Life After Covid-19.
Your staff don’t want to return to work? You’re not alone, according to the latest survey by YouGov ‘only 9% of Britons want life to return to “normal” after the coronavirus outbreak is over.’ There are many reason why, which as managers we must now try to navigate to keep employees engaged and happy.
Perhaps they like the new found work-life balance, perhaps they are worried about the spread of the virus, perhaps they are financially better off with the reduced cost of childcare and commuting. With the new routines we have found ourselves in our new work from home jobs, many are asking the question…
“When will we go back to the office? Do I have to?”
It’s a hot topic across all human resource management teams looking for solutions. Some of our L&D clients have already flagged that certain members of their workforce will continue to work from home following the end of the pandemic. Many, like you, are weighing up the pros and cons of a remote workforce and what steps they will need to be take.
At DBLX we already had flexibility and some remote working and so the transition to a fully remote workforce during Covid-19 has been smoother than most. However working from home is very different to working from home during a global pandemic. So when weighing up the pro’s and con’s of a remote workforce remember that your employees are currently managing their usual workload on top of:
- Children and home schooling
- Financial pressures
- Mental health and isolation
- Family illness and loss
- Lack of processes and unfamiliar technology
Here is our summary of the pros and cons of a remote workforce:
Pros
- Save you money – rent, heating and all that coffee and biscuits
- Happier employees
- You can hire the right people – broaden your recruitment pool and attract top talent
- Retain top talent
Concerns
- Communication can be trickier
- Productivity
- Work life balance harder to navigate
- Building your culture
Moving permanently to flexible ways of working or remote workforce has many benefits and there are many things you can do to address the concerns around communication, productivity and culture. With the right tools such as a Hub or LMS, you and your employees will likely grow to love the freedom, especially if around work you’re spending more time with your friends and family. So if you find the benefits outweigh the challenges of utilizing remote workers, then you will need to make some adjustments to ensure success for your business. So what are the essential tools for working from home:
One. The right technology for your business to facilitate communication, productivity and continuous learning. We love Microsoft Teams and Slack but there are so many great options out there. What’s more, here at DBLX we create bespoke spaces for all your favourite apps, internal comms and personal development so your employees have everything they need in one place. This results in a better user experience, work ethics and continuous learning and development.
Two. Communicate the rules of engagement. Set the boundaries and expectations for your employees so they have clarity and no shades of grey. Do this in an engaging and memorable way, we can create some of the best elearning content for you to do this!
Three. 2 ears and 1 mouth! Leaders should become active listeners and provide opportunities for feedback. We are using anonymous surveys and ‘Daily Stand Up’s’ to give our teams the opportunity to lets us know how they are feeling.
Four. Important documents should be easily accessible so remote employees can access them outside the office. We can create a hub with SSO (single sign on) which means your employees can access documents and applications securely without having to remember and re-enter passwords. This includes your LMS, LXP or elearning platforms as well as file sharing sites and collaboration tools.
Five. Give them something to return to the office for regularly to help build on your workplace culture. Why not host a return to work pizza party or social distancing social gathering to celebrate re-uniting as the amazing team you know you are!
Get in touch today for support on the right tools for growing your business and human engagement.
For any additional questions please contact 0330 133 1638