There is ongoing turbulence in the workplace due to the uncertainties provided by the new virus, resulting in a whole lot of people working from home. Normally the work-from-home policies are established in advance, and employees are trained for the same, but current circumstances are not allowing for any transition time.

Working Remotely

Even high-performing employees can face a decline in job performance and engagement when working remotely. This can be due to:
<ul>
<li>Lack of face-to-face supervision, which leads to a two-way communication gap and even mistrust.</li>
<li>There is a delay in the procurement of information as remote workers aren’t able to sense the atmosphere and real-time events at the workplace, leading to a lack of ‘mutual knowledge’.</li>
<li>A sense of isolation among remote workers, leading to a feeling of less belongingness within the organization.</li>
<li>Distractions at home due to unplanned work-from-home transition, with employees balancing childcare and many other responsibilities along with work.</li>
</ul>

Common Challenges of Remote Work

A few specific, research-backed steps that can be taken to improve the engagement and productivity of remote employees:
<ul>
<li>Establishing Structured Daily check-ins, by establishing a daily call or touchpoint.</li>
<li>Providing several different communication technology options, using virtual communication tools like Slack, Zoom, Microsoft Teams etc., and making use of video conferencing.</li>
<li>Establishing clear rules of engagement for communicating with the coworkers or the managers, according to the levels of urgency.</li>
<li>Providing opportunities for remote social interaction by talking about non-work activities, thereby reducing the feeling of isolation among remote workers.</li>
<li>Offering encouragement and emotional support by listening to the workers, acknowledging their stress, and keeping their needs and issues in focus.</li>
</ul>

Improving Engagement And Productivity

Executive Summary With the Covid-19 epidemic, many employees - and their managers - are finding themselves working out of the office and separated from each other for the first time. Fortunately, there are specific, research-based steps that managers can take without great effort to improve the engagement and productivity of remote employees, even when there is little time to prepare.

Common Challenges of Remote Work

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