How To Keep Your Team On-Task While Remotely WFH

While there are a number of benefits to working from home, there are also a number of challenges and staying focused and productive is one of the biggest. There are plenty of distractions at home, and if your team had to suddenly leave the office due to COVID-19 they might not have the perfect home office set up. It’s also harder for you to keep an eye on what your team is doing and ensure they’re getting all the support they need. 

We take a look at how you can keep your team on-task while working remotely WFH.  

Provide the Right Equipment 

A laptop and a corner of the kitchen table is okay as a temporary remote working space, but long term you need to provide your team with a full home office. Encourage them to find a dedicated space in their homes to work from and provide a desk and an appropriate chair that offers all the support required for long hours sitting in the same spot. 

A second screen, wireless keyboard and mouse will also help your team to stay comfortable throughout the day, and allow them to focus on their work and complete tasks quickly without distractions. 

According to Helene Melby Brodersen, Head of PR, Brand & Communication at Eco Online, “As technology evolves, people need to find ways to make their work more comfortable. If you spend most of your day at a computer, it’s important to choose high-quality ergonomic furniture and ergonomic peripherals like chairs, mice, keyboards, and monitors.”

Introduce Time Tracking 

When you’re working as a remote team in different places it can be hard to tell how long different tasks are taking, and where any issues or blockers are that hold things up. Time tracking is a good way of monitoring how much time is actually spent on each project or assignment. 

By logging how long your team spends on each task it can also motivate your team to stay focused. There’s less chance they’ll get distracted or take a little bit longer with their coffee breaks because no one’s there to keep an eye. 

And if there are tasks that seem to be taking longer than they should, this could highlight areas where your team might need training or you need to invest in other tools to help streamline the way you work. There are many different ways and tools that you can use to implement time tracking in your team, but this article from Clockify outlines some best practice tips to ensure it works effectively. 

Effective Task Management  

Break down each project into the different tasks that need to be completed, and then use a task management tool to set deadlines for each one and assign them out to your team. This will help them to easily prioritize their to-do lists and give you a clear overview of what everyone is working on and how they’re progressing. This article from GetBusy outlines how you can properly implement task management software to keep everyone on-task while working remotely.

If you’re in charge of a busy team and working on multiple projects at the same time, then it’s important that you’re managing everyone’s workload effectively. 

Communicate Regularly 

Communication is also going to be a key part of keeping your team on-task. It’s all too easy to spend time wondering how to tackle something or worrying that you’re not doing it correctly when you’re at home on your own. Regular meetings and check-ins will allow your team to understand what they should be focusing on and discuss any problems they might be facing while working remotely. 

Get into the routine of a quick morning check-in each day where they can run through what they’re working on and raise any questions. And organise meetings that are based on projects or clients so that you can get an update on progress and discuss next steps. 

Set up communication channels for different purposes so that your team knows where to go with different things — for example, use an instant messaging tool for informal conversations and quick questions and email for important project and company updates. This post from Freshworks has some more tips and strategies for effective communication while working from home. 

Keeping in touch will also help them to feel like they are part of a team, and minimise any feelings of isolation. This can boost their motivation and make them more inclined to stay on task.

Look after Staff Wellbeing 

Your team’s wellbeing is going to play a big part in how well they stay focused and on-task. Working remotely can be very isolating and your team might feel disconnected and unmotivated. So it’s important to make them feel included and supported whether they’re permanently or temporarily working from home. 

Share resources for how to maintain a positive routine and good habits at home, and make sure that your team members aren’t working long hours of overtime, answering emails late at night, or skipping their lunch break to get more done. 

Set up regular, informal catch-ups for the team or the whole company so that people can stay in touch socially. And make a point of acknowledging and rewarding your team’s hard work so that they feel appreciated. 

These things might sound simple, but it’s important to support and look after your team so that they feel more positive and motivated. 

With the right tools and a focus on supporting your team, you’ll be able to keep your team focused and engaged while they work from home.