Last Updated on November 18, 2024 by Owen McGab Enaohwo
Image Credit: Getty Images
2021 we can all say, was a cycle-ending year for humankind after the Great Lockout, as some have called it. Remote work became essential for productivity, and for many companies, it was the method to stay afloat, while for some, it meant time for growth and this had a profound impact on company culture and employee well-being. HR teams had to make a 180 degree turn to create work-from-home policies, new communication methodologies, and a whole set of app toolkits for workers. Now we know 2022 is where the age of digitalization begins, and remote will be taken to a whole new level with the introduction of the metaverse, which could replace the internet by 2030. Let’s evaluate the latest trends leading companies have been implementing.
Build Your HR Team First
Human resources might not be the department that produces a profit for the company, and a large team is hardly needed in the beginning when the company has a small group of employees, but HR needs to plan and construct the entire company culture for a digital and remote environment. Everything from a training program, to process documentation and executive reporting.
Hire For Remote
Company culture is what defines how well employees will get along working in teams and alone. If one lacks behind with tasks or can’t keep up with task management apps, this will slow the entire team and projects. Remote culture begins during the hiring process. An employee is accustomed to working with a laptop and a smartphone from anywhere in the world, but especially for a comfortable home working space. But not everyone can have the perfect location to work from home, this is where HR needs to step in and provide aid with management apps, training, and a clear training process for the tasks ahead.
Communication is key and English is the world language. All employees should be able to express themself naturally in English, in both spoken and written form. Short videos should be encouraged when specific complex instructions or feelings need to be expressed. Tends to happen with online texting that people imagine the mood of their peers when they read a message, and can sometimes mistake words for an angry manager when nothing wrong is going on. Nonetheless, virtual stress between peers is unavoidable, which is why HR should always have an action plan to execute during intra-company conflicts.
Develop a Growth Mindset
There is a great book every team leader should share with their employees, Mindset Psychology by Carol S Dweck. It teaches how to view any problem as an opportunity for growth and learning instead of something horrible and a representation of weakness. A growth mindset always strives to see problems as opportunities and never gives up in the search for improvement and new achievements. There is no stress and unhappiness in a company culture that fosters and embraces a growth mindset in their daily work.
Employee Wellbeing is the #1 Investment
Company revenue has driven goals for too long, and while it will always be up there in the top 3 goals, nothing compares to the wellbeing of the employees. Happy employees with great talent will remain in-house and knowledge will stack up like building blocks.
Invest in mental health with coaching or wellness apps. Some of these offer challenges for teams to tackle every day, which can include a prize for the winning team (paid lunch for example). The idea of the wellness challenge is to motivate employees to test short mediation sessions of 3 to 7 minutes that include breathing techniques, sleeping audios, stretch sessions, and even some work-coaching tips to improve productivity with small hacks.
Offer a company retreat. It could be a resort 10-day escape with team-building sessions, or it can be a trip escape for small teams or individuals, like an escape room.
Surprise your team with random treats, like Amazon gift cards during a holiday or a special company anniversary. Or simply celebrate big wins with a half-day off or surprise boxes shipped to everyone’s house.
Remote Work is… Remote!
Workers should be encouraged to work from anywhere but minimum working conditions should be met. Since office costs go down companies have more budgets available to offer home-work budgets for their employees.
Internet expenses should definitely be covered with a requirement of at least 100 MB, which is fast but not super fast. Enough for stable Zoom calls and file uploads.
Tech and office appliances should also be covered in a 2-year budget. Each employee can buy his or her computer, office table, ergonomic seat, and other gadgets to improve their comfort and efficiency. It doesn’t hurt for HR to review and study what the best home set-ups can be and share their suggestions with each employee so they can purchase effectively.
While employees are mostly working without personal interactions, virtual team-building activities or fun-time should be encouraged and promoted. Companies like RemotelyHQ help plan out online team games and parties. Virtual escape rooms and Pop-culture Q/A sessions are always fun activities.
Empathic Leadership
Leaders need to be more kind and positive than before. Respectful and proper communication is a must. Some people in positions of leadership like mid-level management can struggle with how they express themself or direct relationships with specific employees. In these cases, it is always handy to have a remote psychologist at hand to consult and train the leader for a specific situation. Planning out how to approach delicate communication is key to avoiding a snowball of emotions that can translate into a bigger disaster.
Do you know?
Reading good books can make you a good leader and manager. Here are the best leadership and management books to choose from.
Author Bio
Vibhu Dhariwal is Co-Founder & Director of Marketing at Digital Gratified, a Digital Marketing & Web Development company. He likes sharing his experience in sales funnel building, outreach marketing, link building, content marketing, and SEO with readers. To know more about him, you can connect with him on LinkedIn.