The pandemic forced a number of changes to the way people went about their work globally. However, businesses are quickly realizing that even in a post-pandemic world, a number of those changes are here to stay.
Remote work has rapidly gone from being a “perk” or a COVID necessity to being a significant differentiator for employees. A FlexJobs survey indicated that as many as 96% of people want some form of remote work in their lives. Plenty of companies now prefer distributed workforces over centralized ones for the cost benefits they bring — and the understanding that people are more productive when working remotely anyway. It ought to be a priority for many organizations to institute a sustainable telecommuting policy for their employees.
Top 5 Teleworking Best Practices for Companies
Identify the Right Tools & Technology
You’ll want to get this right as a company. The technology you use to collaborate can either be a powerful enabler or a significant drag on your employees’ time. Conference call applications are a dime a dozen. But ask yourself, or rather your employees — how much are they getting out of the platform they’re currently using? How much time does it take to set up a call with all attendees? And how often do they have to switch between apps to access different functions?
There’s a reason technology is a crucial part of teleworking best practices: a truly versatile communication platform can do wonders for employee productivity. Class5 Technologies’ Wildix platform, for example, is an end-to-end collaboration solution, with everything from call management to video conferencing, chat and file sharing, e-faxing, and voicemail-to-text accessible through one platform. Not only does it let you streamline your virtual office communications, it sets you up for future expansion and saves you a bundle in the process.
Allow for True Location Independence
If you’re going to let your employees telecommute, then commit to it. One of the joys of remote working is the ability to contribute from whatever physical location your employees happen to be in, whether that’s their home, a coworking setup, a cafe, or a beach. Empower them to do this. Research shows that without intra-office distractions, employees feel significantly more comfortable in their work environment and are consequently more productive. It’s a teleworking best practice because it shows that you trust your employees, and this engenders loyalty in return.
This also means that you have to put in place the necessary infrastructure to let them seamlessly function from wherever they are. Traditional phone lines are useless when most of your employees aren’t even in the office. A VoIP phone system is your best bet. With Class5’s Wildix VoIP, your employees can connect to the platform through whichever device they prefer.
Enforce Security Protocols
Teleworking best practices inherently require heightened security protocols and measures. Cybersecurity challenges are a fact of life, especially for small businesses. Companies have needed to take extensive steps to secure their communications and data. With a solution like Wildix, you don’t have to worry about any of that. As a secure-by-design VoIP platform, it offers default SRTP encryption and 2-factor authentication so that all your sensitive data and proprietary information is protected.
Establish Clear Productivity Standards
Outlining crystal-clear KPIs and goals for your employees should be an important part of your telecommuting policy and best practices. Employees work better when they know what they’re working towards, whether in the office or outside of it.
Another way for you to measure productivity is by analyzing employees’ call times, especially if you have a remote sales team or customer support department. With Wildix Call Reporting, you get deep insights into your company’s calling activity, that show you exactly which calls and employees are costing you money versus those turning a profit.
Foster Interaction and Camaraderie
Establishing collegial rapport isn’t just a teleworking best practice — all companies should strive to make it happen. However, it assumes greater importance in the case of remote teams, since your employees aren’t likely to see each other that often.
Consider setting aside specific days or times for employee interaction. Host virtual events that actively help them bond. Encourage your employees to schedule short video calls to quickly discuss issues. With the right platform, this could be quicker than your employees having to physically go visit their colleagues at their desks in an office setup.
In Closing
Generally speaking, there is no unified template for incorporating teleworking best practices into company policy. Enterprises are built differently and tend to offer varying levels of remote work opportunities. Flexibility is key when it comes to these decisions.
Your people are your most valuable resource, and your processes should be designed to help them get the best out of themselves. For more questions about hosted VoIP solutions and their impact on teleworking productivity, don’t hesitate to contact us. Our experts are happy to help you.