Achieving more productivity with your team working at home than in the office

The biggest concern for employers is whether or not thier remote teams will be as productive as they were in the office.

Generally, it depends on two things:

• Set up: Are there work areas with lockable doors in the office? Or do you have more interruptions at home, because of the kids. Maybe there are too many endless meetings in the office, but there is a better internet connection at home. The set up can variate in many ways.

• Attitude: Better 4 hours focused work than 8 hours of bits and pieces. Working from home could give you more freedom and a better work-life balance, if you have the dicipline to stick to a plan (managing interruptions and getting out of their pyjamas early enough). 

However, during the Corona crisis, most professionals do not have the choice. Our experts explain why working from home can be more productive than working in the office. 

Benefits of working from home are clear to most of us: no time lost by commuting, being more focused on work rather than coffee drinking with colleagues, develop more healthier habits e.g. more time for sports or a walk at lunchtime, less costs for business trips by using video conferences. This all could result in a reduction of sick days taken and costs and retain talents in your team giving them more freedom. 

How to overcome WFH threats 

Many employees wish more flexibility at work, namely home office. With Corona forcing many companies to send their staff working remotely, the threats of this working model are experienced without any transition time: kids and pets can distract, group pressure from colleagues and the boss decreases to achieve tasks, separating work and private life is hard to manage and less connection with colleagues causes isolation and could result in metal health issues. 

As a manager talk openly about your WFH routine, e.g. the times you are available best or times you must take care of your kids, etc. Through this your team can better support you, align their routine if they are more flexible and it helps your team to be together more productive. Communicate openly with your staff members and develop individual plans on how they can achieve their goals. Explore further tips on how to successfully manage teams remotely. 

Post this pandemic, we believe many businesses will re-think their WFH guidelines and increase flexibility for employees due to proven trust during Corona. On the other side employees will value both WFH and the office environment – maybe some employees will value the office even more. 

Wish for more information on remote working? Explore our expert tips now. ay to approach any challenge in the future is far better than dwelling on the mistakes of the past.

Robert Walters offer expert hiring advice to our clients looking to attract and retain top professionals whilst accommodating the needs and demands of the modern workforce. Contact us today at south.africa@robertwalters.com for your latest recruitment needs.