There is no doubt that running a company remotely has its benefits, from saving money on office space and overheads to allowing employees more freedom and control over their day. But, there are some caveats to having a work-from-home company. You have to make sure that your staff is being productive.
We all know how tempting it can be to make unlimited cups of coffee and potter around the house during the working day. There are some days when you feel you cannot concentrate. However, if you have a remote business, this is not something that can become a habit. This is particularly true when you have an important project coming up. So, here are some ways you can boost productivity with a work-from-home team.
Schedule Video Calls
Of course, everyone that works from home is going to be acquainted with video calls. They have become the norm for many and they are a good way to keep in contact during the work day. But, if you have a project coming up, you have to be organised and make sure that everyone is on the right page to boost productivity.
That is why you need to schedule video calls ahead of time. This way, the team knows when they are going to be discussing the project. It is best to have video rather than audio calls on this occasion. It creates more accountability and you can see that everyone is paying attention.
Use Meeting Rooms
Just because the team works remotely most of the time, this does not mean that you can never call an in-person meeting. In fact, this can be a great way to work together on a project and make sure that you achieve your goals. It can be a nice change from regular meetings over the internet.
So, you can book a meeting room so that the team can get together and talk about the project face-to-face. People can literally bring their ideas to the table. If you have a business in London, click here to book a meeting room. It is easy and affordable to do this with W1 Virtual Office and you can arrange a room ahead of time so that you can inform your team. This way, they have time to prepare and make the most of this time.
Try a Management Platform
Have you ever used a management platform before for working on projects? This can be a great way for a team to collaborate and know what they are doing. This is going to be a platform that all of the team can use. You can use different areas of the platform for the project, grouping the team together. They can see what everyone is working on and contribute their ideas and workload.
The idea of a management platform is to see in real-time what everyone is doing. Nobody should be kept in the dark and it allows work on the project to move forward. There should be no miscommunication about who is doing what. What’s more, there can be live chat functions that allow you to get quick answers and see who is online to contact. Most management platforms you will have to pay for. But, this can be a small price if you want to achieve productivity and ensure that a big and important project goes to plan.
Arrange a Team Bonding Event
If there is a big project coming up and a lot of new staff members are working together, it might be beneficial for them to get to know each other first. This way, they are going to be able to collaborate and be comfortable working on the project. So, how can you do this? Well, you can arrange a team bonding event. A lot of companies have been scrapping them in a bid to save money. But, they can be highly beneficial for your team and their productivity.
Therefore, choose something fun for a team bonding event. You can even ask your staff what they would like to get involved in as this is going to lead to maximum participation. This can be arranged before the work on a project begins. It can get things off to a good start and create a sense of togetherness with the team. Then, they can get to work motivated on the project and enjoy working with those other employees closely. Just because people work remotely does not mean that they cannot benefit from this.