The sudden transition to the remote working model was a rude shock for business owners and employees. But everyone gradually came to terms with the approach and learned the secrets of productivity. Now that businesses are poised to reopen, another transition is on the way. Even as people will be back to the office, things are different in the new normal. Office layouts aren’t the same as people need to maintain distance. The general anxiety about the virus is a stress factor that can impact efficiency. But you can take some simple measures to max employee productivity and drive business recovery. Let us share them with you.
Prioritize safety and well-being
The first measure is to implement the apt precautions for employee safety and well-being as they return to work. Despite the vaccine rollouts, the threat of a repeating wave of new virus strains looms large. The stress factor can cause productivity decline, but you can go the extra mile with cleaning and safety protocol to curb anxiety. Once people are comfortable, they will give their best, and it shows in their productivity levels. It builds trust and loyalty for the organization as people prefer to work with those who care about their well-being. Moreover, following the rules keep you ahead on the compliance front.
Ensure that work devices are in top shape
Whether employees work remotely or return to the office, productivity depends on their work devices. Cluttered devices run short of memory and lag on performance, making it hard for users to deliver. You may consider upgrading work computers to Mac for better performance. If they already have Macs, ensure that devices are free of clutter and well-organized. People should know the basics of device optimization, so ensure you provide the required training and resources. They can check here to learn about uninstalling redundant apps. It makes sense to provide hardware upgrades if they need more memory and processing power. A little investment takes your business a step closer to employee productivity.
Empower them with in-house collaboration
Even as people return to work, they will still have to follow the social distancing norms to stay safe. You cannot expect them to be back in the meeting rooms as usual. But it can affect work as people need to stay connected to work on projects. They will expect to do it when under the same roof. Empower the team with in-house collaboration as it can take them a step ahead with productivity. Provide proper tools and implement rules for secure yet effective collaboration. It will encourage bonding and facilitate better decisions. Thankfully, you need not do a lot on this front as they are already accustomed to remote collaboration. Just refresh the approach to match the current expectations and circumstances.
Maximizing employee productivity in the new normal is easier than you imagine. Just follow the basics, but keep employee safety at the forefront. Making an extra effort for workforce well-being will give them the extra push they need at this point. But make sure to put in place a worthy employee productivity tracker in place to keep track of progress with respect to effectiveness of the below mentioned measures.
