Remote & Hybrid Workplace Archives

The Effects of Remote Work on Fair Labor Laws

Worldwide demand for remote employment has increased since the COVID outbreak. In a survey, 74% of respondents said working from home improved their mental health. Additionally, 84% of respondents indicated they would be happy working remotely, with many willing to forgo a wage increase if necessary.

However, managing remote work creates issues for businesses, particularly when complying with labor laws. Many companies are adjusting to the changes and adaptations to employment legislation brought about by the significant shift toward remote labor. However, battling the effects of remote work on labor laws will take time and expertise.

Thus, to keep your company on solid legal ground and continue giving your employees a pleasant workplace, it is crucial to be aware of and comply with fair labor standards.

The Indian Labor Law on Work Environment

The employer’s duty to provide for your employees’ security is outlined in labor laws, often known as employment law. According to a Forbes report, by 2023, 12.7% of full-time workers will perform their duties from home, while 28.2% will use a hybrid work structure. The laws serve as a framework to protect employees, whether they work remotely, in an actual office setting, or as contract employees.

A few of these laws’ goals are:

Equality in terms of opportunities and remuneration
Diversity in the workplace
Safety & welfare of employees
Physical and mental health

For workers, the Ministry of Labor & Employment maintains the same employment standards as office workers. The laws include minimum wage laws, compensation benefits for working hours and overtime, company expenditures, privacy, anti-discrimination, and equal pay, leave, and labor law notifications.

The Ministry of Labor & Employment provides worker protection from unfair employment practices.
According to Ministry of Labor & Employment regulations, employees must be paid overtime and considered on the clock to be eligible for overtime pay.
Regarding the Ministry of Labor & Employment, employees are classified as exempt or nonexempt.
Ministry of Labor & Employment also guarantees minimum wages to workers of organized & unorganized sectors.
Employees in the organized, unorganized, and self-employed sectors are eligible for the pension plan (EPFO).

Also Read: Gender Equality Challenges in Leadership and How to Overcome Them

Effects of Remote Work on Fair Labor Laws

Defining the fundamentals of remote work in a contract between the employer and employee is an important duty of employers. Some effects of remote work are as follows:

Inadequate Supervision

Managers cannot viably check their employees’ daily work status or professional development in a remote working environment. Furthermore, since team contact would be less regular, managers can’t attend to and track an employee’s issues or grievances efficiently.

To tackle this, supervisors must frequently speak with their remote workers on the phone or via video conferencing. They can track employees’ development daily and manage it in real-time.

Miscalculated Overtime

Remote workers may sometimes not be fairly compensated for overtime work, as tracking overtime hours becomes difficult when the employee is out of sight. It violates the fair labor regulations that prevent people from working too much without a fair wage.

Pay Inequity

Remote work is not accessible to everyone due to restricted technological advancements. So, some workers may still have to work in the office. This results in pay discrepancies as remote workers save money on traveling, renting, and food, whereas in-office workers have to spend their income on travel, food, etc.

Thus, it is necessary to provide equitable wages to workers regardless of age, gender, religion, or location. In this regard, HR managers need to work towards pay equity to avoid future employee disputes.

Errors in Tracking Productivity

When everyone on your team works in the same office, monitoring their productivity is easy. You can just get up and approach any team member to acquire updates on jobs and projects. The challenge of leading a remote team, however, is completely different.

How can you monitor the output of your remote team members without interfering with their privacy or micromanaging them? How can you stop remote workers from overworking themselves and getting burned out?

These are some of the questions you must respond to to track your remote staff’s productivity correctly. Managers must implement flexible, updated systems to monitor employees’ productivity. This may involve establishing metrics for how much work should be finished daily.

Moreover, the KPIs (key performance indicators) you use for assessing in-office workers’ productivity should likewise be applied to remote workers. This ensures clear and uniform expectations from both in-office and remote workers regardless of how and where your team works.

Compliance with Labor Laws

Labor laws outline essential worker-related rules regarding employee perks, dismissal, minimum wages, overtime, etc. To avoid legal problems, employers must ensure their remote work rules and practices comply with applicable labor laws. Non-compliance can force a company to pay fines and create a bad reputation for the company among job applicants and employees.

Effect on Employee Well-Being

Remote workers face unique challenges in maintaining work-life balance and ensuring well-being. Employers can establish policies to address these difficulties, including rest breaks, a limit on the number of hours employees can work, and short paths for reporting grievances or problems with remote work.

Moreover, regular check-ins and contact could keep remote workers from feeling lonely and foster a productive work atmosphere.

Benefits of Remote Working

The ability to work remotely has many special advantages, like the following:

Cost Efficiency for Employers

One of the biggest benefits of remote work for business managers is its affordability. Businesses can save significant money by allowing employees to work from home because renting or maintaining office space, furniture, or electronics is unnecessary.

Moreover, remote work does not require the company to use laptops, air conditioners, fans, lights, and printers all day. It helps save money on electricity bills and benefits the environment.

Reduces Employees’ Expenses and Time

The commuting time can be reduced or eliminated with remote work, saving employees money on petrol and auto maintenance. Additionally, you can save money on meals away from home, dry cleaning, and work attire.

Moreover, remote work saves considerable time it takes to get ready to reach the office. Since you no longer have to spend time traveling to and from work, you may find it easier to balance work and life.

Also Read: Social Flow of Work: Enhance Digital Real-Time Collaboration with Engagedly

Enhances Productivity

Work from home increases productivity since there are fewer distractions, less office politics, and more options for personalizing their workspace. You must still participate in meetings, conferences, and company-wide events virtually. However, you can resume working immediately instead of wasting time mingling or going out with colleagues for tea.

Prioritizes Employees’ Health

Putting your health first while working remotely is an additional perk. For many reasons, working from home can lower your stress levels. You no longer have to worry about being late or hurrying to work on time. Eliminating the daily travel to and from the office can save time, lower stress levels, and improve employee well-being.

You can also follow a healthy eating schedule at home, which is impossible with office treats and peer pressure. This flexibility can assist you in prioritizing your health so you can keep up your productive work and maintain a healthy balance between work and life.

Summing Up

Policies governing remote work could have significant effects of remote work on labor laws. Compliance with these policies may seem difficult due to the recent rapid rise in work-from-home arrangements. While there are numerous benefits to working remotely, there are also legal considerations that both companies and employees must make. By being informed of and abiding by employment regulations, remote workers can ensure their rights are preserved, and employers can continue to operate in obedience to applicable laws.

Engagedly provides thorough assistance with the execution of new legal laws around remote work. Numerous tools are available on the Engagedly platform to help you carry out your workforce automation strategy. We also help you simplify your HR tasks! Visit our website today!

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What are the Ministry of Labor & Employment’s four principal elements?

Ans. The Ministry of Labor & Employment’s four primary elements are as follows:

Right to minimum wages for everyone (2019)
Social Security for everyone (2020)
Right of security to workers in all situations (2020)
Industrial Relations Code (2020)

Q2. What advantages do remote jobs offer?

Ans. Employees who work remotely have more flexibility regarding where and when they work. They can balance work and personal obligations better. Employees are frequently more productive when working remotely since there are fewer distractions than in traditional offices.

Q3. What is remote work monitoring?

Ans. For the company’s betterment, employers can remotely monitor the activity and productivity of remote employees. It can assist managers in quickly gaining insight into the accomplishments and deliverables of teams.

Subscribe To The Engagedly Newsletter

12 Best Tools for Hybrid Businesses in 2024

You’ve spent the last few years running a hybrid business, but you can’t seem to be as productive as you want. It may help to look into some tools for hybrid businesses, like a virtual phone system.

Read on to learn about some essential tools that hybrid teams need to use. Then, you can choose the programs that work for your business.

Google Drive

Google Drive is an excellent tool for hybrid businesses to store and share files. You can upload documents to the cloud and grant access to specific employees or anyone with the link. Plus, you can create files in Google Drive with Docs, Sheets, and Slides.

The tool is free to use, and it also comes with a Google Workspace subscription. It’s available in a browser on your computer. However, you can also download the mobile apps for Drive and related products to access files on the go.

If you deal with a lot of documents, Google Drive is great because it works on all devices. You won’t have to pay for separate software or worry about whether employees have a compatible operating system.

Gmail

Along with Google Drive, Gmail is a part of Google Workspace, but you can also use it separately. This email client comes with a lot of great features, such as auto-suggestions to help you write emails more quickly to communicate with your team.

It will also remind you to respond to emails or follow up after a few days. You can even connect to Google Calendar and other services. Like Google Drive, there’s a mobile app for Gmail, or you can use your phone’s native email client.

Also Read: How to Manage Grapevine Communication in an Organization

Google Voice

If you want to give your employees work phone numbers, consider using Google Voice. You can also use the tool to get a number for a virtual phone system. The program gives you a number for free that you can use on your device when working from home.

It’s a great choice if you need to give out phone numbers to clients. Have your employees sign up for a Google Voice number. Then, they can use that number to call clients, and you can use it for team communication.

You won’t have to pay for a smartphone for everyone. However, you can still separate your personal and work messages.

Slack

Another one of the best tools for a hybrid business is Slack. It’s a great place to post company announcements or other quick messages. What’s more, there’s a free tier, which is nice if you have a small budget.

You can set up channels for all of your employees to access. However, you can also set up private channels that are only available to certain people, like managers.

The tool even lets you create private messages or small group threads. Then, you can easily communicate with individuals on your team. Slack is perfect if you have a quick question or something and don’t want to send an email and wait for a response.

Trello

Many hybrid teams collaborate on some projects, and that can be difficult if you’re not all in the same office. Fortunately, Trello and other project management tools solve that problem. You can create boards for different departments or projects.

Under each board, add lists and cards for projects or individual steps. Add employees to the boards for their team or department. Then, you can tag employees in comments on specific cards, and you can assign cards to people.

You’ll even be able to link to Google Drive files or other attachments. That way, people will have everything they need to get to work.

Also Read: 7 HR Tasks That Could (And Should) Have Been Automated Yesterday

Loom

Some tasks can be difficult to explain in a text-based document. If you need to provide a tutorial on your company’s software, for example, you can record a video in Loom. Then, you can store that recording and send it to anyone who needs it.

You won’t have to offer live training every time you hire someone new. That can save you a lot of time. Plus, your employees can refer back to the video whenever they have questions, and they can email you if they’re still stuck.

Loom is easy to use, and there’s a free version with basic features. However, you can pay if you find yourself using the tool often.

Toggl

Toggl is a business tool that you can use to track employee work hours. Employees and contractors can use it to monitor how much they’re working. Then, you can use their hours to determine how much to pay everyone.

The tool also lets you plan team projects and manage your hiring process. That makes it an excellent tool to replace other tools.

You can use it for free with a small team. Otherwise, you’ll need to pay, but the tiers are relatively affordable for all of the amazing features.

Calendly

When you have a hybrid team, it can be hard to contact people to schedule individual meetings. Luckily, Calendly lets you add your availability to a schedule. You can send your special link to people, and they can choose a time slot that works for them.

Then, the program will confirm the appointment for both parties. It will even connect to video meeting platforms, such as Zoom. You won’t have to send a Zoom link to each person who books a meeting with you.

This can help you save a lot of time. It also eliminates the back-and-forth in emails asking when the other person is available to meet.

Also Read: Why Frequently Recognizing Employee Contributions Is Essential

Doodle

When it comes to scheduling group meetings, consider using Doodle. The tool allows you to create polls and send the link to everyone in your department. Then, everyone can select the days and times that work for them.

Use that data to choose a meeting time that works for as many people as possible. The tool is free, and you can create as many polls as you want.

If you want to minimize the number of business tools, you can use them for individual meetings. It also integrates with video conferencing software to help you hold the meeting.

Zoom

If you need to meet with remote employees and in-office workers, use a tool like Zoom. You can host hundreds of meeting participants depending on the tier you select. Everyone can log in on their computer.

You can share your screen if you need to, or you can talk as normal. Users can mute themselves when they aren’t speaking, and they can turn their cameras off as well.

There’s also a chat feature if people have questions. You can record your meetings and send them to people after the fact. Finally, you can even offer closed captioning to make the events more accessible.

Google Meet

Google Meet is a good alternative to Zoom, especially if you use other Google products. You and your team can log into the meeting using your respective Google accounts. Unlike Zoom, you don’t need to download any software to your computer.

However, you can download the Google Meet app to your phone. This makes it easy to take video calls from anywhere.

The tool is free to use, but you can upgrade for more features, such as longer group calls. Premium members can also record Google Meet calls.

Canva

Another one of the best tools for hybrid businesses is Canva. Like Google Drive, it works in your browser and as a mobile app. However, Canva lets you create more visually appealing documents.

That makes it the perfect tool for graphic design teams and marketing teams. You can use Canva for free or pay for extra features. Either way, you can share your projects with others in your department to collaborate on your designs or get approval from management.

Once a design is approved, you can download it and publish it where you need to. Canva even connects directly to apps like Instagram, so you can share social posts easily.

Also Read: What Is an Employee Net Promoter Score (NPS) and Why Does It Matter?

Which Business Tools Will You Use?

From a virtual phone system to collaboration tools, there are so many options. If you have a hybrid business, you should consider tools for you and your team to use.

Think about the type of work you do and how you like to communicate with your employees or contractors. Don’t forget to review your budget because some tools are free, while others cost money. Then, you can look into the best apps and programs that meet your needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What are software for SaaS companies?

Ans. Software commonly used by SaaS companies includes:

CRM software for customer management.
Subscription management software for billing and payments.
Analytics and business intelligence tools for data analysis.
Collaboration and project management software.
Help desk and customer support software.
Marketing automation software.
Customer onboarding and engagement tools.
Data security and compliance software.
Infrastructure and hosting services.
Integration and API management tools.

These tools help SaaS companies run their operations efficiently and deliver their software services to customers.

Q2. What are SaaS collaboration tools?

Ans. SaaS collaboration tools are cloud-based applications that facilitate team communication and project management. They include project management software and team communication tool.

Get In Touch With Us

5 Lessons from Remote and Hybrid Work That Last

Hybrid work mode combines the best of office and remote. Employees get to work from home on some days and meet with the team in person when needed. But as the shift to hybrid mode became a challenge for many companies, managers believed in some misconceptions that impede effective work.

In this article, we gathered 5 lessons from remote and hybrid work.

More and more companies are using hybrid and remote work modes:

Microsoft’s 2022 study outlines seven key trends for managers to consider as they transition to a hybrid workplace. Most importantly, it predicts that the hybrid work scenario will continue while the number of traditional jobs will shrink significantly.

According to the Work Trend Index 2022 analysis report, the number of companies using a hybrid format has increased to 38%, and 53% of employees will consider switching to hybrid work in the next year.

For example, Apple, unlike other IT giants that were slow to return staff to their offices, has announced its intention to move to a three-day policy on June 2021. Although coronavirus outbreaks kept preventing the company from implementing these plans, the corporation set a deadline of 5th September 2022. After it, employees will have to be in the office at least three days a week: Tuesdays, Thursdays, and any third day of the team’s choice.

Also read: 4 Leadership Skills to Improve in a Hybrid Work Environment

Five lessons from remote and hybrid work:

Working remotely in IT is no longer exotic, but the COVID-19 pandemic has further encouraged businesses to move to remote collaboration. Employees and executives appreciated the benefits of remote and hybrid formats and wanted to keep it up even after the recession. Below are 5 lessons from remote and hybrid work.

Employees are not less engaged at work

Some managers thought that since they didn’t see employees sitting quietly at their laptops in front of them, they were not really working. But it’s important to remember that you hire people to work, not to watch them work. That requires a change in mindset.

Gartner’s study showed that productivity increases when employees can choose where, when, and how much they work. In intellectual work, the most engaged and efficient are those who work entirely remotely. To measure productivity, researchers advise keeping in touch with employees.

It is possible to create a strong corporate culture

To maintain a corporate culture remotely, managers must be clear about the company’s mission and how the internal culture will support it.

For example, you can do team-building activities by calling employees via video call. This can be just a conversation about how everyone is doing and what’s new, or you can invite speakers to lecture on different topics not necessarily related to work.

Gartner’s study shows that about a third of new remote or hybrid employees believe that company culture has changed since the pandemic began. Most of them reported that the change has been for the better.

Meanwhile, those who reported an improved company culture with the move to remote were 2.4 times more likely to report higher engagement. They were also 2.7 times more likely to report that they had become more engaged.

Studocu is an EdTEch startup with strong corporate culture and hybrid work. Since COVID-19, they have had a hybrid approach to work where they aim to see everybody at least twice a week in their office, but people are free to work from home if they find it more productive. As a result, now they help 25+ million students in 60+ countries and are a key player in the exploding EdTech space.

Also read: How to Build and Sustain Company Culture in a Hybrid Work Environment?

Teamwork doesn’t disappear

If teams stay in touch and communicate regularly, there’s no need to worry about collaboration. New teams are better off interacting in person at the beginning of the collaboration. Then people can move to remote. If that’s not possible, it is better to spend extra time discussing roles and goals before moving directly to projects.

According to the Gartner survey, employees who combine office and remote work demonstrate higher psychological safety, flexibility, team equity, and purposefulness levels than office workers. Psychological safety is a company environment that allows people to act without fear of negative consequences related to self-esteem, status, or career.

No need to use previous work practices

The best work practices we used before the pandemic may no longer fit the new norms. Managers need to continually evaluate and revise strategies to ensure they remain relevant. What worked in the past may no longer be effective.

According to a Gartner study, forcing employees back into the office can lead to the departure of a significant portion of employees. This is especially dangerous for diversity, equity, and inclusion metrics, as underrepresented groups prefer remote working for many reasons.

Companies need to remove barriers that can prevent employees from being productive. This requires leaders to change their thinking and help employees adapt to the new work environment. Then companies can benefit from employees working where they feel most comfortable and productive at any given time.

Nothing will be the same as before

Organizational leaders can try to get employees to return to the office, but they risk losing a significant portion of their staff. Most people who have worked remotely have no way back into the world without flexible schedules. By the way, hybrid work is considered a powerful growth hacking method that can significantly affect a business’ development speed.

The mass return of IT companies to offices, planned for the fall of 2021, was delayed until January. One reason was mass protests and employee layoffs.

Employers must continually evaluate and revise their strategies to ensure that they are still relevant. Companies can benefit greatly from having employees work where they feel comfortable and productive.

Also read: 10 HR Technology Trends In 2023: Expanding AI, Digitization, and Elevating Hybrid Workplaces

Conclusion:

Revise your performance management practices to make them more results-oriented. This approach encourages hybrid employees to use their days in the office to include meetings with mentors, supervisors, and team-building activities within the team. Also, for employees who are not in the office constantly, applying the electronic signature service would be a way out, solving the inconvenient and time-consuming manual signing process. Allow more managers to work remotely, so they don’t create centers of gravity for employees around themselves and eliminate favoritism in the field.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is remote and hybrid work?

Ans. Remote work refers to working from a location outside of a traditional office setting, often from home or another remote location. This type of work often relies heavily on technology and communication tools to stay connected with colleagues and complete tasks.

Hybrid work, on the other hand, combines both remote work and in-person work. It allows employees to split their time between working from home and working from an office or other physical location. This arrangement can offer more flexibility and balance for employees, while also allowing companies to maintain some level of face-to-face interaction and collaboration.

Q2. Why choose remote and hybrid work?

Ans. Remote and hybrid work can offer many benefits for both employees and employers. Here are some reasons why someone might choose remote or hybrid work:

Flexibility: Remote and hybrid work can offer more flexibility in terms of when and where work is done, allowing employees to better balance their work and personal life.
Reduced commuting time: With remote work, employees can save time and money on commuting, which can improve their overall quality of life.
Increased productivity: Some studies have shown that remote workers can be more productive than those in traditional office settings, as they may have fewer distractions and interruptions.
Access to a wider talent pool: With remote work, companies can hire employees from anywhere in the world, opening up a wider talent pool and potentially reducing hiring costs.
Cost savings: Remote and hybrid work can help companies save on overhead costs such as rent and utilities, while also reducing the need for expensive office equipment.
Health and safety: Remote and hybrid work can offer increased safety and reduce the risk of exposure to illnesses or contagious diseases, such as COVID-19.

Overall, remote and hybrid work can offer many benefits for both employees and employers, including increased flexibility, productivity, and cost savings.

Author: Rebecca Willis

Rebecca Willis is a talented writer, editor, and active guest contributor. She is passionate about the latest trends and always looking for new challenges as a content creator. You can reach her at guestpostingninja@gmail.com

Get In Touch With Us

Tips on Communicating better in a Hybrid Work Environment

We’ve all been victims of poor workplace communication. Imagine you’re at work, trying to get your job done, and you realize that someone on your team is just not following instructions. Or maybe it’s not even a coworker who needs help: perhaps it’s you!

Clear workplace communication is crucial to success in hybrid work environments—where distance and time zones can make communication difficult. Here are some tips for getting better at communicating in these situations:

Set clear expectations

The first step to communicating better in a hybrid work environment is setting clear expectations. It would be best if you were clear about what you expect from your team, what you expect from yourself, and what others expect from you.

You can’t do this alone; it requires collaboration and coordination among all parties involved. From entry-level and supervisorial positions to management and C-level posts, smooth, open communication is vital to business success.

But to improve workplace communication, everything should start with setting clear expectations for everyone. Upon establishing this vital step, you can address all other aspects.

If you don’t set clear expectations for everyone, then there will be a lot of confusion about what needs to be done, by whom, and when it needs to happen. It also helps your team members understand their roles within the company’s overall mission and how they fit into this picture.

Also Read: How to Improve Internal Communication in the Workplace

Find the right tools for workplace communication

With around 42% of American workers in a hybrid arrangement, you must find the right tools for communication. Choose a tool that is user-friendly and usable from any device and location.

Using a secure and encrypted tool is also essential to keeping your sensitive data safe. You can use tools like Slack and HipChat to communicate. These tools are easy to use and allow your team members to stay in touch with each other even when they’re not physically together.

It would help if you also considered using a video conferencing tool like Skype or Google Hangouts, which can help you stay connected with your team members even when they are not in the same location.

Use video to bridge the distance

Use video to bridge the distance. With video, you can communicate with people in ways that are more effective than text and less formal than phone calls. Video is personal, so it works well for communicating with shy or introverted people. This setup is excellent for managing remote teams, especially if you have dispersed employees who may want to avoid picking up the phone.

You can also use video as a training tool. You can record yourself or screen record explaining how something works, then send it out via email or share it on Slack, so everyone has access when they need it later on down the line.

Also Read: 10 HR Technology Trends In 2023: Expanding AI, Digitization, and Elevating Hybrid Workplaces

Build a sense of community

Building a sense of community is essential if you work in a hybrid environment. A strong sense of community helps employees develop relationships with each other and enhances their job satisfaction.

The first step toward building a solid company culture is to define what it means to be part of your organization—what makes you unique? Then, use this information to create shared values and goals that will bring people together around common interests (e.g., customer service, eliminate bias in a hybrid workplace).

Upon establishing these elements, it’s time to build face-to-face relationships! We’ve seen companies do this through team bonding activities such as camping trips or bowling nights. You can also host potlucks where employees can bring their families for fun evening activities. These types of events help create stronger bonds between teams.

Schedule regular check-ins with your team

In a hybrid work environment, it’s crucial to keep everyone on the same page. This need can be tricky because there are no physical walls or cubicles to hide behind, so you must ensure that your team knows what’s happening at all times.

Check-ins are an easy way of doing this. They can be informal (like saying “what’s up?” over Slack) or scheduled (like weekly meetings). You should aim for short and sweet check-ins that don’t take up too much time—they should only last five minutes or so.

However, they should be frequent enough that everyone feels in touch with what’s happening across departments and teams within the company and externally.

Have a plan for getting help when you need it

In a hybrid work environment, many things could go wrong. Your computer could crash, your car may break down, and you might even get sick. When these things happen, it’s essential to have a plan to get help when needed.

You must have a solid plan for getting help when needed to ensure all of your team members know the plan and how they can get involved with helping out if necessary. In this way, everyone knows their role when one person can’t do his or her part of the job because something unexpected happened!

Suppose your marketing team uses CRM platforms and communication tools in their work but separately. In a hybrid setup, it is best to have an integrated CRM communication platform to allow for a more seamless and consistent experience for your customers and team members. Choose only the best small business CRM software to achieve this robust integration.

Also Read: How to Build and Sustain Company Culture in a Hybrid Work Environment?

Talk about texts and emails

You’re going to want to talk about texts and emails. When you do, be respectful as they aren’t a substitute for in-person conversations.

Texts and emails are great tools for communicating quickly and efficiently—but sometimes they can come off as rude or unprofessional if you’re not careful. When discussing texts or emails, ensure that everyone feels they’ve been heard before moving on from an issue.

Invite communities to talk about their experiences

Communities are a great way to get feedback, and you can use them to help build trust and share knowledge. They’re also great for getting inputs on how to improve communication. Communities are a great way to get feedback on what works and doesn’t.

Communities are also an excellent way for you, as an employee or manager in the hybrid environment, to learn from people who have similar experiences working remotely or telecommuting at their jobs.

Get everyone on the same page

When working in a hybrid environment, losing sight of what’s happening outside your bubble can be easy. Your team may have goals that don’t align with those of other groups and departments—and that’s okay! The important thing is ensuring everyone knows individual goals (and how they relate).

As you’re defining your goals, don’t worry about whether or not other people want to achieve the same things as you. For instance, you can initiate ways to support wellness activities with your teams. You can start such a program in your on-premise gym, which can continue even when your employees are in remote work mode.

So be it if they do not share your interests or passions! Keep moving forward with the work at hand until someone else shares your interests and passions.

Also Read: 4 Leadership Skills to Improve in a Hybrid Work Environment

Takeaway: Communicating well is vital to successful hybrid work

Communicating well is critical to successful hybrid work. With clear expectations, a solid plan, the right tools, etc., you and your team can collaborate effectively and keep your work moving forward.

Also, you must be willing to try new things. When you’re working in a hybrid environment, there will always be new challenges that you have not encountered before. If you need help, ask for it! You don’t have to do everything yourself. And if you do, then what’s the point of having a team?

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is Hybrid Work?

Ans. Hybrid work refers to a work arrangement that allows employees to split their time between working remotely and working from a physical office or other workplace location. This model combines the flexibility of remote work with the benefits of in-person collaboration and communication, providing a more balanced and personalized approach to work that can benefit both employees and organizations.

Q2. Why improve workplace communication?

Ans. Improving workplace communication is essential for several reasons. Effective communication helps build trust and strong relationships among colleagues, leading to better collaboration and teamwork. It also promotes a positive work environment and reduces misunderstandings, conflicts, and errors. Good communication can boost productivity, engagement, and job satisfaction, as employees feel heard and valued. Additionally, it can help organizations achieve their goals, improve customer service, and stay competitive in the market.

Q3. How to improve workplace communication?

Ans. Improving workplace communication can be achieved by following these steps:

Encourage open communication: Create a culture where employees feel comfortable expressing their ideas, concerns, and feedback.
Use different communication channels: Utilize different channels, such as email, chat, phone, and face-to-face meetings, to ensure that information is communicated effectively.
Listen actively: Practice active listening to understand others’ perspectives and respond appropriately.
Provide regular feedback: Give feedback to employees regularly to help them improve their performance and feel valued.
Clarify expectations: Clearly define goals, expectations, and roles to avoid confusion and misunderstandings.
Simplify the message: Use clear and concise language to avoid confusion or misinterpretation.
Lead by example: Encourage leaders to model good communication practices and hold themselves and others accountable.

By following these steps, organizations can create a culture of effective communication that promotes collaboration, productivity, and success.

Get In Touch With Us

Best Welcome Kits for New Remote Workers

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift towards remote work, and more companies are adopting it as a long-term strategy. While remote work has many benefits, such as increased productivity, reduced costs, and improved work-life balance, it also poses unique challenges, especially for new employees who are starting their roles remotely.

In a traditional office setting, new employees receive a warm welcome and are introduced to their colleagues and workplace culture. However, remote workers miss out on this experience, which can lead to feelings of isolation and disconnection. This is where welcome kits come in. Welcome kits are a great way to show new remote workers that they are valued, appreciated, and part of the team.

Why Companies Should Have Welcome Kits

One of the primary benefits of a welcome kit is that it creates a positive first impression. The first few days of a new job can be overwhelming and stressful for new employees. A well-designed welcome kit can help to ease the transition and make new employees feel more comfortable and welcome. It sets a positive tone for their experience with the company and can improve employee morale and motivation.

Another benefit of welcome kits is that they can help to foster a sense of belonging. In a remote work setting, it’s important to create opportunities for new employees to connect with their colleagues and the company culture. A welcome kit can include items that reflect the company culture and values, such as branded apparel or a company mission statement.

Welcome kits can also be an effective tool for improving employee retention. Research shows that employees who have a positive onboarding experience are more likely to stay with the company long-term. By investing in a welcome kit for new remote workers, companies can help to create a positive onboarding experience that can lead to improved retention rates and reduced turnover.

Finally, a welcome kit can help to improve productivity and performance. By including practical items such as tech accessories or stationery items, companies can help new remote workers set up their workspaces and be more productive from day one. This can help to reduce the learning curve and enable new employees to hit the ground running.

Also read: How to Develop and Sustain Employee Engagement in Remote Workplace

Tips on How to Create Welcome Kits

When creating a welcome kit for new remote workers, there are several tips to keep in mind to ensure that it’s effective and well-received. Here are some tips to consider:

1. Personalize the Welcome Kit

A personalized welcome kit can make new remote workers feel valued and appreciated. To do this, consider asking the employee to fill out a short survey or questionnaire before their start date to learn more about their interests and preferences. Use this information to tailor the welcome kit to their individual needs.

2. Reflect the Company Culture and Values

The welcome kit should reflect the company’s culture and values. This can be achieved by including branded items or items that align with the company’s mission or vision. This can help new remote workers feel connected to the company culture and values from the start.

3. Include Practical and Useful Items

The welcome kit should include items that are practical and useful for the remote worker’s day-to-day work. Consider including stationery items, tech accessories, or even a planner to help them stay organized and on top of their workload.

4. Consider the Employee’s Work Setup

When creating a welcome kit, consider the remote workers’ work setup. Do they have a designated home office, or are they working from their kitchen table? Consider including items that can improve their work setups, such as a comfortable chair cushion or noise-canceling headphones.

5. Make the Delivery Memorable

The delivery of the welcome kit can also be memorable and exciting for new remote workers. Consider sending the welcome kit in a branded box or packaging that reflects the company culture. You could also include a welcome video or virtual tour of the company to help new remote workers feel more connected.

Also read: 5 Employee Appreciation Ideas For Your Remote Team

Ideas What Can Be Included in a Welcome Kit

Now that we’ve discussed the benefits of welcome kits and tips on how to create them let’s take a look at some ideas for what can be included in a welcome kit for new remote workers.

1. Welcome Note

A personalized note from the employee’s manager or team leader is a great way to welcome them to the team and show that they are valued. The note can include a brief introduction, a welcome message, and some tips for getting started in their new role.

2. Snacks

Snacks are a great way to add a personal touch to a welcome kit. You can include a selection of healthy snacks or sweet treats, depending on the employee’s preferences. This is especially important for remote workers who may not have access to a kitchen or nearby shops.

3. T-Shirts and Hoodies

Branded t-shirts and custom hoodies are a popular inclusion in welcome kits. Not only do they help to foster a sense of belonging, but they also serve as a reminder of the company culture and values. Plus, they can be worn during video calls or team meetings to show off their company pride.

4. Water Bottles

A custom water bottle is a practical and eco-friendly addition to a welcome kit. It can be customized with the company logo or branding and is a great way to encourage remote workers to stay hydrated.

5. Books

Including a book related to the employee’s field or interests is a thoughtful addition to a welcome kit. It can help to show that the company is invested in the employee’s professional development and can provide some inspiration for their new role.

6. Stationery Items

Stationery items, such as pens, notebooks, and sticky notes, are practical items that can be used in a remote work setting. They can also be customized with the company logo or branding for an added touch of personalization.

7. Tech Accessories

Tech accessories, such as a phone stand, laptop sleeve, or wireless charger, are practical items that can be used in a remote work setting. They can also be customized with the company logo or branding for an added touch of personalization.

8. Other

Other items that can be included in a welcome kit include company swag, such as stickers, pins, or keychains, a gift card to a coffee shop or restaurant, or a personalized playlist or podcast recommendation.

Conclusion

A well-designed welcome kit can help to create a positive first impression, foster a sense of belonging, and improve employee retention, morale, and motivation. When creating a welcome kit, it’s important to personalize it to the individual employee’s interests and needs, reflect the company culture and values, and include practical and useful items.

By investing in welcome kits for new remote workers, companies can set a positive tone for the employee’s experience with the company and create a strong foundation. As the trend towards remote work continues to grow, welcome kits are becoming an essential tool for HR executives, leaders, and business owners to help new remote workers feel welcomed, supported, and connected from day one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is a welcome kit?

Ans.

A welcome kit for an employee is a collection of materials or items that are provided to a new employee on their first day or during their onboarding process. The purpose of the welcome kit is to help the new employee feel welcomed, informed, and prepared to start their new job.

The contents of a welcome kit for an employee may vary depending on the company or organization, but it typically includes items such as:

Welcome letter: This is a letter from the company’s CEO or HR department that welcomes the new employee to the company and provides an overview of the company’s mission, values, and culture.
Employee handbook: This is a document that outlines the company’s policies, procedures, and expectations for employees.
Company swag: This may include items such as a company-branded water bottle, t-shirt, or coffee mug.
Office supplies: This may include items such as a notebook, pen, or mousepad with the company’s logo.
IT resources: This may include instructions on how to access the company’s intranet, email, and other software systems.
Benefits information: This may include information about the company’s health insurance, retirement plans, and other employee benefits.

Overall, a welcome kit for an employee is designed to provide a warm welcome and to help the new employee feel prepared and informed about their new job and the company they are joining.

Q2. What is the benefit of an employee welcome kit?

Ans. An employee welcome kit provides several benefits for both the employee and employer. It can help improve retention, boost productivity, enhance engagement, reduce anxiety, and establish a positive employer brand. By offering clear information and resources, it helps set a positive tone for the employee’s employment experience and reinforces the company’s culture and values.

Q3. Why is employee welcome kit important?

Ans. An employee welcome kit is crucial for setting a positive tone for new hires. It shows the organization values their employees and helps the new employee feel appreciated and informed. By providing resources, tools, and information, the welcome kit can help the employee succeed in their role, reduce anxiety, and ensure a smooth onboarding process. Additionally, it can enhance the employer brand, attract top talent, and improve retention rates and productivity.

Author: Filip Nikoloski

Filip Nikoloski is a Partnership Specialist at Printify. Printify is a transparent print-on-demand and dropshipping platform designed to help online merchants make more money simply and easily.

Get In Touch With Us

Navigating Remote & Hybrid Work: A Guide for Employers

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work and hybrid work models have become more common. While these models have many benefits, they also come with unique challenges for employers.

For example, how can you manage a distributed workforce effectively? How can you build a high performance remote work culture that fosters collaboration and productivity? And what are the legal considerations when it comes to remote and hybrid work policies and compensation?

This guide will explore the ins and outs of remote and hybrid work for employers. We’ll look at the advantages and challenges of these models.

We’ll also provide practical tips and best practices for managing a distributed workforce, leveraging technology and tools, hiring and onboarding remote workers, and much more. Whether you’re new to remote and hybrid work or looking to optimize your current practices, this guide has everything you need to succeed in the new world of work.

Advantages and Challenges of Remote and Hybrid Work

Remote and hybrid work models have become increasingly popular in recent years, thanks in part to advancements in technology that make it easier to stay connected with team members from anywhere in the world. Some of the key advantages of these models include the following:

Greater flexibility: Remote and hybrid work allow employees to work from anywhere, anytime, making balancing work and personal commitments easier. This can lead to increased job satisfaction, better work-life balance, and higher employee retention rates.
Cost savings: Remote and hybrid work can reduce overhead costs associated with maintaining a physical office space. This can include savings on rent, utilities, and other expenses.
Access to a broader talent pool: With remote and hybrid work, employers can hire from anywhere in the world, giving them access to a larger pool of talent with diverse skill sets and backgrounds.
Increased productivity: Some studies have found that remote workers are more productive than those who work in a traditional office setting. This may be due to factors such as fewer distractions, greater autonomy, and the ability to work during their most productive hours.

While there are many advantages to remote and hybrid work, these models also come with unique challenges, including:

Communication and collaboration challenges: When team members work remotely or in different locations, communication and collaboration can be more challenging. Employers must find new ways to facilitate collaboration, such as through video conferencing, chat tools, and project management software.
Technology and security concerns: With remote and hybrid work, new technology and security considerations must be kept in mind. Employers must ensure that their employees have access to the tools and software to do their jobs effectively while also implementing security measures to protect sensitive data and systems.
Employee engagement and isolation: Remote and hybrid work can be isolating, which can lead to feelings of disengagement and burnout. Employers need to foster a sense of community and connection among team members through virtual team-building activities and regular check-ins.

Establishing Remote and Hybrid Work Policies

Now that you’ve decided to adopt a remote or hybrid work model, it’s essential to establish policies that support a successful distributed workforce. Clear and concise guidelines can help to prevent misunderstandings, ensure accountability, and keep employees engaged and productive. Here are some recommendations you may find helpful:

Communication and Collaboration Tools

Effective communication and collaboration are crucial to the success of a remote or hybrid work model. To ensure that your team can work together seamlessly, you’ll need to establish policies around the use of communication and collaboration tools. Here are some of the key considerations to keep in mind:

Which tools will your team use for video conferencing, instant messaging, and project management?
What are the expectations around response times and availability during working hours?
How will you ensure that all team members are up-to-date and informed about project progress?

Performance Management and Goal Setting

With a distributed workforce, it’s crucial to establish clear expectations around performance management and goal setting. This helps ensure that everyone is working towards the same objectives and allows you to identify areas for improvement. Some key considerations include the following:

How will you get feedback, measure and track performance for remote or hybrid employees?
What are the expectations around goal setting and progress reporting?
How will you ensure that all team members have the support they need to meet their objectives?

Compensation and Benefits

Compensation and benefits can be more complex in a remote or hybrid work environment. That said, it’s important to establish policies that are fair and equitable. Some key considerations you will want to look at include the following:

How will you determine compensation for remote or hybrid employees?
What benefits will you offer, and how will you ensure they are accessible to all team members?
How will you address issues related to taxes and employment regulations in different locations?

Equipment and Technology Requirements

To be successful in a remote or hybrid work environment, your team members will need access to the right equipment and technology. It’s important to establish policies around equipment and technology requirements to ensure that all team members have what they need to work effectively. Some key considerations include:

What equipment will your team members need, such as laptops or monitors?
What software or technology will be required for communication and collaboration?
How will you provide technical support to remote or hybrid employees?

Security Considerations

Remote and hybrid work arrangements can expose companies to increased security risks, and it is crucial to have proper security measures in place. Here are some security considerations to keep in mind when establishing remote and hybrid work policies:

Secure access to company systems and data using VPNs and multifactor authentication.
Implement strong password policies and educate employees on safe password practices.
Regularly update and patch software and use antivirus and antimalware solutions to protect against cyber threats.
Establish clear guidelines for handling sensitive data and ensure it is properly encrypted and stored.
Always browse secured websites equipped with an SSL certificate like single domain, multi-domain, and wildcard SSL certificate. There are many SSL certs available at the lowest price like cheap single domain or cheap wildcard SSL and many others, providing a layer of encryption and protection for online communication.

Hiring and Onboarding for Remote and Hybrid Work

Hiring employees working remotely or in a hybrid work environment requires a different approach than traditional hiring. It would be best if you looked for candidates with not just the necessary skills and experience but also the ability to work independently, manage their time effectively, and communicate well online. He are some recommendations to help you get started:

Adapt your Hiring Process

You need to adapt your hiring process to find the right remote or hybrid candidates. You can do this by:

Clearly define the role, expectations, and communication channels in job postings.
Using video interviews to evaluate candidates’ remote communication and collaboration skills.
Using assessments to assess candidates’ ability to work independently and manage their time effectively.

Create a Comprehensive Onboarding Program

Onboarding is a critical process for new remote or hybrid employees. It is essential to ensure that new hires feel welcome, get up to speed quickly, and have the tools and information they need to succeed. Here are some tips for developing a comprehensive onboarding program:

Prepare a detailed onboarding plan, including training materials, checklists, and timelines.
Assign a mentor or buddy to help new hires get familiar with the company culture and connect with their colleagues.
Provide access to necessary tools, software, and documentation, such as a virtual private network (VPN), project management software, and shared folders.

Make the Transition Easier for Employees

Transitioning to remote or hybrid work can be a challenging experience for employees, especially if they are used to working in a traditional office setting. Here are some ways to make the transition easier for your employees:

Communicate frequently and openly to address concerns, answer questions, and provide feedback.
Provide support and resources for employees to set up their home office and ensure access to a comfortable and ergonomically designed workspace.
Create opportunities for remote employees to connect and build relationships with their colleagues through virtual team-building activities and events.

Emphasize Company Culture

Company culture is a critical aspect of remote and hybrid work. It is essential to maintain a strong and positive company culture, even in a distributed work environment. Here are some ways to emphasize company culture:

Clearly define and communicate your company’s mission, values, and goals.
Encourage and facilitate virtual team-building activities to promote a sense of camaraderie and connection among remote and hybrid employees.
Celebrate successes and recognize achievements of remote and hybrid employees to reinforce a sense of belonging to the company.

Set Clear Expectations

Remote and hybrid work can blur the lines between work and personal life. Setting clear expectations around work hours, communication, and productivity is essential to avoid burnout and promote work-life balance. Here are some ways to set clear expectations:

Clearly define and communicate policies around work hours, availability, and communication channels.
Provide regular feedback and coaching to help remote and hybrid employees stay on track and meet performance expectations.
Encourage and model healthy work habits, such as taking breaks, getting enough sleep, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

Also Read: Engagedly Developing Culture in the Remote Workforce

Final Thoughts

Navigating remote and hybrid work requires a deliberate approach that accounts for the unique challenges and opportunities that come with this mode of work. Engagedly can help by providing a platform for seamless goal setting and tracking, continuous feedback, performance evaluations, and employee recognition and rewards.

Also, Engagedly’s learning and development features can support ongoing employee growth and development, which is especially important in remote and hybrid work environments. By implementing the right policies, technology infrastructure, and communication strategies with the help of Engagedly, employers can create a conducive environment that supports high productivity, collaboration, and employee engagement, regardless of location.

So, if you’re looking to effectively navigate remote and hybrid work, consider leveraging Engagedly’s performance management software platform. Start your journey to success today!

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is the difference between work from home and remote?

Ans. “Work from home” usually means an employee is working from their own home, while “remote” work can refer to working from any location outside of a traditional office, including coffee shops, co-working spaces, or other places. Remote work may also involve working for a company in a different location, with more flexibility in working hours and equipment use.

Q2. What is the difference between remote and in person work?

Ans. The main difference between remote and in-person work is the physical location where work is performed. In-person work typically takes place in a traditional office setting, where employees are expected to be present during specific hours and work closely with colleagues. Working remotely provides employees with the opportunity to work from various locations, such as their home or other places outside of the office. Remote workers have more flexibility with their schedule and often work independently, utilizing technology to communicate and collaborate with their team. This type of work can enhance work-life balance and eliminate the need for a daily commute, however, it also demands greater self-discipline and communication skills to remain productive and connected with colleagues.

Q3. What is an example of a remote employee?

Ans. An example of a remote employee would be a software developer who works from home for a company based in a different state or country. The developer communicates with their team and managers through email, messaging apps, and video calls. They have access to the necessary software and tools to do their job remotely, and are responsible for managing their own work schedule and productivity. Remote employees can work in a variety of industries and roles, including marketing, customer service, and project management, as long as their job can be performed outside of a traditional office setting.

Author: Grace Smith

Grace Smith is a content writer and social media specialist with six years of experience of working in start-ups, digital marketing and SEO. He can help you with your next business venture or social media campaign.

Get In Touch With Us

Tips on How To Manage Your Remote Workforce

Thanks to the pandemic, there have been real shifts in how and where we work. For many, the time has come to work remotely full-time. While there are lots of people who have been very happy with the shift to remote working, there are others who find it more challenging.

It’s a big shift in the way they work and as such, they’ll struggle. Here’s how you can help that team member adjust to this way of working.

Understand What’s Impacting Their Work

The first thing to do is to understand what is making work difficult for your team member. The overall reason will most likely be that they are struggling to adapt to working remotely, but you need to zero in on what’s making it hard for them.

For example, it could be that childcare has fallen through and they’re trying to take care of their kids while working. They may not have a suitable workspace in their home and so they have to work in an environment that isn’t conducive to being productive.

Also Read: How To Support Mental Health Of Your Remote Team

There could be all kinds of reasons why your team member is suddenly not performing to their best standard. If you can narrow down exactly what it is that they’re struggling with, you can then start to help them.

Don’t Feel As Though You Can’t Reach Out

Many managers hesitate to reach out and help their team members in cases like these. “They feel as though they’re overstepping, as it could be a personal issue,” says Caroline Peters, a business writer with UKWritings. “In fact, it could well be an issue that you can help with.”

Remember, at the end of the day, your team member needs to be able to do their job to the best of their ability. You’re there to help them do that, so make sure you reach out and ask if anything is impeding them from getting the job done.

Remember That Remote Work Unveils A Lot Of Issues

When people first started working remotely during the pandemic, they quickly found that a lot of their work processes were not really made for the world of remote work. The new setup showed that certain processes were slow, or didn’t really work as well as they should have.

This is important to consider when you’re working with a team member who apparently isn’t performing well. Is it that they’re finding it harder to use certain systems? After all, they can’t simply walk over to their colleague’s desk and ask for help.

If you find that it’s an issue with a process that’s occurring, then you can work with that team member to address it, and potentially make changes to make it better for remote working.

Separate Emotion From Fact

“When handling a team member who is underperforming, you may need to remove any emotion from the process,” says Andy Harrison, a tech blogger at Ox Essays. “Emotions can get heightened when working remotely, and that’s not going to help when you try to get to the root of the issue.”

For example, if another team member has come to you, asking you to help as a certain team member isn’t fulfilling their duties, they may be irritated and frustrated. You want to ensure that you hear that frustration, but then remove the emotion so you just have the facts of the case. That will help you deal with it more effectively.

Consider Your Own Role

While there can be all sorts of things affecting your team member’s performance, remember that you may also have a part to play in the issues they’re having. That’s not something that’s pleasant for you to consider, but it is important that you consider it. After all, that’s good management.

For example, think about whether you’ve been clear enough in your expectations when directing this team member. Have you given them all the tools they may need to do their job? Sometimes you may not even know what it is that’s missing from the equation. You can ask the team member if there’s something they need from you, so they can do their job effectively.

Also Read: 5 Employee Appreciation Ideas For Your Remote Team

Don’t Lower Expectations

If you feel a team member is struggling when working remotely, then you’ll be tempted to lower the bar for them so they can meet expectations. However, this isn’t going to help them or your business in the long run. It’s much better to find out what they’re struggling with first and then put measures in place to help them meet the bar that was already there.

The best place to do this is through video chat, as you’ll be able to read each others’ expressions. You can check in on the team member and ask them why they feel they’re struggling. It’s important you listen carefully to their answer, as that will help you put the right measures in place. For example, quick, in-person jobs may now have become a long string of emails or messages, making it harder to keep up. Now you know what’s wrong, you can start making changes.

Get The Team Member Involved

Since your team member has told you what’s causing issues with their remote work, it only makes sense that they help you solve it. When talking with them, ask them what they would change if they could. That shows that you trust them to be able to help improve the situation and help you find ways to put things right.

This will also give them the chance to ask for that help, without worrying about doing so. Often, they will be able to find just the right solution themselves, and get the work back up and running quickly.

If a team member isn’t performing as they should under remote work, you don’t need to panic. You can work with them to find the solution, and solve the issue quickly and easily.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is remote work?

Ans. Remote work is a working arrangement where employees need not go to the office and can work from any remote location.

Q2. What are the benefits of remote work?

Ans. Some of the benefits of remote work include:

Work/life balance
Cost saving
Freedom and flexibility
Health and happiness
Save time

Q3. What are the demerits of working from a remote location?

Ans. Some of the cons of working remotely include:

Lack of social interaction
Communciation gaps
Management challenges
More number of meetings
Distractions at workspace

Get In Touch With Us

This article is written by Jenny Han.

Jenny Han is a writer for Paper Writing Service. She covers the world of remote work.

How AI is Enabling Cloud-based SaaS Applications for Remote Work

The pandemic introduced remote work culture to all forms of businesses. Organizations that didn’t have the capability to go remote found it extremely hard to find a reliable solution.

Organizations migrating towards SaaS-based and cloud-based applications were obvious and ultimately the only solution.

A generous amount was spent to migrate and sustain. According to Gartner, the total amount spent on cloud-based SaaS applications will be $171,915 this year.

But integrating SaaS apps is not an easy task. It involves a lot of repetitive tasks and that can increase the cost. That is when AI comes in. It can help you avoid repetitive tasks and save time and resources for more important tasks.

In this article, we will discuss different aspects of how AI can help you enhance remote work capabilities.

AI Operations

As discussed above, more and more companies are preferring SaaS and cloud-based solutions. Due to this, the intake of enterprise content has increased. This sudden increase in content consumption has led to an increase in demand for AI-based operations.

First, let us understand what AI-based operations are.

It is a multi-layer technology platform that enhances the capabilities of SaaS applications. Its functionalities take remote working to the next level. With the help of machine learning (ML) algorithms and analytics, it offers the best-in-class operational experience.

Also Read: Remote Work Challenges and How to Overcome Them

AI collects data from several resources of your organization and then deploys an ML algorithm to show real-time changes in your SaaS app. The analysis performed will be detailed and have all the different parameters.

AI operations operate on two components, namely ML and Big data. They would require more data other than records and logs. Moreover, it will also collect data from operational analytics, CRM tools, security systems, and more.

AI operations are so competent that they are able to detect any changes in the security of your system. So, this part is important when your employees are working from home and are accessing the system via an unsecured network.

Hence, apart from tracking changes in the data, it is a savior for a company in maintaining the confidential information of projects.

AI as a Software

If you use AI as the software, it can enable third-party integration as a SaaS application. For instance, you want to integrate some marketing solutions into your CRM application.

With AI algorithms, you can design custom APIs as per the vendor’s environment and seamlessly integrate SaaS-based CRM software.

Most organizations develop custom APIs for such integrations. But this way, you have to create a new API from scratch. However, AI can help you reuse scripts with minor changes for the new environment. This will reduce the development time of APIs.

There are frameworks that offer reusable scripts but they are not flexible to adjust to different environments and are highly opinionated. Also, remote integration would need enterprises to deploy APIs to cloud platforms and require smart functionalities along with thorough monitoring of assets.

AI as a software monitors tools and can help organizations track deployment remotely for different environments. AI would also help you overcome challenges while executing remote deployments.

Flexible Integrations

It is obvious that an organization would require several interactions for different functionalities like CRM, security, and communication. A lot of enterprises use Communication as a Service integration for calls, messages, and VOIP features.

In a similar way, there are other integrations that every enterprise-level app would need to enhance the user experience.

Deployment

Once organizations decide to go remote, they face challenges while deploying SaaS applications remotely. It is difficult to store the core service in local data centers for security reasons and uptime. But you can use a hybrid cloud approach to execute deployments. There is a challenge here too. Deployments require continuous streamlining of integrations and deliveries.

For example, you want a chatbot integrated into your SaaS application. For its deployments, you would require to configure trigger functions that activate storage, data processing, and analysis. Chatbots have AI as their core function. But still, you can use AI for deployment. It will create a deployment pipeline to streamline everything.

It is also capable enough to deliver content across platforms effectively along with creating and collaborating content remotely.

Also Read: How to Develop and Sustain Employee Engagement in Remote Workplace

Content Delivery

When you have a high number of resources working in your organization, you would require reliable solutions to deliver content on all platforms while ensuring the user experience is excellent. For example, the required images and videos in the content would require a reliable network or it will slow the loading time of the page.

You will require an efficient network to deliver the content on time. Organizations use Content Delivery Networks (CDN) to handle loading challenges and any performance glitches. AI-based CDN can help SaaS apps deliver content timely with a faster loading speed. It instantly enhances customer experience. It will use an auto-deployment pipeline that is triggered by ML algorithms. You would need a trigger function that can be customized as per your business needs.

Customization

Customization is the only key to making it compatible with all types of business requirements. You might have to customize trigger functions for your apps to elaborate your SaaS strategy. After strategizing all the AI integrations, the next would be to assess existing apps and define functions that require triggers.

For instance, let’s say you are building a SaaS app for marketing requirements. You will be required to define a trigger function like follow-up emails, auto-replies, etc. The advice from an expert would help you more in understanding and executing all the uses. You can hire remote developers who can help with the development of essential trigger functions.

Security

Security has always been a major concern for organizations. The risk further increases when all your employees are working from home. AI can help you mitigate the risk involved while using SaaS apps.

AI can match patterns and assess human factors, and ML can replicate hackers’ actions to figure out risks beforehand. Thus, companies can invest in AI-based cloud security services to identify abnormal behaviors. It works as a repellent to cybercrimes and saves companies from fear of fraud and threats.

Final Thoughts

SaaS or cloud-based application platforms are continuously evolving. There are a lot of beneficiary updates happening to keep up with the demand for remote-working employees. AI has made it easier and safer for both organizations and their employees. Organizations are able to offer all the services in a better way without impacting the customer experience while maintaining the secrecy of all the data.

Employees are able to work efficiently with SaaS and cloud-based apps from the comfort of their homes. If your organization requires any AI integrations on SaaS apps, you must hire remote developers who have expertise in this field. They will help you make your platform more secure without affecting the customer experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What are AI-based operations?

Ans. AI-based operations is a multi-layer technology platform that enhances the capabilities of SaaS applications.

Q2. What is the full form of SaaS?

Ans. Software as a service (SaaS) is a cloud-based method to provide software to users.

Q3. What happens when AI is used as software?

Ans. AI as a software monitors tools and can help organizations track deployment remotely for different environments. AI would also help you overcome challenges while executing remote deployments.

This article is written by Harikrishna Kundariya.

Harikrishna Kundariya is a marketer, developer, IoT, ChatBot & Blockchain savvy, designer, co-founder, and Director of eSparkBiz Technologies @Software Development Company. His 10+ experience enables him to provide digital solutions to new start-ups based on IoT and ChatBot.

5 Practical Tips to Find a Mentor in a Remote Workplace

The workplace is changing. With the rise of the digital age, more and more people are working remotely. And while this has its perks, it can also be isolating. One of the best ways to combat this isolation is to find a mentor. A mentor can help you with your career, give you advice, and be a sounding board for your ideas. But how do you find a mentor when you’re not in the same physical space? Here are five practical tips to help you find a mentor in a remote workplace.

1. Join an Online Community or Forum Related to Your Field

There are many online communities and forums related to various fields that can be useful for finding mentors. Joining one or more of these can help you connect with potential mentors who can offer advice and guidance on your career.

When looking for a community or forum to join, try to find one that is specific to your field or area of interest. This will help you ensure that the advice and guidance you receive are relevant to your career goals. Additionally, try to find a community or forum that is active and has a large number of members. This will give you a greater chance of finding a mentor who is a good fit for you.

Also Read: 10 Remote Working Tools You Need in 2022

Once you have joined a community or forum, take some time to introduce yourself and get to know the other members. Participate in discussions and ask questions when you need advice. When you build up a rapport with other members, you may be able to request mentorship from someone who you trust and respect.

2. Attend Online Events and Webinars

If you’re looking for a mentor in a remote workplace, one of the best things you can do is attend online events and webinars. This will allow you to hear from experienced professionals in your field, and learn about the challenges and successes they’ve had in their careers.

There are many great online events and webinars to choose from, so it’s important to find ones that are relevant to your interests and career goals. Once you’ve found a few that look promising, make sure to register early and participate actively during the event. Ask questions, take notes, and follow up with the speakers afterward to continue the conversation.

By attending online events and webinars, you’ll not only gain valuable insights from mentors in your field but also make valuable connections that could lead to future opportunities. So don’t miss out – start searching for upcoming events today!

3. Use Social Media

The best way to find a mentor is to use social media. Many online platforms can help you connect with potential mentors, such as LinkedIn and Twitter. If you are a subject matter expert, you can also create and edit videos and publish them on YouTube. This is one way of connecting with fellow SMEs. Once you’ve found a few people who seem like they could be good mentors, reach out to them and start a conversation.

When you’re talking to someone who could be a mentor, be sure to let them know what you’re looking for in a mentorship relationship. Be specific about what kinds of advice and guidance you need. Mentors are more likely to be willing to help if they know exactly what you want from them.

Finally, don’t forget to follow up after your initial conversations with potential mentors. Keep the lines of communication open so you can continue building your relationship and getting the most out of your mentorship.

4. Connect With People you Know

One of the best ways to find a mentor is to connect with people you know. Utilize your professional and personal networks to reach out to potential mentors.

When reaching out to potential mentors, be specific about what you are looking for and what you hope to gain from the relationship. Be sure to also express your willingness to contribute to the mentorship relationship, and be open to meeting virtually or in person if possible.

Once you’ve connected with some potential mentors, it’s important to start building a relationship with them. Get to know them by asking about their work experiences and career advice. If they’re willing to mentor you, be sure to follow up regularly and show your appreciation for their time and guidance. A mentorship relationship can be extremely beneficial, so treat it with care and respect.

Also Read: 5 Inspiring Examples of Coaching And Mentoring in the Workplace

5. Read Blogs and Articles Written by Thought Leaders in Your Industry

There are several different ways that you can find blogs and articles written by thought leaders in your industry. One way is to use a search engine such as Google and type in your industry + ‘thought leader’ or ‘blog’. This should give you a good list of sources.

Another way to find thought leaders in your industry is to look at the by-lines in magazines or online publications that you read regularly. If there is someone whose writing you admire, chances are they have a blog or website where you can read more of their work.

Once you have a list of potential sources, take some time to read through their content and see if their perspective aligns with your own. If it does, then they may be a good mentor for you. If not, keep looking until you find someone you feel confident in following.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to finding a mentor in a remote workplace, sometimes the best option is simply to ask around. If you’re looking for someone who can share their experience and advice with you, there’s no better way to find that person than to reach out to your fellow professionals and ask for help. Keep these five practical tips in mind when seeking mentorship and you’ll be successful in finding the perfect role model for your career path.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is the role of a mentor?

Ans. A mentor is someone who shares his or her experience and knowledge and provides guidance and support for the growth and development of the mentee.

Q2. What are the 3 types of mentoring?

Ans. The three types of mentoring are:

Traditional one-on-one mentoring
Distance mentoring
Group mentoring

Q3. What are the four pillars of mentoring?

Ans. The four pillars of mentoring are respect, expectation, trust, and communication.

This article is written by Maira Xandros.

Maira is a freelance writer who works with creative brands and B2B companies to support their content writing efforts and SEO strategy, and has writing expertise in digital marketing and branding. Connect with her on LinkedIn or Twitter.

How to Prepare for the Future of the Remote Workforce in 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic had an astronomical impact on the workforce.

From layoffs and furloughs in 2020, hiring sprees in 2021, and high inflation rates in 2022, it’s challenging to determine what the headwinds and opportunities will look like in 2024.

However, if there is one silver lining to the pandemic that holds true across most industries, it’s that remote work is possible.

To add a cherry on top, many studies prove that a remote workforce reduces overhead costs, increases productivity levels, reduces employee turnover, and improves work-life balance.

What’s not to like? Although we don’t have a crystal ball that’ll tell us what 2024 has in store, it’s safe to say that a remote workforce has a strong foothold for continued success.

Trends in the Remote Workforce

Deloitte’s 2021 Global Human Capital Trends report shows that the workforce after COVID-19 has seen a ‘fundamental mindset shift: from a focus on surviving to the pursuit of thriving.’

The demand for remote work remains strong. It’s no longer just for the self-employed. Remote will be a large part of the future workforce, no matter what business you are in or where you are located.

Studies show that more than 80% of on-site workers are interested in working remotely. As younger generations enter the workforce, businesses should adopt a remote or hybrid workforce to capture a piece of that pie.

6 Ways to Prepare for a Remote Workforce in 2024

Although remote work is here to stay, it’s still a careful balancing act to ensure optimal productivity, employee engagement, and top talent.

Thankfully, a little planning goes a long way.

Let’s dive into a few ways to prepare your organization for a remote workforce in 2024.

1. Leverage Digital Collaboration Platforms

The success of your remote workforce comes down to communication and collaboration. Without investing in the proper digital tools, it’s nearly impossible for your team to collaborate and maintain high levels of productivity.

So the most important thing you can do is to provide a good user experience from day one. Your digital collaboration platforms should be intuitive and easy to use so that your team members can easily access them on their devices.

Also Read: 10 Remote Working Tools You Need in 2022

These tools are required for real-time communication — whether via video or text chat — so that you don’t lag between sending an email and getting responses from team members in different time zones across the world.

The best project management software has features that make it easy for people to work on different projects, share documents, and simultaneously collaborate on tasks.

In 2024, social media will be even more popular than it is today. Your marketing team needs a social media tool to communicate with your customers and understand their wants and needs.

Never underestimate the power of good communication.

2. Avoid Zoom Fatigue

Zoom is a great tool for remote meetings and presentations, but it can be hard to use for months on end.

Attending Zoom meetings all day can leave your team feeling fatigued. The intense close-up eye contact and increased cognitive load are no joke.

There are several reasons Zoom fatigue sets in so quickly:

There’s more eye-to-eye contact than in a typical conversation
Background noise can be distracting (especially if there are multiple speakers)
People may have trouble hearing or understanding each other
The application doesn’t allow for much collaboration or real-time note-taking

If you find that the first half of your meeting involves everyone checking their phones or fiddling around with their laptops (or even having their camera off altogether), it’s time to consider other meeting alternatives.

Don’t forget that some meetings are better off as a simple email or a screen-recorded video.

Encourage your team to turn off their self-view cameras, keep your meetings short and sweet, and give your team breaks from the constant demand for Zoom meetings.

3. Invest in a Learning and Development Program

A learning and development program is one of the best ways to ensure that your employees are equipped with the skills needed to do their jobs.

And career development is in high demand. Research shows that almost 90% of millennials believe professional growth and career development are important factors when choosing an employer.

Learning and development programs are great ways to help employees reach their full potential. And there’s an overwhelming amount of studies that show employees want to get better at their jobs and gain new skills.

Most workers want to learn but need the opportunity to do so. If you don’t provide that opportunity, your business will lose out on talented employees, and your competitors may win them away.

Employees are more likely to stay with your organization when they feel invested. Prove that you care about their growth by offering career development and training opportunities.

4. Provide Enhanced Benefits

Union popularity is rising, with 7 out of 10 workers stating they’d consider joining a union if given a chance.

The main reasons workers choose to join a union include:

Increase pay
Improved benefits
Job protection

Show your employees that you care about them and avoid the risk of unionization by offering a competitive benefits package. These benefits can include your typical ‘must haves’ like health insurance, paid time off, and a 401(k) match.

Or you can think outside the box and offer employees the opportunity to have more control over their schedules. Workers with flexible schedules can choose when and where to work, instead of having to work a set number of hours per day.

Also Read: What is pay transparency? Pros and Cons

You may also want to consider offering a stipend for internet and equipment so remote workers can establish a comfortable and reliable work-from-home setup.

Another popular benefit is providing a gym membership, which can help employees stay healthy while working from home online. Or, if any of your employees have children (or plan on starting a family), consider providing childcare reimbursement and other benefits like life insurance.

As different generations are at various stages in their lives, it makes sense that they tend to value different types of employee benefits. For instance, younger employees could be interested in benefits like mental health benefits or entertainment such as console or PC games, while the older generation might be more interested in parental leaves and retirement plans. The goal is for every generation to feel secure about your organization meeting their needs.

But one thing is for sure. All employees, regardless of age, prioritize flexible working hours and paid time off at the top of their benefits list.

And thankfully, these benefits typically don’t break the bank.

5. Outsource Tedious Tasks

In remote organizations, it is becoming more and more common to outsource tedious tasks. And this trend will likely continue for years to come.

For example, companies are hiring contractors or freelancers to work on a project basis, be it customer service agents, web developers, or virtual medical assistants.

Regardless of the task at hand, outsourcing is a great way to save money, free up your employees’ time, and keep your top talent.

Here are some additional benefits of outsourcing:

Avoid paying benefits, taxes, and other associated costs required for full-time employees.
Find someone who is an expert at what they do so you don’t have to spend time training them.
Give your employees more time to work on their core tasks and learn new skills.
Reduce overall stress levels on your team and improve employee morale with more helping hands.

6. Build an Employee-centric Culture

In the future, it’ll be even more important to focus on the people side of your business. While technology will continue to improve and make remote collaboration easier, not every person wants to work remotely all the time.

So here’s a tip: create a people-centric culture that celebrates your employees as much as it does their work. No matter how brilliant your product or service is, if you don’t have great people working for you, you’ll find it difficult to sustain long-term business growth.

The point is that by creating an environment where employees feel supported and connected, you’ll help them feel valued, which will help keep people around longer and attract top talent from around the world.

Also Read: 10 Best Employee Retention Strategies to Keep Your Best Talents

Wrapping Up

The remote workforce has changed drastically over the last decade and shows no signs of slowing down.

As new generations enter the workforce, they want more flexibility and access to experts who can help them reach their career goals.

We’ve also seen how important it is for businesses to adapt by offering more flexible working arrangements and collaborative teams that foster trust among colleagues online.

Don’t underestimate the investment in your people. Your people are your greatest assets. And with the proper time and dedication, building a robust remote workforce will pay off tenfold in 2024 and beyond.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. How to successfully manage a remote workforce?

Ans. Some of the ways to successfully manage a remote workforce are:

Treat employees as individuals
Communicate and collaborate
Trust your remote team members

Q2. What are the advantages of remote work?

Ans. Some of the advantages of remote work for:

Employers

Less expense
Increased productivity
Less turnover

Employees

No commute
Autonomy increases
Employees are healthier

Q3. What are the tools necessary for a remote workforce?

Ans. The remote workforce requires various tools such as Slack, GoogleMeet, Asana, Basecamp, Google Drive, Hangouts, and Zoom for communication, project management, and collaboration.

Subscribe To The Engagedly Newsletter

17 Dos and Don’ts to Ensure That Your Remote Hire Is a Good Fit

If you’re like most recruiters, you’ve wanted to hire remote employees. After all, remote hiring has tons of benefits – including increased efficiency and cost savings. But before you make the jump to remote hiring, there are some things you need to know about remote hiring. Let’s discuss 17 pitfalls of remote hiring that you must avoid if you want to ensure your remote hire is successful!

1. Not having a clear job description

One of the most important things you can do when you hire remote employees is to have a clear job description. This way, candidates know exactly what they’re applying for and the expectations.

Without a clear job description, you’re likely to end up with candidates who are either unqualified or not a good fit for the position.

2. Failing to screen candidates while remote hiring

When you hire remote employees, it’s important to screen candidates thoroughly. This means taking the time to interview each candidate and ask the tough questions. Quite often, companies make the mistake of hiring someone without thoroughly screening them first, and it ends up costing the company in the long run.

3. Ignoring red flags

When you hire remote workers, it’s essential to trust your gut. If you see red flags, don’t ignore them. For example, if a candidate seems evasive or cannot answer your questions, it’s probably best to move on. These could be warning signs that the candidate is not a good fit for the position – and if you ignore them, you could regret it later.

4. Hiring someone who isn’t a good fit

Just because someone is qualified for the job doesn’t mean they’re a good fit. When you hire remote employees, it’s essential to consider whether or not the candidate would be a good fit for the company culture.

Also Read: How to build and sustain a positive work culture in a hybrid work environment!

5. Failing to communicate expectations

It’s essential to communicate your expectations to a remote hire. This means setting clear goals and deadlines and providing feedback regularly. Without clear communication, your remote hire will likely become frustrated and may even quit.

6. Not providing adequate training

When working with a remote hire, it’s crucial to ensure that you provide adequate training. For example, if you’re hiring for a marketing team, your remote hire should be educated about the different marketing assets, cross-functional teams and stakeholders within the company so that they will be able to hit the ground running. Teams that are adequately trained and onboarded are more likely to succeed, so it’s worth the extra effort.

7. Not investing in tools and resources

You must ensure that your remote hire needs access to the right tools and resources to succeed. Without these things, they’ll likely struggle to do their job – which could, in turn, cost your business time and money. So, before hiring remotely, ensure your remote hire has the tools and resources needed for support.

8. Not having a proper system in place for tracking progress

It’s essential to have a proper system to track progress when working with a remote hire. This way, you can ensure that everyone is on track and meeting deadlines. Without a system in place, it’s easy for things to fall through the cracks – which could cost your business dearly.

9. Failing to build relationships

When working with a remote hire, building relationships is of utmost importance. This way, you can create a sense of camaraderie and trust.

10. Not providing incentives

To keep your remote hire motivated, it’s essential to provide incentives. This could be bonuses, paid time off, or even just recognition for a job well done. Without incentives, your remote hire will likely become bored and may even start looking for other opportunities.

11. Not having a backup plan

When working with a remote hire, it’s crucial to have a backup plan. If one of your remote hires quits or cannot work, you won’t be left in the lurch. Without a backup plan, you may find yourself scrambling to find a replacement – which could cost your business time and money.

12. Not being available

You must be available for questions, concerns, and feedback when working with a remote hire. Otherwise, they are likely to become frustrated.

13. Failing to establish communication protocols

Establishing communication protocols to ensure that your remote team is effective is essential. This way, everyone knows how and when to communicate with each other. Without communication protocols, it’s easy for things to get lost in translation – which could cost your business dearly. Don’t rely only on email because email can be easily misinterpreted and may even get lost in the shuffle.

Instead, it’s essential to use a communication tool everyone is comfortable with – such as Slack or Zoom.

14. Lack of quality control measures

It’s also essential to have quality control measures in place. This way, you can ensure that the work is up to your standards. Without quality control measures, you’re likely to end up with subpar work – which could cost your business dearly.

15. Hiring too many employees at once

While hiring many remote employees at once may be tempting, it’s important to resist the urge. This is because onboarding and training a large group of people can be overwhelming – and may even lead to mistakes. Instead, slowly building your team one person at a time is best.

16. Failing to trust your team

One of the frequent mistakes businesses make when working with a remote hire is failing to trust them. This is a huge mistake, as it will only lead to tension and mistrust on both sides. If you want your remote hire to succeed, you need to trust them to do their job – otherwise, you’ll likely regret it later.

17. Poor management of remote staff

One of the most important – but often overlooked – aspects of remote work is the proper management of remote staff. Without proper management, your remote hire will likely become bogged down and may even start looking for other opportunities. So, if you’re hiring remotely, make sure you have a plan for managing your remote hire.

Final Thoughts

Hiring remotely can be an excellent way to build a successful team – but only if you avoid these common pitfalls. By taking the time to plan and prepare, you can set your team up for success from the start. So, if you’re thinking about hiring remotely, make sure you keep these tips in mind.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. How do I make my remote work successful?

Ans. Five mantras to follow to become successful at working remote:

Create a peaceful and comfortable work zone (A mini home office, perhaps!)
Avoid and ignore distractions
Utilize savvy task management tools
Keep in touch with your team (Collaboration is the key!)
Do not forget to have a harmonious work-life balance!

Q2. How do you ensure that your remote employees work?

Ans. Four major tips to ensure that the remote workers are productive and working:

Productivity reports and analysis should be 100% data backed (Focus should be on results and not on work hours)
There should be clear and concise goals and timelines set for employees (Ambiguity do not beget results)
Employees should receive acknowledgement, rewards, and incentives for their hard work
Task management tools and software can come in handy for monitoring progress

This article is written by Amrapali Rai.

Amrapali is a freelance SEO strategist and content writer who works with brands and SaaS companies to support their SEO and content strategy and blogs about technology and marketing at Bazaar Expert.

10 Remote Working Tools You Need in 2023

Undoubtedly, COVID-19 has changed the way we live, work, and interact with people. Due to the pandemic, companies were forced to adopt remote working, making it the new normal.

Although remote working is not rocket science, many companies are still trying to get accustomed to working as a distributed team. However, technology has made it easy for everyone to work from anywhere in the world.

Since remote working is becoming very popular, it is really important to start managing remote teams. If you are working as a project manager, human resource manager, or any other related profession, then it is your responsibility to take all the necessary steps toward your team’s success.

To help you better, here are some of the best remote working tools you need to use in 2023.

Let us get started!

Top 10 Remote Working Tools You Need In 2023

While working remotely as a team, communication and collaboration are the keys. Here are some of the best tools that you can try to improve your team’s productivity.

1. Zoom

Agree or not, Zoom has gained a lot of popularity in the last few years. Zoom is one of the best and most lightweight video conferencing tools that integrates directly into the Zoom Calendar.

Although this remote working tool offers messaging options, it is popularly known for high-quality video calling.

The good news is that this tool offers a free plan in which you can conduct a meeting of 40 minutes. However, with the Pro Plan, you can conduct a longer meeting.

Another most important feature of this remote working tool is that it allows you to record meetings, create educational videos, or document common procedures.

2. Slack

Slack is another popular chat tool that makes communication between colleagues and the team easier. The application offers a very user-friendly interface.

You can integrate this tool with various other applications like G Suite, Adobe Creative Cloud, Dropbox, and more.

One of the most unique features of Slack is that it provides birthday reminders and team reports making it a fun tool to use!

Since the tool also offers a mobile application, teams can collaborate and communicate from anywhere. Talking about the price, it is very affordable and is the best choice for software development teams.

3. Google Drive

We all know about Google Drive! It is THE BEST one when talking about cloud storage. Some of the most important features that make it the most desirable tool in the market are:

Top-notch security
Transparency
Real-time editing

Moreover, since it belongs to Google, it is a must-have tool for every remote working professional.

Steve Elliott, Franchise Owner of Restoration1, says, “It allows you to share documents, spreadsheets, and slide presentations. All the files can be synced across devices, making it easy to view and update documents from anywhere.”

4. Todoist

Todoist is another best remote working tool that makes task management easy and fun. The interface is strong and very intuitive.

With this tool, you can create tasks, reminders, create to-do lists, and sync every device.

Moreover, you can also assign tasks to other team members. You can even prioritize your tasks, add documents, and give due dates for each project.

More than just a project management tool, it is a great task management tool!

5. Trello

Trello is another best and all-purpose project management tool based on the Kanban system. It is one of the best tools for managers, as it makes it easy for them to create cards.

You can create cards, rearrange them, delegate assignments, track progress, collect & store information, plan, and organize work processes.

Joe Troyer, the CEO & Growth Advisor of ReviewGrower, likes the interface of Trello. He says, “It is very simple and effective making it a great choice for remote teams to collaborate and manage complex tasks.”

6. Google Docs

Google Docs is the most flexible remote working tool in the market. It is a go-to tool for writing and text editing. It offers various features like auto-saving, working offline, and offers a variety of fonts.

Another most important feature of Google Docs is that it makes sharing documents very easy. Moreover, the suggestion mode allows people to suggest edits and view revision history allows users to view the changes made by others. These features make Google Docs a great remote working tool.

7. Asana

Having been in the market since 2008, Asana is one of the robust project management tools that make remote working easy.

Some of the best features of this tool are:

Timeline and project board view with automation and integration
Comprehensive toolkit suitable for every organization
Task-oriented making remote work easier
Divide the workload in the development phase itself

Mark Valderrama, CEO & Founder of Aquarium Store Depot, says, “The simple and intuitive design of Asana makes it easy to track progress and see the status of each task. It also makes communication between teammates very easy.”

8. Redbooth

Redbooth is a web-based tool designed for collaboration and task management. It is designed to make communication and project management simpler.

Customers from across all industries use Redbooth. It is also a strong competitor for Asana and Basecamp.

9. Hangouts

Hangouts by Google is one of the best tools integrated with G Suite. It is a very light tool that does not take up a lot of space. Many teams use it for easy text messaging and video calling.

Although Hangouts is similar to Zoom, you do not have to download the software to use Hangouts. Companies that use G Suite will use Hangouts because it works well with other Google products like Calendar, Drive, and much more, making collaboration easy.

10. Jira

Jira by Atlassian is an alternative to Trello but caters mainly to software development. This remote working tool supports test case management and agile software development making it easy for teams to operate effectively.

You can also integrate this tool with other products like BitBucket and Confluence which makes software development easy.

Conclusion

Getting the workflow right while remote working can be a daunting task at the start. The key to remote working is effective communication and collaboration. With technical development, there are many tools available online that can make remote working easy. Some of the best remote working tools you need to use in 2023 discussed in this article will make remote working easier for you.

This article is written by Kruti Shah.

Kruti Shah is a content writer and marketer at The Marketing Drama. She loves to write about insights on current trends in Technology, Business, and Marketing. In her free time, she loves baking and watching Netflix. You can connect with her on Linkedin.

Managing Virtual Teamwork in 2023

Today, the concept of a virtual team is an emerging trend. Everyone is aware of what a virtual team is and the advantages it offers companies. We’ve found that leading an effective virtual team has its own advantages!

A virtual team would typically consist of individuals who work primarily from home. In this article, we’ll discuss what is virtual teamwork and some tips for managing teams virtually.

Let’s get started.

What is Virtual Teamwork?

Virtual teamwork or remote team or dispersion is a group of people collaborating remotely for a typical project and communicating via team management tools such as slack, email, Skype, and others. This team usually works from different geographical locations. A stat from Culture wizard shows that 89% of virtual teams must include more than two cultures to enhance their company transition.

How to Manage Virtual Teamwork?

Communication plays a significant role while working virtually. Transmitting information is quite troublesome when you don’t choose the right way to manage teams. To improve, you must follow certain things to handle your teams and increase productivity effectively. Some of the best ways to drive virtual teamwork are:

Understand the company’s needs and divide the operation among expertise
Create internal guidelines that allow employees to heed specific rules while communicating
Tools like Zoom help to avoid messy distractions using the hide background option
Use an internal chat, project management, and goal-setting tools for the best team results. In this way, set proper communication, save time, and achieve the target goal in a short period.
Conduct consistent 1:1 feedback sessions with teammates. It helps in solving problems and increases team engagement.
Performing virtual team-building activities is crucial to providing opportunities to understand the virtual team members outside of work. It enhances the cultural balance of the company.

Importance of Virtual Team Building

There’s a lot of difference between working physically and virtually. A diverse live workspace helps to cultivate a workplace culture that inspires inclusion, but remote working causes them to feel isolated, worried, and even stressed out. During that time, virtual team-building activities will enable the employees to interact and make them feel like part of a team.

Before organizing activities, create a friendly environment for team workers to express themselves without trouble. You can set up virtual games such as Icebreaker. They must be active listeners, learning and adapting to change. Build engaging teams to bring potential results & offsetting work culture jovially using certain technologies.

5 Tips for Managing Virtual Teams

Building a phenomenal team compels specific measures to help your team achieve better results.

1. Provide the Right Tools for Employees

A virtual workspace differs from a typical office. Growth of productivity and employability will become lower when you don’t use the right tools to track down their work. Present technologies are used to produce effective results, like an in-person office. You need to analyze the necessity of remote employees to complete tasks without fail.

For business strategy and planning, experts use the best CRM platform to track customers and build new campaigns for company growth. Likewise, there are numerous software tools to handle remote teams for communication, data security, project management, employee activity tracking & reporting, team collaboration, employee recognition, and more. Each category is significant in improving the work culture of the company.

2. Avoid Complexity & Be Creative

Don’t use too many tools to manage employees because it leads to micromanagement. You can overcome that crisis using the perfect plan to handle the multi-function of the organization. Did you know remote work became less enjoyable due to the curbs of creative imagination?

Think from the aspect of employees and develop new strategies to enhance the mobility of virtual teamwork. For this, you need to plan the outline, diversify the task, track the performance & optimize the process. Multiple tools are available online to make the whole progress easier. Be wise to choose the correct method to create an influential work culture for dispersion.

3. Use One Universal Language

Communication is essential for virtual teamwork. Internet penetration is higher across the world. Before switching to a more effective team communication strategy, don’t wait until miscommunications have already occurred. Nothing will be misunderstood if the common language is recognized and practiced. Different people speak multiple languages. You can’t learn all the languages, can you? Thus, choosing one common language to deliver information is essential.

Seek the majority language or common one to communicate with multiple users. Pick wisely on selecting a communication tool. Various excellent tools are available for communicating, assigning tasks, and tracking employees’ progress.

4. Track Progress of Remote Employees

Even if remote working has many benefits, it also has a particular set of difficulties. Employers and managers must therefore monitor the success of remote teams in addition to challenges with hiring remote workers, security, communication, and project management. Keeping track of projects, specific tasks, and overall performance can be challenging. This advancement is nothing but time taken to complete one task to improve the value of the program.

What about dispersion users? You can track the development easily using advanced software tools. For instance, Trello software is a great tool to track each step of the progress of employees & work agile to complete the project prominently.

5. Project Management System

It can be challenging to remain on top of activities and due dates when managing projects and teams across time zones and geographic locations. Managing the platform allows you to understand the growth of completing projects & sort out errors by analyzing the whole network.

Tools for virtual project management collaboration facilitate coordination and tracking of team members‘ task progress while standardizing processes among team members from various locations.

Virtual team collaboration solutions must have specific capabilities like time tracking, task management, instant messaging, productive communication, and CRM integration.

Conclusion

To start a business requires high costs to maintain the company ambiance, project process, and employee work culture. Nowadays, it’s easier and cost-effective to begin online businesses. The best part is you can hire any employee on a contract or full-time basis anywhere worldwide. All you have to do is set up a proper communication panel & set the current and future trends in remote work.

To get things done effortlessly, follow the tips mentioned in this article & develop the skyrocketing business to attain higher results. Increase profits for the company as well as rewards for teamwork. Build a stress-free environment to robust a virtual team effectively.

This article is written by Divya Rajendran.

Divya is a marketer, nature lover, and startup enthusiast. She loves doing SEO outreach for SaaS websites. She always follows three principles in life: “happy with what you have,” “Respect everyone’s thoughts,” and “Avoid comparison.”

Tips for Managers to Stay Connected When Working Remotely

“We are all now connected by the Internet, like neurons in a giant brain,” says Stephen Hawking.

This connection has changed how we communicate, work, learn, and whatnot! In the pandemic era, most companies switched to remote working, and with the help of the internet, working from home has proved to be easier and more productive.

Since there is no need to drive or spend time in vehicles, employees can save time drastically. Also, since they work from home, employees get more time to finish their household responsibilities and won’t feel distracted, which results in better productivity. Working from home has been shown to reduce stress, give more time for hobbies and interests, and enhance personal connections, among other things.

Remote, flexible workers tend to be happier and more devoted. Without the interruptions and reduced office politics that come with an office job and coworkers, the management of relationships can improve in addition to one’s health and well-being.

Though working from home or remotely has numerous benefits, it also has disadvantages. For example, meeting or discussing a project in person with a coworker or team manager won’t be possible. And it is imperative to keep everyone on the same page. Though remote work has considerable flexibility, distractions tend to come along.

Setting the right priorities and being on track is extremely important. Another crucial aspect is motivation. Individuals are different in how they think, talk, work, and live. The same is applicable in the case of encouragement as well. Some need extrinsic motivation, while others require only intrinsic motivation. Since extrinsic motivation has limitations when working from home, it is vital to find intrinsic motivation.

Another crucial support required is with technology hiccups. It is possible to avoid this with a fast and stable internet connection. When working remotely, time management is paramount. Family members might find you available 24/7 and might not be aware of your task priorities. So it is crucial to set boundaries to balance work and life.

Also Read: Remote Work Challenges and How to Overcome Them

If you are a team manager or an employer, managing employees efficiently can be a matter of concern. They should feel glad to power up their laptops and get working. We have some smart tips for you; try them out and see the changes they bring!

How to Stay Connected When Working Remotely – Tips for Managers

I. Regular Team Meetups

For better staffing services, it is essential to have continuous team interaction. Regular team meetups are unavoidable to build trust and bridge communication gaps. Trello, Asana, Teams, etc. are examples of software you can use to ensure all team members are on the same page. Having a detailed pre-set workflow is also essential.

A weekly meeting will help employees communicate, share their concerns, and better understand each other. Healthy communication makes work easier as employees will be willing to support each other better. The divide-and-rule formula is not an option for maintaining team spirit.

II. Virtual Socializing

Socializing virtually is essential for team building. It fosters relationships amongst your remote team members on a personal level. Creating these connections promote team harmony and can improve communication and boost output. To plan socializing virtually, you can arrange virtual workouts, lunches, events, event competitions, gift exchanges, group chats, and more.

Virtual Lunches

In most cases, remote workers can go to lunch with their coworkers in person (when they live nearby). These are not normal circumstances. So, promote a virtual lunch with the team. It’s not exactly like having lunch with coworkers at a restaurant, but for some people, it’s still preferable to eating alone! Additionally, a virtual office lunch is an option. Set up a group conference and invite everyone to attend to see what unfolds!

Virtual Workouts

Virtual workouts are a fantastic option for team building. Signing up for wellness programs like online yoga sessions or HIIT lessons as a team will help you engage positively. It will also be oodles of fun. Remember that having fun at the workplace is essential to boost employee morale. As part of the virtual wellness program, you can organize challenges like water drinking, battle of the elements, clean desk, virtual fitness, and more.

Coffee Chats

Like virtual lunches, coffee chats are also an excellent option to make employees feel connected and relaxed. Employees can take coffee breaks virtually and interact with their teammates just like actual office coffee breaks. It helps build meaningful professional relationships.

Group Chats

Group chat helps your team’s adaptability in several interconnected ways. It reduces the requirement for in-person meetings and saves time and energy. Thanks to group chat, decisions can be made remotely, faster.

Also Read: 8 Best Strategies To Improve Global Remote Employee Experience

III. Maintain Open Communication

Remote workers, particularly those who work irregular hours or outside the headquarters’ time zone, can feel their team isn’t available when they are though the opposite is true. Even if it’s unrealistic to expect everyone to be accessible all the time, knowing that they can contact their coworkers and maintain communication online makes virtual workers feel more bonded. Responding to messages and emails whenever you see them helps employees build trust and connection.

IV. Appreciation

Even when they are working remotely, your staff deserves to feel valued. Since you aren’t along with them in the workplace every day, you should find little ways to praise them for their hard work or treat them to lunch on their work anniversary or major wins as frequently as possible. Even a kind word can make a big difference.

Is somebody’s birthday today?
- Send a virtual gift card their way.

Did an employee go above and beyond on a task?
- Plan a call with the team to acknowledge their efforts.

Find small ways to show your staff that you appreciate them.

Make sure your virtual door is constantly open as well. The last thing you want is your employees feeling like they can’t communicate with you, ask questions, or voice concerns because miscommunications between remote workers are typical. Let them know that you are accessible for one-on-one talks, and when an employee confides in you, listen to them and respond accordingly – and keep it confidential!

Pro Tips

Now that we have discussed how to stay connected, knowing how to communicate is equally important. Make sure to communicate clearly and clarify doubts. It is also important to let your team members know your schedules. When in doubt, elucidate and keep communication professional.

Conclusion

Your team will be just as effective and productive working with remote workers as in the office. However, it can be challenging to describe and quantify what employee engagement means to the people in your team. Many people find it difficult to work remotely since multiple distractions, including TV, housework, roommates, and social media take their focus away.

Asking your staff about their work day and level of passion is the best method to determine how engaged they are. Additionally, you may keep an eye on their work progress and address any issues you might have with their performance. It would be best if you also built trust through employee engagement programs. When an employee approaches you with a problem, listen to them empathetically and take necessary actions.

Want to know how Engagedly can help you stay connected with your remote team members? Book a live demo with us.

Request A Demo

This article is written by Sophia.

Sophia is a passionate writer who regularly contributes tips and tricks for wellbeing and lifestyle. Having experience in human resource management, she guides companies on staff services. She is a full-time writer with more than ten years of experience.

How to Collaborate Remotely

Remote collaboration refers to the process that helps people to communicate and stay in touch from anywhere in the world. This allows people to work from their comfort and businesses to find the best talent no matter where they live. Your team could also be in several cities, states, or maybe countries but remote communication is straightforward with remote tools such as actual hardware like laptops and an internet connection. More commonly used software includes collaborative document editors like Google Docs, and Microsoft 365, different managing applications, video conferencing apps, instant messengers, and email.

Importance of Remote Collaboration Post COVID-19

COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown restrictions resulted in the worldwide population engaging from home almost overnight. To confirm that productivity wasn’t affected, companies rushed to implement software that might help people still work together.

Collaboration is vital for any company. With the increasing move towards work from home, working in unprecedented situations isn’t compromised when making the foremost of the opposite benefits functioning from home can provide. Moreover, effective teamwork not only allows individuals to require responsibility for or their part of any project but also allows them to focus on that area.

Challenges with Remote Collaboration

No clear boundaries – Without clear boundaries and routines during the workday, people can end up answering emails all the time, and feel like they’re working around the clock. This makes them less productive and eventually leads to burnout.
Asynchronous communication

1. Unfamiliarity — Async may not be familiar to many people who are used to real-time chat and engaging with colleagues and superiors.
2. Change Management — Async requires more data gathering upfront with effort placed on the earliest request
3. Speed — Since there is less direct interaction, there is less opportunity to measure and get real-time feedback

Decision-making struggles – When people can’t come together physically, it becomes a lot harder for brainstorming and debate ideas. Teams often rely on video conferencing tools like Zoom to stay connected, but these tools can complicate ideas.
Culture breakdown – Creating a positive culture of trust isn’t easy- it takes a lot of effort to promote and maintain it, even in an office environment. When a team is physically isolated from one another, the struggle to maintain a strong culture becomes 10x greater. People can easily feel left out, undervalued, or ignored, which can lead them to psychological tests or take a step back from their team and work.

Challenges with Hybrid workforce

Misalignment between in-office and remote employees
Balance during meetings
Office space and rent
Overhead and labor costs
Management and collaboration

Also Read: How to Build and Sustain Company Culture in a Hybrid Work Environment?

6 Reasons Why Remote Teams Need Agile Project Management Tool

Agile project management tools focus on delivering maximum value against business priorities within the given time and budget, especially when the will to deliver outweighs the risk. The Agile methodology is used by project managers and clients in project management companies. This iterative system is also known to be a priority when the project management team works remotely.

1. Effective Planning

Agile methodology helps in project planning by using the number of tasks in previous sprints to estimate the workload that a team can carry in future sprints. Also, Agile encourages effective planning by enabling the proper scheduling of tasks that helps the project manager to analyze and assign tasks that suits their strengths and abilities by undertaking how the team performed in previous sprints.

2. Teamwork and Collaboration

Project team members in Agile should relay information about progress and barriers. In the long run, they become familiar and share a common sense of identity, which positively affects the project. However, in Agile, tasks are shared after the sprint, i.e. the performance of one task depends on the performance of another. Therefore, teamwork among members is very important for the production of a large project.

3. Regular Meetings and Reports

Regular meetings and reports help to review progress and decode the way forward. These meetings are referred to as scrum meetings and sometimes it is also called standup. Scrum meetings help to trace progress and to track important data and metrics. Budgets, deadlines, and timelines need to be communicated at the scrum meeting to hold everyone along. Specific data displaying the activities of the various project management professionals and the way they contribute to the whole process is sometimes shared and analyzed at scrum meetings.

4. Flexibility

Agile project management tools are built on flexibility. The objective of a project in the initial stage and final stage often does not match. The freedom to make frequent changes is a plus for Agile.

5. Risk Management

The agile method has a great risk management device, especially for remote teams. This device works in four important steps; risk identification, risk assessment, risk response, and risk review.

Risk identification – Project risk can be identified by any member of the team. However, project managers identify the risks usually. In many cases, the customer/business owner also discovers the risk. Additionally, scrum meetings force project team members to look inward and ask questions that can identify risks.
Risk assessment – Risk assessment is measured by examining the likelihood that the risk materializes and the damage it can cause. Most risk managers use risk management software and calculations to approach risk.
Risk response – Risk response is essentially the solution to risk. It involves using different methods to deal with the effects of risk on an ongoing project.
Risk review – Risk review involves the application of risk assessment and risk response. Risk review prevents the reappearance of risks and early detection of risks.

6. Milestones

Milestones track progress to complete a portion of work. Measuring progress using milestones encompasses a great deal of what Agile methodology is about and the information found from regular sprints enable the team to move forward and plan for future sprints.

Remote Team Collaboration Tools

Remote communication and collaboration tools help businesses and companies work with internal and remote teams. These web-based tools have become increasingly popular among professionals who communicate and collaborate daily with internal and external teams.

1. G Suite

Google’s G Suite is a collection of communication and collaboration apps capable of taking your business to the next level. It’s the only service through which people streamline the way of communication and collaboration on important tasks and projects.

Sending and receiving emails through Gmail
Working on a workspace like Docs, Sheets, and Slides
Save copies of important documents and files in the Drive and easily share the documents
Connecting, and arranging meetings with team members from different sources of mediums like laptops, computers, and mobiles

2. Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams helps to keep communication in internal and external meetings organized, easy to follow up on and improves the effectiveness of collaborative work.

Create a shared space for the team
Integrates with all Microsoft’s Suite products
Compatible with iOS and Android platforms
Encrypted communication with external and internal teams

3. Cloudways Team Feature

The Cloudways Team Feature helps to distribute workload among team members. With this feature, adding team members is as easy as adding their email addresses and granting permissions from the platform.

You can easily add, update, and delete team members using the Cloudways Team feature
You can permit the team member(s) to access Billing, connect with the Support team, and give business access to the Cloudways Platform

4. Slack

Slack is a popular remote communication and messaging platform built for interdepartmental and cross-functional teams. Rather than browsing multiple threads of emails and finding out email clutter, Slack makes it easy to attach, share relevant files, and create groups in line with specific channels.

Simple interface
Makes searching out groups easier
Compatible with Android and iOS platforms

5. Zoom

Zoom overcomes this obstacle by allowing meetings with a maximum of 1000 participants. At the basic level, team meetings can continue for 40 minutes. However, the number of visits is unlimited.

Integrate Zoom meetings into your Calendar
Creating a Waiting Room so that specific participants can join the meeting
Interactive backgrounds to hide clattered rooms

6. Hubstaff

Hubstaff helps identify gaps by monitoring and analyzing team activities like clocking, assigning team members to specific tasks, and assessing the general contribution of team members towards a particular task/project.

Receive project alerts and notifications
Monitoring team members to ensure team efficiency and productivity
Tracking billing for team members working on contracts, including freelancers and external teams

7. Trello

Trello is a very versatile and easy-to-use project management tool based on the Kanban system. It allows admins to create cards and follow a streamlined process that is customizable as per requirement.

Easily organize and manage tasks and projects
Customizable cards
Easy to include internal and external teams in project cards

Conclusion

In 2020, the remote work revolution accelerated hugely. This paved the road for the work-from-home lifestyle. The irrefutable benefits that remote work provides for employees, employers, and customers mean that it’s not likely to be going anywhere soon. Businesses need to leverage their remote workforce potential by demonstrating best practices for remote working, equipping teams with the right tools, and fostering an open and honest environment among remote workers.

Want to know how Engagedly can help you in remote collaboration? Book a live demo with us.

Request A Demo

8 Best Strategies To Improve Global Remote Employee Experience

As you strive to employ workers from around the world to join your company, you must also put in the work to ensure their retention. As a business owner, you have competitors. Still, your workers see these businesses as alternatives, and the only reason they will remain at your organization is because of how you treat them. Employee experience refers to how employees perceive their journey in an organization. An employee with good experience working in an organization would have good testimonies whether they are remote, hybrid, or traditional workers. Giving your remote employees a good experience will determine whether they will remain at your organization or leave. In this article, you will learn eight strategies you can use to improve your remote employee experience.

1. Streamline your communication channel

Communication is essential for any organization to grow. Your remote employees are scattered worldwide and to keep them engaged, you have to have a reliable communication channel. Examine the chosen channel to see whether it suits your employees and ensure regular communication with them. You should also keep track of what is being said. Employees feel appreciated when their employers pay attention to what they say, so you must have a reliable communication channel.

2. Have a recognized payment channel

Every employee contributing significantly to your business must also receive timely payment. Make sure you have a payment method that is accepted all around the world. It would help if you were particular about the payment method that works for your employees before using it to distribute their funds. Some payment channels are accepted internationally, but not all nations recognize them. Give your employees pay stubs so they have a record of how their money is disbursed so that you can also control the payroll process.

3. Organize remote meetings

You should make your employees feel like they are a part of the company by frequently organizing meetings. By organizing virtual meetings, all your employees could get to meet with each other and at least know their roles and responsibilities. During the meeting, brief your workers about developments in the organization and where you want them to come in. You could also ask for their suggestions. In doing this, you make them feel like they are a part of something great and not just a cast-away employee.

4. Ensure your employees have all they need

Your staff should have everything they require to be productive. Even though they would have had specific tools and talents before being employed, your employees still need to acquire other tools to be successful. During virtual meetings, you might quiz your staff on what they currently have and what they need to improve productivity. Make a list of their requirements and figure out how to meet them. You might also provide them access to online tools to perform better at work.

5. Check-in on your employees

You don’t need to wait until things are dire before checking up on your remote workers. It is important as a manager to monitor how well your staff members are doing on the job. Check in with them frequently, inquire about their wellbeing, learn about their struggles, and discover how you can support them. You can guarantee your workers’ happiness and continued productivity by doing this. You want to make sure that the productivity of your remote workers stays high. If you don’t check in on them, you won’t be able to guarantee this.

Also Read: Tips To Create A Culture Of Frequent Employee Check-ins

6. Celebrate important milestones

Important milestones like anniversaries, birthdays, and reaching a target should be celebrated at work or virtually. On an employee’s birthday, you could plan a surprise virtual meeting to wish them a happy birthday and appreciate their contribution to your company. A lot of organizations often overlook this gesture. Celebrating significant achievements tells your employees that you care about their small wins, and it will encourage them to strive to do better.

7. Use remote work tools

It would be easier to assign tasks and submit them if you used remote work technologies like Skype, Slack, or Microsoft Teams. You must set up a route via which your staff members may easily submit their work and get new assignments. Other remote working solutions could help you streamline your interactions with your remote staff, even if many firms prefer to use emails.

8. Encourage your employees to socialize

You should establish a social media network where staff members can interact and plan online gatherings. Every weekend, you can plan events to promote bonding among your staff. After a challenging workweek, this might ease workplace tension. Your staff members’ self-awareness would also improve as a result. Ensuring that your employees have to time out is also important in shaping how they view you as a company.

Conclusion

It is not impossible to manage a global remote team. Even though it seems quite challenging when you first consider doing it, technology has made it simpler. To successfully manage your remote business, you must come up with a plan for providing your staff with a positive working environment. Although numerous additional techniques guarantee that your remote employees enjoy their time working for your company, implementing the tactics mentioned above would help you provide the greatest working environment for your staff.

Want to know how Engagedly can help you improve the remote employee experience? Book a live demo with us.

Request A Demo

This article is written by Daisy Benson.

Daisy is an industrial and organizational psychologist who researches to identify solutions to problems that improve the well-being and performance of organizations and their employees. Daisy is also a freelance writer and often writes articles for credible blogs.

7 Tips to Create a Successful Work From Anywhere Strategy

While remote working has been a norm for a long time, it gained immense traction during the Covid-19 pandemic and later on. According to research, the number of remote working employees has increased by 159% from 2009 to 2021, which is no surprise. Many professionals still find working from anywhere challenging, as they feel lost in managing the quality of work and personal life. The need of the hour is to devise an engaging and interactive strategy to keep your employees motivated to work from anywhere.

The concept of working from anywhere enthralled the corporate world’s attention when businesses were facing a talent pool shortage at their office locations and had to search for deserving candidates from across the globe. The Covid-19 pandemic also pressured businesses to enable remote working as a new normal. The workforce and the companies have their respective challenges in managing the successful work from anywhere strategy irrespective of various reasons.

Successful work from anywhere strategy

Here are some practical tips to make remote working a successful part of your business.

1. Using a Digital Adoption Platform

Among the many tools meant to support remote working employees and help them adapt to new technologies and processes, Digital Adoption Platforms (DAP) is the best choice. It can handle multiple business-related tasks for globally located employees like:

Instant communications
Project announcements
Process changes and updates, etc.

Moreover, certain DAPs have analytics that can assist businesses in identifying gaps and starting work on creating effective workflows.

Apty is a credible name in this context, as its dedicated digital adoption platform helps companies to ensure:

Smooth remote onboarding and training of new employees
Guaranteed business continuity
Making data-driven decisions based on analytics

2. Create dedicated working spaces

Unwanted disturbances and sounds often create distractions while concentrating on an important task or virtual meetings. The ideal solution is to create a dedicated working space at your location, such as in a peaceful corner of your home. Working professionals can establish a working table, comfortable seating, etc., to get the exact feel of their official workplace.

Sumit Bansal, Founder and CEO of TrumpExcel, says “As a business owner, parent, and individual, true balance is hard to achieve. I find myself leaning in too much in one direction and sacrificing in other directions. I can be an engaged parent and a mediocre team leader, or I can work 70 hours a week and do the bare minimum as a parent. Sometimes balance means leaving early to hit the slopes with my kids or meeting with my team for a virtual happy hour. I used to work from my bed when I first started, and it affected my sleep. Having a dedicated, comfortable workspace helps the mind naturally focus.”

3. Abide by regular office hours

For employees operating from their respective workspaces, it is essential to:

Define regular working hours
Comply with the official timings
Remain strict during the breaks
Go distraction-free during working hours

Adhering to these tips will help your workforce be productive at a given time without taking a toll on their personal lives.

Setting the regular office hours creates a sense of responsibility, and the family members feel relieved of the working hours. It is essential to include frequent coffee breaks, tea breaks, etc., during remote working, which the employees usually take while working from the office.

Moreover, the ability to work from anywhere does not mean that workers are available at any time. The employees should therefore respect and value their personal lives.

Abdul Saboor, a Full Stack Developer at The Stock Dork, says, “Whether you work from home or in an office, plan your working day to incorporate numerous regular breaks. For example, taking breaks lowers the time spent distracted by colleagues, family, or domestic activities during regular work hours. Because most individuals can only focus for 90 minutes at a time, taking frequent breaks is critical for being productive throughout the day.”

4. Create rules when working

Professionals may not be alone at their current location, which results in the setting of rules to focus on work. These can include:

No entrance for kids when at work
Asking someone else to handle delivery persons, home-helps, and more
Optimal screen time during working hours

These and many other similar rules lay the foundation of the strict office environment at home. Hence, it is essential to stick to them. Professionals abiding by these rules can increase focus at work, thus leading to better productivity.

Also Read: Productivity Tips For Managers and Employees In 2022

5. Create a healthy working environment with colleagues

It is likely for professionals working from anywhere to miss the office chit-chat with their colleagues. It may seem unimportant at first glance, but it contributes to their productivity. Therefore, professionals must take the initiative to create a healthy working environment with colleagues, even when connected remotely. For instance:

Conducting virtual meetings during coffee breaks or lunch breaks could replicate the official break time
Companies can conduct fun activities like fun Fridays, etc. to improve employee engagement
There could be sessions to introduce new employees to the team to promote a healthy remote office environment

6. Follow a healthy regime

Work has taken a toll on the health of many busy professionals and the work from anywhere model can worsen this situation further. It is high time that employees realize that remote working has restricted their physical activities in the absence of traveling or movement in their office. Hence, it is imperative to pay attention to a healthy regime that may subsume:

Early morning exercises
A healthy diet
Morning or evening walks
Following the 20-20-20 rule to reduce eye strain

Also Read: The Complete Guide To Employee Health And Wellbeing Strategy

But, what is the 20-20-20 rule?

This rule applies to people having long screen times due to any reason. Doctors recommend such people to:

Spend around 20 seconds after every 20 minutes of screen time to gaze at something located at a distance of about 20 feet.

This appears fit for employees who work from anywhere for long hours, as it can help minimize the strain on their eyes, thereby contributing to a healthy regime.

Alex Uriarte from 1-800 Injured says, “The Pomodoro technique is a time management approach that emphasizes brief bursts of work to improve focus. Figure out what distracts you the most and use that as your daily motivator to get things done.”

7. Don’t forget self-care

Like professionals love to relax on weekends, they need to create self-care time when working remotely. The definition of self-care is not the same for all. Hence, the employees can decide their ‘me-time’ according to their likes or dislikes.

It is essential to stay away from work during self-care time or prevent the work from consuming your leisure time.

Joe Troyer, the CEO & Growth Advisor of ReviewGrower, says, “By regulating our stress and encouraging self-care, we were able to grow our business during the pandemic to keep up with the demand for our services. The increased number of customers didn’t phase us. I believe this is why we encourage healthy work habits and recreational activities.”

Conclusion

73% of departments are likely to have remote workers by 2028. With the increasing trends in work from anywhere culture, professionals need to create a successful remote working strategy.

It includes effective communication, delegation, work delivery, sticking to timelines, occasional informal interactions, etc. The significant part of the picture is to stick to this strategy to get the optimum results. The remote work journey is smooth with a dedicated system with appropriate time for flexibility.

Do you want to know how Engagedly can help you create a successful work-from-anywhere strategy? Book a live demo with us.

Request A Demo

This article is written by Kruti Shah

Kruti Shah is a content writer and marketer at The Marketing Drama. She loves to write about insights on current trends in technology, business, and marketing. In her free time, she loves baking and watching Netflix. You can connect with her on LinkedIn.

Remote Work Challenges and How to Overcome Them

Remote work is increasingly popular. After all, there are a string of benefits when working remotely. There’s no stressful commuting, no managers and colleagues looking over your shoulder at all times, and no worrying that you may have no lunch as your boss makes you deliver some urgent ad-hoc task during lunchtime (you have no time to go out to grab something to eat). That said, managing a remote workforce is not without its challenges.

A remote workforce typically carries out work away from a physical office. Most choose the option of working from home. However, managing a remote team is challenging. While you may strive for “business as usual,” several pitfalls of remotely working await you. Here are the challenges of a remote workforce and how to overcome them:

1. No Work-Life Balance

The irony of not having a work-life balance when remote working is that many opt for remote work in the first place to enjoy a healthier work-life balance. However, having no work-life balance is one of the pressing remote work challenges; not knowing when to turn off “work mode.”

At the office, there is a clear signal; you see people turning off their computers when it is time to ring out. You know it is time to stop work and leave.

However, at home, there is no clear signal to stop working. You keep chugging on despite the sun setting down. Some of you worry that your bosses think you are slacking when working at home, so you want to prove them wrong by working off the clock. Ultimately, you will burn out.

How to Overcome?

Prioritizing work is essential to ensuring remote work success. However, balancing work with breaks is equally important. Hence, remote workers must manage their time wisely. When it is time to work, stick to it, but when it is time to relax and take a break, do so.

If you’re the manager, you have to get your team members to have a balanced schedule of work and breaks, and they must adhere to it. Remember to allow some flexibility in their work schedule. After all, everyone is different and has various needs. Also, regularly remind them to ring out when it is time.

Emphasize the importance of de-stressing with their respective hobbies and others during off-work times. Encourage remote employees to have a separate workspace in the house and never bring work out of the room. Your remote workers must have a psychological differentiation between work and personal life.

Also Read: How To Create A Time Management Plan For Remote Teams

2. Collaboration Becomes More Challenging

When working from the office, you can drop by your co-worker’s place and have a quick discussion. You then know how to proceed confidently. However, when working remotely, collaborating becomes tougher. Things become worse when each team member is not aware of their respective tasks and the project’s progress.

As the manager, you do not know what your team members are working on and at what rate. You also don’t know which team members are not pulling their weight or are overloaded when remotely working since you do not know their productivity.

How to Overcome?

There are collaboration tools that help managers track and monitor the productivity of the team. Establishing clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) is essential to measure each individual’s productivity and a guide for your staff. Doing so does not mean that you must micromanage.

Your goal is to track their productivity so that you can make necessary adjustments to maintain high output and meet deadlines. Setting clear deadlines, detailing each task and expectations, tracking projects’ progress, and regularly reviewing them are just a few to ensure your team is on track.

Identify the suitable project management tool that gives everyone a real-time bird’s eye view and a more zoomed-in view of each individual task-at-hand and its progress. Get your team to regularly update their progress so that everyone knows where everyone is at all times.

Moreover, implement the security best practices for your remote workforce. Insider threats are dominant and can cripple a whole organization overnight.

Set a reasonable schedule for a meet-up to accurately gauge productivity within a suitable time frame. Not too many as such meet-ups can backfire and disrupt your team’s focus, but just enough to help you track major milestones and catch potential issues in time.

3. Too Many Distractions

You may have removed office distractions like colleagues coming over and chatting at your desk or having a co-worker’s birthday celebration at the cafeteria when working remotely. Unfortunately, there are other interruptions at home – family and doorbells.

It becomes more difficult if you have toddlers at home who cannot understand why you cannot play with them when you’re at home. Also, there’s no over-the-shoulder accountability that would keep you in check. Hence, you get easily sidetracked.

How to Overcome?

It can be as simple as taking your family aside and explaining to them that you are not to be disturbed whenever you are working (in focus mode). Doing so will only result in longer work hours to complete your tasks, which eventually means less time with them later.

You can also help your family become more independent and self-sufficient to reduce the probability of interrupting you at work. Worse case, lock your room and put up a ‘Do not Disturb’ sign. However, know that there are times that the interruptions are unavoidable, especially emergency ones. So, set clear boundaries, but be flexible when you have to.

4. Lack of Communication

Communication is key to the success of everything, be it personal or business, and this especially applies to a remote workforce. There’s no face-to-face interaction, which makes communication more difficult. As a team manager, you’re always skeptical and wondering if the team is making progress. As a team member, you worry if your manager knows of your contribution or thinks you’re not doing your work.

Although under-communicating can create dissension among the team members, over-communicating can cause the team to feel suffocated, untrusted, and micromanaged. Hence, striking the right balance between them is crucial.

How to Overcome?

Leverage technology to enhance employee experience. It is of utmost importance for the manager to identify a suitable internal communication platform as a dedicated place where open communication is encouraged. Also, the manager should invite questions, provide answers, and actively listen to the team members. After everyone has provided their input, you address any issues promptly.

Never dismiss your team members because doing so will only make them clamp up in the future. No matter what communication platform you use, ensure that all are involved and actively participate. Adopt a direct approach and be specific in your messages to avoid possible misunderstandings. Also, be careful of the tone because sometimes, it is not what you say but how you say it.

5. Unhealthy Lifestyle

When you’re at the office, there will be times you are required to move around to attend meetings and climb stairs to attend training and conferences. However, when you’re at home, you are literally at your desk all day because all meetings and training are virtual; this is especially true for knowledge work.

Some stay on the internet for long periods until they have forgotten how dangerous the internet can be. You place yourself and the company’s critical data at a security risk anyways.

Home sweet home. Yes, everything is comfy and whatever you need is at home. Your fridge is just several paces away. So, you binge eat all day as it is nice to chew on some crispy junk food to help stay awake.

Or it could be the direct opposite when you work and work until you have forgotten that you have legs.

How to Overcome?

Well, there’s no wonder drug for this. But you must be disciplined to be more mindful of what is good for you and what isn’t. Please include exercise routines in your schedule (you need vitamin D) and fix healthy snacks when you feel hungry.

6. Lack of Motivation

Remote working can get your team members depressed and bogged down. After all, there is much less human interaction. They can feel lonely and not motivated to work. Or they may feel like they aren’t growing much or developing any skills, a huge bummer for most companies.

In general, humans are social beings. They need to feel that they belong in an inner circle to feel needed. At home, they may feel isolated from the rest of the team members and drift away. Eventually, their output will be affected.

How to Overcome?

Let your team members realize that their tasks depend on one another so each will know the importance of their work and that it can hold up another person’s deliverables. Your team will feel more motivated to work and deliver. Also, please award praises when needed (do not overdo this as they can become diluted and ineffective).

When you give your team members the recognition they deserve, they will feel visible and appreciated. Reinforce them positively to push them to achieve more. Make it a habit to include virtual one-on-one meetings to discuss personal and professional growths. Take notes so you will know how to support them better. Have empathy when you chat with them, but know when to be firm when you need to.

Conclusion

Managing an on-site team is not easy. What more than a remote team when there’s no face-to-face interaction? Fret not, as the remote workforce challenges are surmountable. Pursue the above to improve productivity, boost employee morale, increase efficiency, enjoy flexibility, and more. After all, remote work (if done right) can be rewarding; a company shines when the employees shine too.

Do you want to know how Engagedly can help you overcome the challenges of a remote workforce? Book a live demo with us.

Request A Demo

This article is written by Jason Chow

Jason Chow is a marketer at WebRevenue, a company that helps online businesses to thrive with tailored solutions. Jason loves to write about remote workforce, communication skills, SaaS, and more.

How To Create A Time Management Plan For Remote Teams

Thanks to the pandemic, remote working has become the norm in so many industries. It has a lot of benefits, such as eliminating commuting time, reducing costs, and removing office distractions. Of course, there are challenges too. One of those is time management, something that can be difficult to have oversight on when you have a remote team.

The good news is you can help remove the challenge by having a good remote time management plan in place. Here’s how to create one and get the most out of your teams, wherever they work.

Why Create A Time Management Plan?

Is a time management plan needed for remote workers? It’s highly recommended, as there are lots of benefits that you can reap by using them. These include:

- A better sense of direction for staff, and knowing what’s required of them.
- Fewer miscommunications in the workflow.
- More engagement for those who are working from home.
- Less time is needed for organizing employees.
- Better final product and client satisfaction.

So, there are plenty of benefits to using a time management plan in your team. Now, you need to know how to write it. These tips will help you get the most from your plan.

Set Expectations Upfront

The very first thing you’ll want to do is discuss a time management plan with your team. You’re going to want to set expectations upfront, so they all know what’s expected of them as they’re working remotely.

Ensure that you listen to this team at this stage. What are they expecting from the remote working system? Is there anything they’re concerned about, or anything that they want to happen? This feedback will help you put a plan together that’s easy to use and realistic.

Pick Between Time Tracking Or Productivity Tracking

When it comes to time management plans, you’ll either want to focus on time tracking or productivity tracking. “On average, many employees will prefer to stay working remotely as they prefer the flexibility it gives them,” says Fiona Carmichael, a project manager from Dissertation discussion and OX Essays. “You’ll want to keep this in mind when making a decision.”

Productivity tracking will usually allow for more flexibility in the workflow, so many employers will choose this method when creating their plans. However, it does depend on the work you do, so consider carefully before you start putting the plan in stone.

Choose The Right Platform

There are plenty of time management platforms out there you can use to create your plan. It is highly advisable that you use one, as trying to do it over instant messaging or email is going to be far too difficult to track. With a platform, everything is kept in one place so everyone can see what’s needed from them at a glance.

As well as a platform like Slack or Trello, consider using cloud storage like Dropbox or Google Drive. This allows everyone to share files, so you and your clients can access them when needed.

Define Your KPIs

You’ll need to create and define the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for your team as they work remotely. What will be expected from them? You can set both short and long-term goals for each team member, and then they have a clear idea of what they need to be working towards. This is something you can discuss in individual coaching.

Also Read: How to build a KPI System for Performance Reviews

Set Up Regular Meetings

Now you have all the tools in place, you’ll want to create a regular slot in the schedule for a meeting with the whole team. This should allow for everyone to share where they’re at with a project, and give feedback. This will be how the team gets together, as they won’t be working in the same space.

Remember that as they’re remote, the team may not be working the traditional 9 – 5. You’ll want to find a time that works for everyone. Doing this ensures that you can stay flexible, and give your team the space they need.

Also, you can organize meetings into mandatory and secondary meetings. Make the agendas available for all sessions, so staff will know what will be discussed.

Plan Out Individual Meetings Too

Now that you have group meetings in the schedule, you’ll have to ensure that you make time for one on one coaching and development, too. This needs to be handled whether your team is remote or in the office, so either way, you’ll be ready for it.

Take the time to reach out to every team member, and work out the best time for individual coaching. It’s arguably more crucial in remote teams, as you’ll be looking to help them stay connected and focused on their work when they’re not in the office.

It’s even more important you do so when you have younger employees or recent graduates on your team. They will need coaching to help them reach their full potential, and it can be harder for them to do so when they’re working remotely.

Have Deadlines In Place

You’ll have deadlines for KPIs and deliverables, whether your team is in the office or remotely. When your team is remote, it’s even more important to make these deadlines as obvious as possible.

“As the team aren’t centralized, it’s easy for them to lose sight of the big picture,” says HR manager Graham Pike, from Paper Fellows and Boom Essays. “You want to ensure that everyone is on the same page.”

Create timelines and deadlines in your action plan, and have them available to view within your chosen platform. That helps staff stay on target when they’re working, and get everything delivered on time.

With these tips, you’ll be able to create a time management plan that works for you and your team. It will make remote work much more feasible and every staff member will know what’s expected of them. Start writing your time management plan now, to get the best results.

Do you want to know how Engagedly can help you manage your remote teams? Book a live demo with us.

Request A Demo

This article is written by Sara Sparrow.

Sara Sparrow is a technical writer for Assignment service and Academized. She covers workflow and time management for business owners. She’s also a writer for Write my essay.

Importance of 360 Degree Feedback for Hybrid and Remote Employees

Some observe that certain large, well-known organizations such as General Motors Co., Citigroup, Ford Motor Co., Nationwide, and IBM have adopted a hybrid model of working as they see it as the trend of the future. Having mentioned this, there are many other companies that are going fully remote. Currently, both trends are gaining traction after the pandemic. The hybrid system is becoming a more accepted form of a working model, as it allows an employee to work from home on certain days and go to the office on the remaining days.

Also, as aforementioned, there are many employees who want to work from home. It is expected that most of the workforce will prefer to work remotely by 2028. Thus, remote and hybrid models of working are growing in popularity and are here to stay.

Hybrid/remote working models: Overcoming the challenges

Though hybrid and remote working models are necessities of the present times, organizations will have their own set of challenges in training employees for these models. One of the major challenges is providing constant feedback to the team members to ensure that all are on the same page. This is where a 360 degree review survey can be a handy review system that would ensure that timely feedback is provided to the employees, irrespective of adopting any working model.

One can also use a 360-degree feedback software as offered by Engagedly, which offers the feature of providing real-time feedback to employees who work in a hybrid or remote work environment.

This blog post will focus on what is the 360 degree feedback process; why opt for a 360-degree feedback system for hybrid and remote employees? How to employ a 360-degree feedback system in hybrid and remote environments, and its benefits.

Understanding 360 degree feedback and its significance

360° feedback system focuses on employees’ feedback; colleagues’ feedback; a manager’s feedback, and customers’ feedback. One of the best aspects of the 360° feedback mechanism is that it is impartial as it offers feedback from all avenues.

The 360-degree feedback system plays a big role in identifying and nurturing future talents; bringing collaboration among the employees and managers, and fostering an open and transparent workplace culture.

In the present hybrid and remote working age, a 360-degree feedback method provides employees with the required insights into their performance and helps them to improve themselves, aligned with the company’s objectives.

Also Read: Everything You Need To Know About 360 Degree Feedback

Importance of a 360-degree feedback survey for hybrid and remote employees

Managers can bolster hybrid and remote employees’ productivity in several ways by using the 360-degree feedback review mechanism, as described below:

Understanding team’s concerns and suggestions:

A company can lose billions of dollars in profits if it ignores disengaged employees’ concerns and feedback. This is where a 360-degree feedback system can help a manager understand his team‘s concerns and suggestions so that the team‘ productivity can give consistently increasing outputs. As per a research study, employees who feel their voices are heard are more likely (4.6 times) to feel encouraged and would give their best efforts. This holds true for both hybrid and remote employees.

Empathy:

The current workplace scenarios are such that a lot of work has to be done in less time period. In such situations, employees may get stressed and may not have enough time to spend time with their families. This is where managers can act as a coach so that employees can learn to complete their work in less time and maintain a work-life balance.

Thus, the 360-degree feedback system helps managers to identify if an employee is finding it difficult to balance or draw a line between his personal and professional life. 96% of employees are of the thoughts that caring and empathic managers can increase employee retention.

Understanding the level of employees’ stress:

There will be a high level of absenteeism in the workplace if employees are overworked and they have the feeling of being isolated and disengaged. This is highly prevalent in a remote working model wherein the employees feel they have to work more to prove to their efficiency and productivity to their managers.

With the use of 360-degree feedback review, managers will come to know about the level of stress experienced by an employee, through the employee himself and his colleagues. Managers can guide the remote employee and address his fears.

Eliminating the biased nature of the feedback system:

Sometimes, unfortunately, hybrid or remote employees may not get the desired reviews or may be the subject of biased reviews from the managers for their performance. This may happen as managers may not be aware of the remote or hybrid employees’ contributions as much as they have knowledge about in-house employees’ contributions. So remote employees can feel helpless and isolated, and they may leave the company.

When a 360-degree feedback system is implemented, it can eliminate such a biased nature of the review, as colleagues and clients take part in the review process.

Implementing a 360-degree feedback process for hybrid and remote teams

A 360-degree feedback process is undoubtedly an effective means of enhancing employees’ performance and productivity. However, this is only possible if you implement the 360-degree review process correctly. You can follow the below techniques to implement the 360-degree feedback process for hybrid and remote teams.

Face-to-face approach:

The best way to communicate with your employees is by talking to them face-to-face. Sending feedback through emails can be cold and impersonal and may give a feeling to the employees that their managers aren’t open to the idea of addressing their issues.

Sending feedback through the email over a longer duration can make employees feel they are not a part of the team and their contribution to the company is insignificant. Thus, it is always better to talk to the employee on a one-to-one basis during the review process. For remote employees, a face-to-face conversation can be carried out over a video call embedded within a 360-degree performance review software.

Agenda for 360 degree feedback process:

The agenda of the 360° feedback review process should be made clear to the employees so that they feel that the review process is for their own good. If your employees don’t understand the scope and purpose of the survey, there is a possibility that they may shy away from sharing the relevant information with you. Thus, before the review process, communicate to the employees that this feedback will improve their performance and help them reduce their workload and stress. For remote employees, you can use performance review software for conveying the agenda.

Anonymous review system:

Most of the companies implement a 360-degree feedback system in an anonymous fashion so that employees may not have to fear their feedback will be leaked out of the discussion room. For implementing the anonymous review feedback, use Engagedly’s 360-degree performance review software which allows the employees to share their feedback and concerns with their higher management on the software itself.

Eliminating favoritism:

There is always a possibility that a manager may prefer certain employees for promotion over others, which may lead to a biased review. When performance review is conducted using a performance review software that allows feedback to flow in from managers, colleagues, and clients, it can prevent such biased decisions. Interestingly, a system like this should also help employees to bond better, since employees who deserve credit will receive appreciation from their colleagues.

Simplifying the feedback:

You, as a manager, need to ensure that your feedback is easy to understand for your team members. This is possible when you use a 360-degree performance review software that allows you to demonstrate your ideas for improvements using charts and graphs. Once you have explained the areas of improvement to your team members, you can explain a defined plan for their self-improvement and suggest baseline employee performance for the company’s growth.

Understanding what is working and what is not working:

The 360° feedback review system would help managers to understand what processes are working and what are not working and, they can tweak them so that the overall productivity increases. Importantly, the feedback review system would bring better transparency and would make communication among employees easier within hybrid or remote work models.

Benefits of 360° feedback review system for hybrid and remote employees

Given below are some benefits of using the 360° feedback review system for hybrid and remote employees.

Self-understanding

A 360-degree feedback system helps employees to understand when they are going wrong and how they need to improve. They come to know the areas for improvement from their managers, peers, and clients. This way they can self-understand their limitations and develop their skills as per the company requirements. Further, employees become more productive and efficient because of self-awareness.

Enhance communication and collaboration

Since the covid-19 outbreak, communication and collaboration have been challenging for various businesses. Managers and subordinates find it difficult to build close relationships when working remotely. Sometimes, managers make use of certain jargon during a long-distance video call that employees may not understand. Here is where 360-degree feedback can help managers to understand various communication challenges that employees face and jargon that should be avoided so that it doesn’t cause problems for the employees.

Eliminate biases

Remote or hybrid working employees may feel that employees who work on the site daily often receive more benefits than them. This kind of perception may affect the overall productivity of the company. In order to avoid such circumstances, managers can make use of a 360-degree feedback system to provide clear communication and maintain transparency among employees.

Bring cohesiveness

360-degree feedback evaluates an employee’s performance individually and as a team. The 360-degree evaluation ensures that employees’ efforts are aligned with the company’s mission, objectives, and vision.

Develop strong leadership skills

360-degree review surveys are meant not only for employees but also for managers too. Reviews offered by employees help managers to improve their leadership skills. Through anonymous survey platforms as offered by Engagedly’s performance review software, employees need not fear about their reviews being read by managers. Thus, employees can freely express their opinions regarding a manager’s team handling capability and performance to higher management. This may help managers to develop even their own leadership skills.

Improve employee engagement

Engaged employees can be highly efficient and productive. They’re even ready to go that extra mile to achieve their goals. With the use of a 360-degree feedback survey, you can get to know as a company what you should do so that employees will be highly engaged and motivated to do their jobs. Again here, you can make use of Engagedly’s performance review software to carry out anonymous surveys.

Summing up:

As hybrid and remote work environments become more prevalent, 360-degree feedback should become the norm. Management needs to adopt an innovative technical solution, such as Engagedly’s 360-degree performance review software, to understand the challenges faced by the employees and boost their performance.

Our 360-degree performance review software gives employees and their managers insight into their progress toward goals and key results. The solution can also help you to break down a larger goal into smaller ones that can be tracked and monitored. This would ensure that the employees are making advancements in the right direction.

Want to know how Engagedly can help you manage your hybrid employees better? Request us for a demo.

Request A Demo

10 Excellent Ways to Reward Remote Employees

Stop everything for a moment and think about the last time you were told that you were doing a great job. How did that make you feel? Good, right? All employees need that pat on the back to stay motivated and work at their optimal productivity levels.

Continue reading “10 Excellent Ways to Reward Remote Employees”

The Indian Labor Law on Work Environment

Also Read: Gender Equality Challenges in Leadership and How to Overcome Them

Effects of Remote Work on Fair Labor Laws

Inadequate Supervision

Miscalculated Overtime

Pay Inequity

Errors in Tracking Productivity

Compliance with Labor Laws

Effect on Employee Well-Being

Benefits of Remote Working

Cost Efficiency for Employers

Reduces Employees’ Expenses and Time

Also Read: Social Flow of Work: Enhance Digital Real-Time Collaboration with Engagedly

Enhances Productivity

Prioritizes Employees’ Health

Summing Up

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What are the Ministry of Labor & Employment’s four principal elements?

Q2. What advantages do remote jobs offer?

Q3. What is remote work monitoring?

Subscribe To The Engagedly Newsletter

Google Drive

Gmail

Also Read: How to Manage Grapevine Communication in an Organization

Google Voice

Slack

Trello

Also Read: 7 HR Tasks That Could (And Should) Have Been Automated Yesterday

Loom

Toggl

Calendly

Also Read: Why Frequently Recognizing Employee Contributions Is Essential

Doodle

Zoom

Google Meet

Canva

Also Read: What Is an Employee Net Promoter Score (NPS) and Why Does It Matter?

Which Business Tools Will You Use?

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What are software for SaaS companies?

Q2. What are SaaS collaboration tools?

Get In Touch With Us

More and more companies are using hybrid and remote work modes:

Also read: 4 Leadership Skills to Improve in a Hybrid Work Environment

Five lessons from remote and hybrid work:

Employees are not less engaged at work

It is possible to create a strong corporate culture

Also read: How to Build and Sustain Company Culture in a Hybrid Work Environment?

Teamwork doesn’t disappear

No need to use previous work practices

Nothing will be the same as before

Also read: 10 HR Technology Trends In 2023: Expanding AI, Digitization, and Elevating Hybrid Workplaces

Conclusion:

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is remote and hybrid work?

Q2. Why choose remote and hybrid work?

Get In Touch With Us

Set clear expectations

Also Read: How to Improve Internal Communication in the Workplace

Find the right tools for workplace communication

Use video to bridge the distance

Also Read: 10 HR Technology Trends In 2023: Expanding AI, Digitization, and Elevating Hybrid Workplaces

Build a sense of community

Schedule regular check-ins with your team

Have a plan for getting help when you need it

Also Read: How to Build and Sustain Company Culture in a Hybrid Work Environment?

Talk about texts and emails

Invite communities to talk about their experiences

Get everyone on the same page

Also Read: 4 Leadership Skills to Improve in a Hybrid Work Environment

Takeaway: Communicating well is vital to successful hybrid work

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is Hybrid Work?

Q2. Why improve workplace communication?

Q3. How to improve workplace communication?

Get In Touch With Us

Why Companies Should Have Welcome Kits

<img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-48245" src="https://engagedly.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Why-Welcome-Kit-for-Remote-Employees.png" alt="Why Welcome Kit for Remote Employees" width="700" height="400" />

Also read: How to Develop and Sustain Employee Engagement in Remote Workplace

Tips on How to Create Welcome Kits