Featured image by by Vlada Karpovich from Pexels

After the events of 2020, more and more offices are turning to remote working for their employees. Whether they are moving to a purely remote basis or they are allowing people to choose between a few days at home and a few in the office, there are lots of ways an employer can support their workers when they are working at home. Here are some of the things you can do as an employer to improve remote working for your employees.

Make the onboarding process simple

When you have remote employees, the onboarding process is a little different, but establishing a good first impression will enhance employee engagement and happiness right away. It’s critical to start planning ahead of time so your new hires aren’t left twiddling their thumbs! If you’re recruiting overseas workers, Remote can provide an employer of record service that includes updating your payroll, dealing with tax issues, and handling other legal requirements related to international employment, leaving you to focus on other things. Alongside these practical considerations, don’t forget to be present and welcoming to your new remote employees, especially in the first few weeks.

Subsidize Equipment to Make Remote Working Less Expensive for Your Employees

If you are taking on someone new or you are allowing someone on your team to work from home for the first time, they might not necessarily have all the equipment they need to be able to work from home successfully. Buying electronics like a computer or printer or even just investing in some good-quality office furniture can all be very expensive. Moreover, it is a cost that many might not be able to meet on their own.

You might wish to think about subsidizing your employees’ equipment purchases for working remotely in some way. Do you want to keep tech uniform across your employees? Then you might even want to buy electronics for them to use at home yourself. However, this can obviously be quite costly. Choosing to give them a partial reimbursement for the goods they have bought is a fantastic move. But make sure your business can afford to do so.

RELATED ARTICLE: TEAM-BUILDING IDEAS FOR REMOTE WORKERS

Standardize Software for Employees Who Are Working Remotely

You need to make sure that all your employees are using the same software across their electronics whether they’re working remotely or in the office. If they are using their own equipment, they might all be using different brands. Therefore, some pieces of software might not work as well on some computers as they would on others.

As a result, it might be better for you to look into the possibility of providing software keys. This way, everyone will be using the same program no matter what. It could be something crucial to the operation of the business, such as MTD software. Or it could be something more general like an office suite. Even though they are working remotely, ensure that all your employees can do their job to the fullest.

Relax the Working Day for All Employees

Not everyone can do a strict nine-to-five workday when they are working remotely. It might be worth having a conversation with your employees to discuss how their working day should go when they are at home. They might appreciate it being slightly different from the norm.

For example, with a lack of commute in place, many prefer to start their working day earlier. This in turn would also mean that they finish a little earlier, too. A working day that runs from 7 AM to 3 PM might be far more compatible with their lives at home. Likewise, they might want to take a slightly longer lunch break and work into the evenings instead. Let them find the rhythm that works best for them. Then you will notice that their working day becomes far more productive overall.

Hit the Right Balance and Make Remote Working Successful

It can represent a lot of trust on the part of a business owner to allow their employees to begin to work from home. You need to make sure that they have all the tools they need to be able to do so successfully, no matter what. Take the time to let them find out what works for them. Soon your workforce will be able to complete their tasks at home as quickly and efficiently as they do in your office.