Since Coronavirus, the landscape of the modern workforce has changed. The number of remote workers has shot up from 4.7% in 2019 (pre-covid) to around 14% in 2024.
Whilst that doesn’t sound like a monumental jump, Coronavirus certainly introduced a large portion of the modern workforce to what life could be like working remotely.
With 78% of remote workers (in May 2022) stating that working from home has given them a better work life balance, it’s crucial to see why the option to work from home is highly sought after.
On the flip side, an independent report done by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research shows remote working can lead to a 10-20% drop in productivity.
So by now you’re probably wondering… “How do I build a productive remote working environment?”
In this blog, we’ll be walking through the Dos and Don’ts of a remote working environment to ensure you get the best out of your team.
Contents of this blog...
Tip 1 - Encourage Creativity & Collaboration.
Promoting collaboration and creativity in a remote working environment is essential for maintaining productivity, fostering innovation, and ensuring team cohesion.
Due to the isolated nature of most remote working environments, some employees may experience feelings of disconnection and general demotivation, leading to a decline in general productivity levels and employee welfare.
A study by the Royal Society of Public Health found that 67% of remote workers reported a disconnect between themselves and their colleagues.
In order to combat this, you should be actively encouraging team members to come together, given the opportunity.
Whether it’s to engage in brainstorming sessions, share ideas or collaborate on a project.
Make sure you’re doing this where possible and you’ll quickly see the benefits, as a collaborative environment can often bring forward fresh perspectives and solutions to particularly challenging problems.
Tip 2 - Create Accountability
Tip 3 - Trust Your Team
On the topic of trust, it’s essential to have faith in your team when working in a remote setting because it forms the foundation of a healthy working environment.
Trust allows team members to feel confident in their abilities and decisions, leading to increased independence and innovation.
When leaders trust their team, it reduces the need for constant supervision and micromanagement, which can be both time-consuming and demotivating. This trust also promotes a positive work environment where employees feel respected and valued.
An easy way to achieve this is to set deadlines for projects and let your team get on with it.
This moves us onto our next topic, micromanagement.
Tip 4 - Avoid Micromanagement
Probably one of the biggest destroying factors of a healthy remote workforce is micromanagement.
Typically, micromanagement is found where a foundational trust isn’t, and truth be told, nobody wants their direct supervisor clock watching or monitoring everything they do.
Micromanaging your employees can be a clear indicator of distrust, with 71% of employees say micromanagement interferes with their job performance and 85% saying that being micromanaged affects their morale.
A dissatisfied and disengaged workforce will never deliver the same quality of work that their respective opposites would, which is why we can’t stress the importance of avoiding micromanagement when your team is fully remote.
How do I avoid micromanaging my team?
Tip 5 - Hire the Right People
