Since the development and popularity of cloud has grown over the recent years, the option to work from home has increased in likelihood for many employees – but it is not just the cloud that is changing the tide, employees are changing the old office structure and suggesting new, innovative working techniques to better fit their home/ life balance and working strategies.
In a study conducted by Garnter, employee retention increases to 10 percent when employees have the option for remote work at least one day a week. This research suggests employees like having the option and flexibility to work from home as needed. This is especially so during this current pandemic with COVID-19.
However, it is one thing to say you offer flexible work and another to implement the working from home option. Many businesses do not have the structure in place to have all systems go whilst most employees work from home. To make the transition from office to home easier for your business, we were able to compile a list of mistakes businesses make when asking employees to work from home.
Here are the top 10 mistakes employers make when asking staff to work from home:
- Poor equipment – Do you know what devices your employees have access to whilst working from home? Do you know what is installed? If your company did not supply the laptops, mobile devices, etc. it is hard to know for sure what is on your employee’s computers. Even if you did supply the devices, there is no guarantee the equipment is up-to-date and ready for long-term home use if you are not diligent on checking.
- No guidance or training on best practices – Sometimes training may fall through the cracks. Employees need the structure and security of knowing their job requirements and need training on a regular basis to ensure they have what they need to succeed.
- No monitoring to see who has difficulties – if you are not face-to-face at the office, it is hard to tell who needs help. Unless you have an outspoken employee requesting more help, you really do not know which employee needs additional assistance.
- No method of optimizing communications – Phone, video call, chat, email, there are plenty of ways to communicate via web, but which is the most efficient for your business? If you do not have a plan for communication information can be lost.
- No regular reviews – reviewing and catching up with your employees on a regular basis helps ensure your business is on track. If you do not have reviews, your business risks productivity and your employees lack direction.
- Failing to set up work groups – Just like any business, teamwork is crucial to getting the job done. Is your team prepped for online group collaboration? Working in the office hive is very different than being at home. To get the same energy flow there are tools you can use to ensure teamwork is fluid for creativity and performance.
- Under utilising web conferencing – working from home, through offers the perks of flexible work hours, can become isolating. It may be easier to send chats to one another but oftentimes the software you are paying for includes a conferencing feature. It would be better to fully utilise conference calls to ensure you use what you are paying for and to also give virtual face-to-face interaction to reduce isolation.
- Failing to keep a professional image – looking disorganised can be just as detrimental as being disorganised, this is especially so with your partners and clients.
- Not creating virtual workspaces – individual work and groupwork are the way the workplace functions. Yet, for employees who are not used to work from home it may be harder to stay on track. Having a workspace allows your employees to work effectively and keep them on track.
- Underutilizing modern workspace facilities – if you have to think hard about this then you probably need to catch up on how the modern workplace functions. Software has changed alongside the changing employee/ work dynamics to better the fusion between the two.
After reviewing this list, do you notice that your business may be lacking in some areas? Don’t panic. I am here to tell you that even if you aren’t ready now, all these mistakes are fixable.
Microsoft Office 365 can be the solution for you to fix most of these gaps in your modern workplace. With Microsoft Office 365 you have access to all the Office 365 application on premise and in the cloud, making the transition to work from home a lot easier. Microsoft Teams is the real VIP here, offering voice and video calling, conference calls, chats, virtual team collaboration, and many more benefits.
Most businesses use Microsoft daily and understand the perks. Yet, so many businesses pay for licensing and do not fully utilise what they pay for. This could be because your employees do not know what is offered on their license subscription or that your employees lack the training to understand and use their Office applications.
Here at TBSC we can use agentless technology to track and monitor your subscriptions and usage. After comparing the data, we can see who is using or not using an apps, like Teams, and provide Microsoft training to ensure your employees will use the app in the future. The good news is, we can help you virtually! We do not have to be face-to-face to gather the data. We simply deploy agentless technology and scan through a web-browser using our quick, efficient, and cost-effective product, Smarter 365.
With one simple click, your Microsoft Office 365 subscriptions can be tracked easily to ensure you are fully using your licenses. Our technology provides detailed reports on your application usage and even offers ways to save on licensing costs! The best part? Smarter 365 is the smarter way of managing your Office 365 because everything is automatic. This means if you are looking to optimise your license you can avoid the grueling process and let Smarter 365 do it for you.
Smarter 365 provides an easy and efficient solution to your software tracking. By automating the process, time and money are spent wisely. Saving your business big in the end.
For more information about Smarter 365, please check us out online at: https://tbsc.cloud/ or send an email to a member of our sales team: sales@businesssoftwarecentre.com
