5 Tips and Tools to Boost Productivity for Employees on the Go
Advancements in recent technology are shifting traditional approaches of nearly all business operations. Mobile devices, readily accessible internet, and the cloud are becoming increasingly relied upon for the ability of employees to work virtually from anywhere, at any time.
Smartphones, laptops, tablets, and other mobile devices are allowing for such maneuverability of workers that more and more companies are choosing to let their employees work remotely. In fact, “77% of companies with more than 2500 employees allow remote working.” With our reliance on smartphones and other mobile devices, working remotely is becoming widely accepted, and in some instances, a necessity of the workforce.
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Allowing your employees to work remotely comes with its advantages — cost effectiveness, employee satisfaction, and employee retention — however there is always the question of productivity when employees aren’t required a designated location to work. So, how do you reap the benefits of allowing employees to work remotely while maintaining a cohesive, productive unit?
Read up on the tips and tools below for sustaining productivity levels while supporting the growing trend of remote working.
Project Management
A comprehensive project management software is the hub of any company and its activities. It is imperative that your business has a way to track and monitor all the tasks, clients, and daily duties to maintain elevated efficiency levels. It is entirely possible for productivity and efficiency to be kept the same, or become more efficient by allowing employees to work remotely. Your project management software just needs to be cloud-based and able to run on mobile devices, such as ProofHub.
A project management tool that accommodates the on-the-go employee is essential for productivity so you and your team can clearly see who needs to be working on what task, at any time, anywhere. Efficiency standards can be met and exceeded if you provide a way for your remote team to schedule deadlines, check off and assign tasks to one another, and perform other organizational and collaborative activities. It is essentially an easily accessible progress report for your team members to keep on track while managers can monitor productivity.
StayNTouch, a SaaS mobile hotel property management system that prides themselves for operating via mobile devices and the cloud, advocates remote work in saying that “organizations that are mobile ‘pioneers’ saw a 16% boost in productivity, as well as an increase in staff creativity and loyalty.” So, if no productivity is lost by allowing your team to work remotely, and they are happier, why not consider a project management software that welcomes this trending work environment?
Communication and Collaboration
Employees on-the-go will need to preserve constant communication for maximum productivity. Providing them with multiple tools to do so on their desktop computer, laptop, tablet, and smartphone will allow them to communicate better.
Imagine, a team member could receive a message requiring their expertise regarding a problem. So long as they have their mobile device with them, they can respond promptly on their phone, tablet, or whatever mobile device they received the message on to solve the problem in a matter of minutes. This team member could be at their home, getting ready to take off on an airplane, or relaxing on the beach miles away. No longer will communication have to wait until the next business day when a team member gets back into the office.
Cloud-based communication tools and software such as Slack, Google Hangouts, and Gmail are very handy for team members to constructively collaborate with each other as well as for managers and customers. Communication is a major contributor to productivity, and choosing a communication tool that works for all mobile devices will increase the chances for more constructive communication and higher productivity.
Organization and Time Management
Scheduling, deadlines, and timesheets are all part of the job, and a remote team can operate just as successfully as an on-site team, if not better when provided the tools for these duties. Through various tools and software, remote team members can see when they are scheduled to work, clock in and out, and can track their hours — all while being away from the office. Managers can track and monitor this information for productivity as well — even while out of the office.
Productivity tools are aplenty, and it’s just a matter of preference when choosing one for your team. It’s important for you and your team members to find a good work-life balance. An amicable work-life balance — when established among your team members — will improve employee satisfaction and, as a result, productivity. However, it is crucial for team members to be able to track their time and efforts to know when they can take a break, or when they need to be putting their nose to the grindstone.
Focus
Speaking of putting your nose to the grindstone, remote work presents ample opportunity to get distracted and driven off task. Taking breaks to eat some food, play a game, look at your social media account, or take a nap are easy to do when you are in charge of your own work productivity. This is fine if you are getting your work done, but what about the times you just can’t concentrate?
Well, there’s an app for that — actually, several apps. If you can’t stay away from Facebook, the QuickBook’s Resource Center recommends StayFocusd, among over a hundred other tools that benefit employees on-the-go. “StayFocusd is a browser extension that can help by blocking your access to distracting sites. It may seem a bit extreme at first, but if you really want to stay focused, it’s a no-willpower-needed solution.” Other apps such as Coffitivity, can provide you with white noise for concentration and ShareDesk that notify you of spaces to work if your usual workspace is occupied by people who are distracting you from your work.
A team member’s ability to focus on their work is foundational for productivity. In a remote work environment especially, it’s vital to stay focused during the times when you need to get work done. In many cases, your productivity in a remote work environment depends solely on you. And if that means that you have to download a browser extension that prohibits you from writing a status update on Facebook, then so be it!
File Sharing
Productivity includes managing multiple documents together, signing and passing documents back and forth, and working collaboratively on particular projects. Working remotely means that you’ll be exchanging these documents digitally — sometimes over hundreds of miles and across time zones. Having the tools and software to handle these situations without any hiccups can make the process easier than actually handling the documents in office.
For digitally managing documents, G Suite is conventionally used for Google Docs’ ability to allow multiple team members to collaborate on the same document simultaneously. However, it’s not the only file management system out there, and you may find others to your preference. Whatever the case may be, a cloud-based file sharing tool or software is essential for remote workers.
For example, imagine if you had an important document that has to be done by the morning and it needs to pass through several team members before it is complete. Dated methods would require one team member to work on a document, then send it to another team member who is waiting to receive the document, who then works on it and sends it to another waiting team member, etc. Certain cloud-based applications allow for all team members to go in and fine tune the document at the same time, while communicating with other team member whenever they need to. This collaborative factor provides the necessary mobility and flexibility for maximum productivity in a minimal amount of time.
Resistance to implementing remote work into most businesses usually involves the (primarily false) notion that productivity levels drop when workers don’t work on-site. Productivity levels only drop when businesses don’t make the proper tools accessible for their employees. When team members are allowed, and prepared, to manage any aspect of their business on any mobile device, productivity levels can rise simply because of the accessibility and ease of access to solve the problem at hand.
Give your team members the tools to facilitate this accessibility containing better methods of managing business operations, and you’ll have a smooth running business — and every team member will be appreciative and loyal to your company. Consider the tools and tips above if you are entertaining the thought of providing a remote working environment for you and your employees. It’s a win-win situation to increase employee satisfaction while boosting productivity levels.
There’s a reason why 77 percent of companies with more than 2500 employees allow remote working. Employees are simply more productive when they are happy and provided with the freedom to work anywhere they want to. Mobile devices are transforming what the traditional work week looks like for a lot of businesses, and companies have started realizing that working remotely is beneficial for everyone.
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About Author:
Devin has been a dishwasher, a business owner, and everything in between. It took him a while to settle on a dream, so he tried out everyone else’s to varying degrees of success. You can find him in Daly City or on Twitter, whichever is closer.
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