Allowing your staff the liberty and adaptability to work remotely might seem daunting. What will occur when they're not under your direct supervision? Since transitioning to a mix of in-office and remote work or a fully remote model at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous employers have been pleased to discover that productivity has remained consistent, if not enhanced! However, it's understandable that some employees find it challenging to work effectively on their own. Curious about how to maintain the productivity of your remote workers while they're operating from the comfort of their homes? Continue reading!
5 Tips for Improving Work-from-Home Productivity
Working from home is an amazing perk. Let’s talk about how you can help your staff members make the most of it.
1. Create Opportunities for “Face-to-Face” Interactions
While it's important for everyone to have moments of solitude, remote work can lead to feelings of isolation. Keep your team connected and motivated by scheduling regular or semi-regular video conferences over Zoom, Google Meet, or another suitable platform.
Even if the agenda for the meeting is purely business-related, a brief gathering to allow everyone to greet each other and catch up can significantly boost morale. In fact, deliberately creating a space for employees to discuss topics other than work can be invigorating. What activities did your employees engage in over the weekend? Are there any major trips planned? How are their loved ones?
Consider this: In a traditional office environment, there would be some casual conversation. This would provide an opportunity for team members to bond. So, aim to replicate this environment even when working remotely. Fostering a positive atmosphere is beneficial for both morale and productivity.
On a slightly different note…
2. Create Blocks of Time for Focused Work
Many companies have “No-Meeting Wednesdays” or something similar. On these days, no one is allowed to schedule any meetings, and if they do, invitees aren’t required to accept. This gives people undisturbed time to simply focus on the work in front of them.
Can’t clear out a whole day? Block out windows of time, then — three or four hours at a time. Your employees should feel free to put their Slack accounts on “do not disturb” during these blocks, as well. Let them do what you hired them to do, uninterrupted.
3. Continue Drug and Alcohol Testing as Per Your Policy
Unbeknownst to many people, yes, employers can drug test their remote workers. It might seem controlling, but remember that while they’re on the clock, you are paying them to do a job! Just because they’re working from home doesn’t mean they have free reign to do whatever they want during the workday. Consuming drugs and alcohol can significantly hamper productivity, increase the likelihood of errors, and lead to more accidents and crime. This is especially risky for employees who work directly with your customers or clients.
Be sure that any and all testing you conduct aligns with your drug-free workplace policy. This helps to protect you, your business entity, and your staff. If needed, update your policy to accommodate the work-from-home environment. You should have open communication about your policy with your team so that everyone is on the same page and feels comfortable coming to you or HR with any questions, comments, or concerns.
Learn more about our employee drug testing and services.
4. Create Structured Flexibility
One positive thing about working from home is that it makes it easier for your employees to work when it makes the most sense for them. They might more easily have the opportunity to pick their kids up from school, schedule doctor appointments, or do chores around the house.
If it doesn’t impact their work, then there probably isn’t an issue. However, many individuals do better when they have some boundaries — even light ones. For instance, maybe you require people to be immediately available via Slack during normal business hours in their time zone, even if they’re running an errand or picking up their child and aren’t actually at their computer at that time. This way, they still have flexibility in their schedule, but they’re also still present when you need to communicate with them.
5. Purposefully Recognize Good Work
When everyone shows up to an office five days a week, and you have in-person meetings, acknowledging good work often comes naturally. This means that when you change the environment, giving employees words of affirmation might not happen that much — or ever.
Set a reminder in your calendar if you have to, and make a point of recognizing the incredible things your employees are doing! Send out an email to your department or the company, or post about it in Slack.
Similarly, encourage people to send positive feedback they receive or milestones they hit to their managers. Everyone needs to be their own PR person. Maybe, for example, one employee gave a presentation to the sales team, and the sales director later complimented their work via email. That person should forward that email to their manager! It can be awkward to promote ourselves like this, but if your team knows that you support it, they’ll be likelier to do it.
Keeping remote employees productive might take a little extra elbow grease and some creativity. Always be open to feedback and be transparent with your employees about wanting to create a remote work environment that’s conducive to both the company’s success and your team’s well-being. Remember that you’re all on the same side. Work together to come up with healthy solutions and your employees will be in a better position to produce their very best work.
Making employee drug testing part of the workplace is an important part of setting your work environment up for success. Ready to take the next step? We’re here to guide you! Contact us today to learn more about how US Drug Test Centers can help keep your business drug- and alcohol-free.
Calee Davis is the Director of Client Services and has been with US Drug Test Centers since 2018. 
