Employee productivity is one of the factors that help determine a company’s efficiency. You might agree that it’s easy to pay attention to a company's working environment and staff’s productivity when working on office premises. Moreover, in case of any technical complication, you can efficiently troubleshoot it with the help of IT personnel. It ensures that the work goes on smoothly and without any disruption.

However, troubleshooting technical complications is relatively challenging in remote working. The absence of IT staff and minimal knowledge about the technicalities affects the employees' productivity and morale.

Fortunately, there are a few brilliant tricks that you can use to streamline remote working and boost productivity. Curious to learn more? Scroll down!

Set SMART Goals

Remote working brings numerous challenges, and the most evident change is the working environment. Generally, it takes time for employees to get used to working from home, especially if this policy does not already exist in your company. That’s why you should consider changing your regular goals to “SMART” goals.

The term “SMART” here refers to Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely. In short, you should make minor adjustments to your prevailing objectives and turn them into fewer yet achievable objectives. It will ensure that the shift in the working environment does not affect the staff’s productivity.

Master Basic Yet Essential Technical Skills

Working from home means a scenario of regular digital meetings and more presentations. Such a scenario can make it challenging to remember every piece of information and record the minutes of the meeting. That’s why it is suggested to learn some basic and essential technical skills such as how to screen record on mac, extract text from digital files, or use keyboard shortcuts. Believe it or not, it will come in very handy during your meeting and help you save time.

Tip: You can also look for different applications that can help you perform the aforementioned technical functions. Applications will elevate convenience levels and ensure better productivity.

Hire A Virtual Assistant

Virtual assistants (VA’s) are independent contractors who help manage their clients' administrative tasks from a remote location. They are highly competent for remote working and allow you to delegate the non-value-added yet essential tasks. It will ensure that your employees can focus on the SMART objectives while VAs handle other tasks. In simple terms, they can assist your in-house team.

Not to mention, hiring virtual assistants will also help you save more. It is because you can employ them temporarily to complete a certain task. Thus, you’ll save on recruitment and resource deployment costs.

Focus On Task Delegation

You might agree that the number of distractions in WFH is a lot more than working from the office. The distractions can range from managing house chores, keeping kids engaged to preparing presentations and dealing with a slow internet connection. These issues make it challenging to pay attention to the numerous tasks at hand.

In such circumstances, a brilliant trick that you can try is to delegate the work wisely. That means learning about your employees' strengths and weaknesses and assigning them to work accordingly. Make sure that the “value-added” tasks are given priority. It will allow the staff to complete the important task more efficiently and use adequate resources.

On the other hand, you can outsource or hire a VA to complete the non-value-added or add-on projects. It will ensure that all the projects are moving according to the set timeline without compromising the quality of work.

Recharge Break Is A Must

Working constantly causes exhaustion which further affects the overall productivity. Moreover, remote working means there is little to no changing the overall surrounding of the staff. It can create a monotonous feel. That’s why you should create a proper schedule that includes adequate breaks to help the employees recharge themselves. Even a 10 minutes break in between 2-3 hours can improve productivity to a significant extent.

Likewise, you can arrange virtual events such as photobooth, cooking class, scavenger hunt, and more. It will allow the staff to interact and create bonds. Such events during remote working facilitate teamwork and create a mutual understanding between the employees. Plus, it is a great way to relieve work-related stress and refresh the mind.

Make Use Of Calendars

Did you know that calendars are a better way to organize tasks than a to-do list? Yes, you read it right! Studies have shown that to-do lists increase the stress level, which eventually affects productivity.

Now the question is- How can you organize your task without using a to-do list? Well, using a calendar to create a timeline and manage the work is a great way. Here’s how you can do it:

  • Begin with your SMART goals
  • Break the goals into smaller action items
  • Add the actions in your calendar (assist on essential tasks to accomplish in a week)
  • Check the progress of the task every morning and make necessary changes accordingly.
  • At the end of the week, evaluate the whole week. Learn about the areas of improvement and schedule the following week accordingly.

Say No To Multitasking

Generally, in order to handle multiple things at the same time, the quality of work gets affected. In a few scenarios, the staff gets overwhelmed by the work and does nothing at all. Such scenarios may also affect the work of other employees and influence the organization’s overall productivity.

That’s why it is recommended to focus on one task at a time. It will ensure that more work is done in less time. Furthermore, the quality of work is not compromised and helps organizations to accomplish their SMART goals.

In case more than one task needs immediate attention, you can allocate it to other efficient employees. It will help boost the employees' morale and help them feel connected to the organization.

To Sum It All Up

Strategic planning helps in elevating productivity and boosting the employee’s morale. Additionally, learning some basic technical skills will enhance employee efficiency, benefiting the company. So, you try the tricks mentioned above and reap its benefits.