The work from home or hybrid workplace environment offers enormous benefits for both employers and employees alike. It removes significant overhead costs incurred through daily office use and reduces the stress of a commute for your employees entirely. However, it’s very easy for a work from home environment to fall apart at the seams when the right tools aren’t put in place. With so many employees separated from one another, your communication systems need to be well established to ensure your team is able to effectively communicate with one another and your customers on a daily basis. Some of the most essential solutions your work from home business needs to function at a high level include:
Voice over internet protocol, or VoIP phone systems provide you and your team with seamless, crystal clear communication no matter where you are in the world. Traditional landlines don’t work, as they require everyone to be tethered to a desk space, and cellphones can be unreliable when you need them most. VoIP systems operate off the internet, providing business teams with a full array of telecommunication products and services, while being far lower cost than traditional phone systems.
Typically bundled with VoIP software, virtual meeting software allows you and your team to connect directly as needed, allowing your team to collaborate much more effectively and work together towards project goals. Being able to see one another will also increase productivity and employee morale, as employees can become disheartened at times when working alone.
With your team operating on various different wireless networks and devices, there’s an increased risk for cyberattacks. Various weak points and entryways open the doors to your company’s critical data when operating in a work from home environment. A managed IT team can and will stop potential threats long before they ever have a chance to strike your business’ critical infrastructure.
Outside of the technology needed for keeping your business moving at maximum efficiency and your critical data as secure as possible, it’s important to ensure your team stays connected. Disconnect between team members can lower productivity, as some people thrive when working with another member of the team instead of on their own. Thankfully, there’s a multitude of ways to ensure your team members stay connected with one another on a regular basis to ensure peak efficiency. These include:
Virtual Breaks/Lunches/Happy Hours: Even though there may not be a break area for your employees to all congregate towards, it doesn’t mean it can’t happen virtually! Encourage your team to jump online from time to time to enjoy a short break together and catch up. The same can be done for lunches, or an end of the week happy hour so everyone can socialize and enjoy one another’s presence, even when completely separated.
Encourage Group Chats: Your employees have various interests outside of work, many of which they may even share. A great way to keep the team connected and communicating is by creating group chats through your communication platform to facilitate these conversations. This allows team members who may not work together regularly to connect on a level outside of work and get to know another better as well as the company.
Implement Office Hours: Office hours for leadership is a great way to open the doors for your team to openly communicate issues, frustrations, successes, and any other questions your team may have.
If you’re struggling to get your team connected in a work from home environment, count on the team at Digital Tsunami—simply contact us today either online or give us a call at (561) 570-5414.
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