Your employees don’t like working from home, which isn’t a good sign considering everybody has to do it for the foreseeable future. Typically, you’d use remote work as a perk to reward workers. Of course, the only people who benefit from it are the ones who want to get out of the office.
This is a contributed post. Please refer to my disclosure for more information.
As this pandemic has proven, a lot of employees prefer the background buzz of the workplace. Not only is it as productive, but there are fewer distractions to sap their motivation levels. You’re the boss, which means you have to find a solution to the problem, and that’s not easy since you can’t open the office to everybody.
However, you can learn more about why workers don’t enjoy the process and use the information to limit the damage. If you’re wondering where to start, you’ll find four of the main reasons people hate remote work and the fixes.
Working 24/7
Working from home makes it harder than ever to switch off from the office. When the living room becomes the war room for answering calls and replying to emails, your employees will get into a routine. Before long, they’ll scroll through accounts way after their shift is over, which is unhealthy for everyone.
As a business owner, you need your workers to be motivated and refreshed, and working twenty-four-hour shifts isn’t conducive. 80% of workers spend time answering emails and returning phone calls ‘after hours’, so the problem needs to be addressed. To do it, you should encourage people to prioritize workloads.
If the essential tasks are already done, there is no reason for anyone to stay online and catch up. Another option is to ask your staff to tell the team when they’re leaving for the day. Then, calls and emails can be diverted or left until they log on.
Not Leaving Home
Sometimes, spending all day indoors doing nothing is bliss. Of course, when you do it all day, every day, it becomes a grind. The health crisis makes it worse because it’s not as if your workers have the same freedoms any longer. Therefore, thinking of ways to break up the monotony is tough.
One thing employers are doing is encouraging colleagues to keep in touch and meet up in a secure place. By doing this, employees can interact safely and incorporate some of their old routines into their day. It goes without saying that you should only mention the idea if everyone is comfortable with it.
Alternatively, you should go easy on the meetings and calls. When your team doesn’t have to bother with virtual or traditional calls, they can complete tasks in public places such as coffee shops. Try to make calls only when they are necessary so that workers have the chance to mix up their environments.
Feeling Uncomfortable
Home offices aren’t set up for long hours staring at a computer screen. For most people, the idea of an ergonomic chair is a foreign concept, and for the rest, it only happens in the workplace. After all, you’re happy to accommodate comfort levels when it could boost productivity.
Advising your staff on the best home office layouts is always a smart move as lots won’t understand the small tweaks that can make a massive difference. However, you may have to go the extra mile and supplement purchases to have an impact on their comfort. The good news is, a bean bag chair is affordable and ergonomic.
One of the advantages of bean bag chairs is that the material moulds to the body. As a result, it supports almost any body shape. Plus, it adds an element of fun to a home office, which may be the difference between maintaining a high level of morale and watching it drop like a stone!
Lack Of Support
A lack of support can manifest itself in many ways, yet the one employees care about the most is IT advice. Computers and servers are volatile, and if they decide not to play ball, workers can spend all day trying to repair issues rather than working.
It’s frustrating for everyone since employees would prefer to get on with their day and not deal with the interruption. Therefore, it’s essential to open a direct line of communication to a tech engineer. At the very least, the IT department should be accessible and easy to reach.
By doing this, you’ll reassure your staff that there is a backup plan in place.
Are your employees struggling? How are you making it less of a challenge?
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