The post-pandemic world is different. There has been a major shift in operating strategies, business models, and work approaches. A consequence of the covid-19 pandemic was a hybrid-working model. This working model consisted of employees partly working from home and partly working in-office.
In a group study conducted in May last year, 70%, of 510 employees planned to work in a hybrid work model. It is safe to say that the shift to a remote work model is a popular choice. Many companies are in the transition phase of converting to a hybrid-working model.
During this shift to a new working model, the way we measure and maintain production needs to be revisited. Here are a few ways to achieve this.
A New Approach to Measuring Productivity
In a typical work environment, your productivity is measured by the number of hours you put in. This wouldn’t work in a remote working situation.
A yahoo survey revealed that merely 22% of American employees found their managers to be trusting of their working capabilities and productivity during remote work. This isn’t a good practice and would only leave your employees feeling dissatisfied.
It is important to establish trust in your employees, especially when they are working remotely. Measure productivity by how well projects are done and how timely they are done, rather than making the employees work a set number of hours.
Invest in the Right Technology
It is important to adopt the right technology for the nature of your work. This would help increase productivity and manage tasks.
If you have a project that involves multiple people, invest in a decent task management tool. A project management tool will grant multiple people access to the project so you can edit, modify or work on it at the same time.
Similarly, if you want to brainstorm, strategize, or bounce ideas off one another, you should select a good video conferencing app. Make sure the app allows you to conduct meetings with as many people, chat live with your co-workers, and share screen.
Give Feedback More Often
You need to establish a feedback system and communicate with your employees more regularly about their work. This allows you to mentor them and give feedback so they can continue to improve along the way.
You can also establish an online resource library with access to documents and resources for remote employees. This saves them the time of waiting for a manager to respond.
Establish Relevant Key Performance Indicators
Productivity is measured by certain metrics, which vary according to the job designation. The metrics are known as key performance indicators.
You establish key performance indicators to measure productivity that need to differ according to different job designations. For example, for an SEO analyst, some key performance indicators could be how many guest posts they secure or the total backlinks created. For a writer, the metric could be the word count per day.
Arrange Daily Stand-up Calls
When done right, daily stand-up calls are a very effective method of building team coordination. It provides you an excellent opportunity to connect with your team member, keep them updated on progress, and encourage engagement within teams.
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Track Progress and Reward Achievements
Your employees should have access to tools that can help them track the progress of their tasks and share it with you. Furthermore, they should be given appropriate training and resources that help them adjust to a remote working environment.
This is important because not all employees will be adjusting to remote working alike. Some might be more adaptable to change while others may find it tricky. It is your job to facilitate them.
Apart from tracking progress, be sure to offer encouragement when an employee completes their task or reaches a milestone. Appreciating hard work and effort gives incentive to the employees to put in more.
In Conclusion
Remote work became a necessity during the pandemic and it will likely continue to be a part of our lives for a long time. As we get used to the new norm for businesses, we need to establish the relevant measures to optimize productivity in this new approach to work.
It is natural to worry about company standards and net productivity with a hybrid workforce. The key to meeting productivity goals is establishing trust, setting goals, providing appropriate training, and promoting an output-based culture rather than micromanaging every second of our employee’s time.
