In today’s corporate world, remote work has become a necessity. Especially in big cities where workers spend a good chunk of time commuting. Rather than waste valuable time commuting, they’d rather spend that doing some valuable work, saving cost and energy that can be transferred to other endeavors.
While it has its benefits, remote work has some disadvantages, chief of which being productivity. A 2019 research showed that distraction at home and staying motivated are challenges remote workers face. It can be a daunting task to ward off distractions at home, especially for those who don’t have a dedicated workspace.
On the part of project managers, tracking the progress of remote workers can be exhausting. When remote workers become unproductive when distracted and unmotivated, making working from home a disadvantage. Therefore business owners need to recognize flaws in their remote work processes quickly. Here are signs that indicate your remote work processes are flawed and how you can correct them to improve productivity.
Missed Deadlines
Missed deadlines can be very costly to businesses. The success of a project is determined by the scope, cost, and time of delivery. If staff miss deadlines consistently, the manager should be concerned. It could be that staff are overburdened, or there is a communication barrier. Poor communication leaves a vacuum in the team and your employees won’t know what to do.
Managers can use a project management tool to keep the team updated. These tools enable real-time progress projects and notify the team members when deadlines draw close. Employees can also use project collaboration tools to prioritize their tasks in order of importance. This way, they can plan their work schedule and allocate more time to pressing issues.
A Lack of Disseminated Information
In large organizations, most departments function independently and use different technologies to execute their tasks, resulting in a problem when these departments have to share data. Work processes can be slowed down when employees don’t have the needed resources to execute their tasks. There must be a standardized format for disseminating information to eliminate work silos.
Businesses can implement a centralized data system and access the resources needed to execute tasks. A file-sharing repository ensures everyone has the latest files and eliminates ambiguity. It also saves time that would have been spent sending these files directly to multiple employees.
Time Zone Dependency
Remote work affords businesses access to a wider talent pool and allows them to leverage diversity to innovate. However, companies still have to battle time zone differences, slowing down work processes and making collaboration very laborious.
Imagine holding a meeting with team members from five different time zones. With the different software available, the need for synchronous meetings is dwindling. To determine whether you need to have simultaneous meetings with your team, you can start by asking pressing questions like who needs to be in the meeting and who doesn’t.
Collaboration tools have made it possible for teams to work anywhere, anytime. And, if your team needs to meet often, meetings can be set up at a mutually convenient time. Rather than being a victim of time zone differences, you can make it benefit you.
You can use a Virtual PBX to make collaboration seamless across your remote employees. With virtual PBX services, you can integrate your employees’ devices to enjoy the benefits of a business phone service. Employees enjoy using multiple communication channels such as voice, fax, online meetings in one system. They can receive and make calls using their extensions or direct lines.
Lack of Clarity
Virtual communication often gets misinterpreted. Over-reliance on text can gradually erode the importance of face-to-face communication. It is also easy for the team to misinterpret instructions in textual form. This can prove costly if the team discovers the error close to the delivery of the project.
You can use Virtual PBX phones to set up conference calls easily when clarification is needed. Its cloud-based configuration eliminates the need for external hardware. It can be up and running in less time at a cheaper cost. It is also easy to integrate with external applications making the experience richer.
Asking the Right Questions
These loopholes reduce productivity and incur costs. Asking the right questions is all it takes. Once you identify them, resolving becomes easier. This way, your remote team can run hitch-free.
