10 Ways Remote Employees are Staying Productive During the Pandemic
Working from home can be beneficial for both the employee and employer, but it’s not without its challenges, including staying productive when you don’t have coworkers to collaborate with. The pandemic currently sweeping the nation has given many remote employees the chance to put their skills to the test as they try to stay connected with clients while they stay quarantined in their homes. Here are ten ways that remote employees are staying productive during this difficult time.
1) Self-Care
Maintaining healthy work habits is essential for remote employees. Teamwork makes the dream work, but if your team doesn’t have room to breathe, remote or otherwise, that efficiency becomes a liability. Try to make sure your remote workers aren’t burnt out by providing opportunities for self-care and providing a fun office environment. A fun office might sound clichéd, but it really can help mitigate frustration and improve overall employee satisfaction.
2) Removing Distractions
When you work from home, there’s no boss over your shoulder. And that can mean less productivity, especially when you consider that 43 percent of employees waste an hour a day on social media which is just one of a multitude of ways distractions creep into remote workers’ schedules. But don’t panic! There are plenty of ways to improve employee satisfaction and stay healthy while maintaining high levels of productivity. More than 90 percent of remote employees say they feel as if they have greater freedom and flexibility at work than their in-office counterparts.
3) Prioritizing Physical Activity
Walking, jogging, gardening, and other similar activities promote better health and increase overall well-being. Research has shown that walking 30 minutes or more per day can help to prevent heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. If you feel self-conscious about working out in front of others or a public place, try exercising at home. Workout videos such as yoga and Pilates are available on-demand from most cable providers or online streaming services such as Netflix. You’ll be able to exercise at your convenience without having to worry about whether or not you’re being judged by others! Remember that it is important to maintain a regular schedule when exercising. A pattern will help your body know when it needs to be active for optimal productivity and wellbeing.
4) Working Out Alone Isn’t Bad For You
One of your employees is out sick, and you’re experiencing a communications breakdown with someone you need to get things done. While it’s easy to fall into an all-too-common trap of working alone isn’t good for me, remember that collaboration improves employee satisfaction.
5) Staying in Touch With Friends, Family, and Coworkers
Communication breakdowns are a common issue for remote employees, especially when you’re working on large group projects or participating in conference calls with multiple parties. Try to stay connected with friends and family by making time for phone calls and going out for lunch. It’s also important to remember that not everyone works at the same pace as you set your deadlines and goals so that you don’t feel too stressed if a coworker is less productive than you during outbreaks. In addition, many remote workers find value in having an office assistant of sorts: someone who can help remind them about meetings, take notes during calls, keep up-to-date on projects, and more.
6) Get Enough Sleep
More than a third of adults in America get less than seven hours of sleep per night. Without enough rest, your productivity and alertness will suffer. Getting more sleep might be as simple as setting an alarm to go off an hour earlier, but you’ll probably find it helpful to establish healthy work habits.
7) Plan for Time Zones
Whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, time zones can make coordinating with team members more difficult. Make sure to plan for time zone differences by scheduling calls at different times of the day. Here are some common questions and answers on dealing with employees who work in different time zones
8) Use a VPN to Streamline Communication
Whether you work in an office, at home, or on a plane (like I do), you’re probably using some kind of network to get online. Chances are that the network is corporate-owned and may not be encrypted. If you want to protect your data, use a VPN (a virtual private network) and access it only from remote devices. Using VPNs can also help streamline your communication with co-workers or team members, by giving you one consistent address for all correspondence.
9) Change the Scenery
The ability to work remotely is a modern-day luxury that few people have, but for those who do, it can be both an awesome and frustrating experience. If you’re one of these lucky few, chances are you love your job and can’t get enough of what you do. So why not take full advantage of it? Give yourself more time to focus on your tasks by finding ways to change scenery throughout your day.
10) Eat Healthily
It may seem obvious, but employees with a strong foundation of healthy eating habits are less likely to be sick in general. When you’re not at work, make sure you eat properly to keep your immune system strong. Small changes in diet can go a long way toward improving your health overall and if you need more motivation than that, consider how much healthier and happier everyone will be when everyone is at their desk instead of fighting off a cold or flu bug!
Conclusion
Teamwork makes all dreams work. It also contributes to productivity in a remote workforce. Even though a pandemic is hitting their workplace, remote employees are staying productive by collaborating remotely and supporting each other on various social networks. Regardless of whether they are at home, in the office, or on vacation, they find ways to stay productive and keep motivated throughout their working day.
