and your business will surely reap major benefits! Remember to prioritize communication, upgrade technology, and boost morale among your employees for the best transition!


 
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