Looking to set up a remote workforce? Get the right hardware and software in place so your team can hit the ground running.
Effective communication is vital when managing a remote team. Without the opportunity for face-to-face interaction, you’ll need to rely on communication software to facilitate meetings, one-on-ones and less formal communication, like water cooler catch-ups and break-time banter:
- Select your channels. How do you plan to communicate? Will you rely on email, an app or a sophisticated communications software? Decide on your primary channels of communication and let your team know how to register and set up their accounts.
- Clarify expectations. How often do you want your team to check in? You may want an end-of-day report, or may prefer they touch base at the top of the morning. Let your staff know how and when you expect them to check in.
- Schedule regular meetings. Structure and routine can help a remote workforce feel less removed and more cohesive. Balance regularly scheduled one-on-ones with company-wide meetings to help connect at-home staff.
- Set boundaries. Accessibility can be a double-edged blade — while online communication is quick and convenient, it can also gnaw at the lines that separate work life from home. Established desk hours can help both you and your staff set reasonable boundaries.
- Enable informal communication. You don’t need a water cooler to facilitate workplace chit-chat. Have ways dedicated to casual conversation topics, like recipe swapping, reading suggestions or four-legged officemates.
But don’t micromanage
Communication is important but over-communicating can hinder productivity. Scheduled check-ins keep everyone on the same page, but make sure you give your employees the time and space to buckle down and get to work. If you need some level of employee monitoring, make sure that expectations and communication are clear.
Choosing the right software is the name of the game for remote workforces. With the right platforms at your disposal, you can manage projects, communications, payroll, accounting, file sharing and so much more.
Finder’s choice: Slack + Zoom + Jira
Here at Finder, we use a combination of Slack, Zoom and Jira to stay connected and get work done.
Slack is where company-wide communications unfold. Channels are organized by team and topic with the option to reach out to individual staff members through Slack’s private direct messaging feature. We use Zoom for virtual meetings, from weekly company-wide sessions to one-on-one’s with direct managers.
And Jira functions as our online project-management solution. Jira lets us ticket up tasks, assign them to team members and organize individual and team workflows by priority level.
Together, these three core pieces of software are used by our in-office and remote workforce daily to stay in touch and on task.
While software is an integral piece of the at-home workforce puzzle, you also need to ensure your staff has the right hardware, too.
If possible, allow your staff to take home portable in-office tech, like laptops, mobile Internet hubs and USB sticks. If taking home tech is too cumbersome, find out what personal hardware your team has access to and verify if it will work for the software you intend to use.
Once the team is set up, consider implementing scheduled software updates, cloud-based storage and setting up virtual private networks (VPNs) to secure company networks.
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How to handle tech if you didn’t have time to plan
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many businesses across the US to shift in-person operations online. If your business is scrambling to switch to a work-from-home model amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, here’s how to handle tech setup on short notice:
- Make sure everyone has a computer. Don’t assume all of your employees have a working laptop at home — and one with a camera for meetings. If you can’t buy a new computer and camera for everyone in the company right now, start by getting tech for anyone who doesn’t already have the basics.
- Order keyboards on Amazon. Laptops are a convenient way to work from home, but can be uncomfortable to work from for eight hours a day. External monitors, keyboards, mice and laptop stands can be purchased online and directly delivered to staff members to help them create a more comfortable and ergonomic at-home workspace.
- Take advantage of free software. A number of business software providers offer free service tiers, including Slack, Asana, Dropbox and Zoom. If funds are tight, it’s possible to set up software for your remote workforce entirely for free.
- Ramp up security protocols. If you haven’t already done so, ask your staff to set up two-factor authentication on their company accounts and secure access to company servers through a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) VPN. You can also use a password manager to encrypt and coordinate password usage across multiple accounts.
Fostering an empowered and supportive company culture — especially in light of COVID-19 — is essential. And there are plenty of ways to bolster morale, even on distributed teams:
- Hold a virtual photo contest
- Schedule video conference coffee breaks
- Hold a virtual dance or yoga party
- Host a weekly team wellness seminar
- Send out monthly snack boxes
- Coordinate fitness goals with an exercise app
- Dedicate a communications channel to company pets
To ensure your remote workforce has all they need to start working from home, make a to-do list of any odds and ends that still need be to tackled:
- Set up direct deposit. Eliminate paper paychecks and set up direct deposit through your business bank account provider or a payroll software like Gusto or OnPay.
- Clean out the office kitchen. Planning to be out of the office for a while? Let staff members claim what’s left in the kitchen or donate the excess to a local shelter.
- Hold onto business receipts. Remind your team to hold onto business receipts for home office supplies come tax season.
- Schedule preliminary one-on-ones. Set up your first set of one-on-ones, even if it’s simply to touch base with team leaders to ensure everyone has what they need to get to work.
How to keep your business running during the outbreak
The way we conduct our work is changing — and COVID-19 has initiated a massive migration toward working online. Empower your team to work remotely by selecting the hardware and software that best serves your business’s needs.
For more on COVID-19, explore our coronavirus hub.
Here at Finder, we use a combination of Slack, Zoom and Jira to stay connected and get work done.
