Remote Work: How to Adapt to the New Normal

During these challenging circumstances, lead with a focus on well-being. Organizations cannot have business continuity without a healthy workforce, and as a result they are mobilizing to remote environments to protect the safety of their employees and our communities at large. To make this transition successful, transparency and consistency is key.

How to Make Work From Home Work for Your Company

Ensure your entire organization is on board with your company strategy and communicate a clear, consistent message through all channels. Even with the technology available, it takes work to ensure your workforce is, and more importantly remains, on the same page. As you make decisions related to the coronavirus and how it is affecting/changing your business strategy, share them with your employees as soon as you have a solid plan.

Encourage open communication about any concerns employees may have for the well-being of themselves, their families, their colleagues, customers, or communities. Clearly communicate the escalation structure should concerns arise and define the roles of your leadership/management team.

Enabling a remote workforce ultimately requires relinquishing a level of control since you can’t see what everyone is doing all the time. Trust your team. When you hired them, you did so because you knew they would add value to your organization and help you drive your business forward. Now it’s time to empower them to succeed. Trust your team.

Remote Work Resources

LinkedIn has made 16 LinkedIn Learning courses available for free including tips on how to: stay productive, build relationships when you’re not face-to-face, use virtual meeting tools (like Microsoft Teams, Skype, BlueJeans, Cisco Webex and Zoom), and balance family and work dynamics in a healthy way. These are great resources to share with your employees. Some of the courses and descriptions include:

• Working Remotely
Learn best practices for working remotely. Use today’s cloud-based tools to stay productive, build culture, and work seamlessly with your team—anywhere there is internet.

• Time Management: Working from Home
Get time management tips to stay productive and balanced when working from home part-time or full-time.

• Productivity Tips: Finding Your Productive Mindset
Boost your productivity by shifting your perspective. Get actionable tips for managing your time, shaking off negative experiences, adding meaning to your workday, and more.

• Thriving @ Work: Leveraging the Connection between Well-Being and Productivity
Continue your Thrive journey and discover how to go from coping and surviving to actually thriving. Arianna Huffington and Joey Hubbard discuss how well-being can contribute to your productivity and success at work.

• Managing Stress for Positive Change
Learn how individuals develop stress and what managers can do to cultivate an environment and communication style that helps connect employees to the bigger picture.

It may take your organization time to adapt to this new normal. It’s hard to know exactly where the pain points will be, and it will be nearly impossible to prepare for every unknown. Be as flexible and accommodating as you can (without putting your organization in jeopardy) while your employees navigate and develop their new routines.

Make Financial Wellness a Priority

By transitioning your team to a work-from-home force, you have already demonstrated support for their physical well-being and health. Stress levels are heightened, and the number one cause of stress is money. This is why financial wellness is more crucial now than it ever has been. Your employees need access to financial wellness resources now more than ever. If you currently offer a financial wellness program, make sure your employees are aware of the resources and know how to access them.

If you don’t, what better way to greet the return of shell-shocked employees with an employer-sponsored financial wellness benefit? Not only can they rely on you for continued employment, they know you care about their health and well-being and are willing to put them first. When this Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis passes, prepare to welcome employees back with support for their financial well-being.