The global battle against the pandemic continues, and work productivity isn’t spared. In other words, the COVID-19 virus has affected the pace of employee productivity, since many office-based workers are now laid off, increasing the unemployment rate and making the competition in the work-from-home industry stiffer.
Increasing productivity in the workforce is another challenge. Even business owners and marketers are challenged by the ongoing situation. Shops are closing down, people in call centres are being sent home. There are even postponed events like the Olympics and labour productivity is down. The world did not expect a year like this. However, facing the challenge is crucial to combatting the pandemic and the impact that it’s had on the world and people.
Image Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/smgTvepind4
Challenges of Businesses During Quarantine
If you think that the pandemic has just affected the health sector, then think again. The impact of COVID-19 has reached even the corporate world. For instance, in this previous report, due to the required quarantine, companies were prompted to send their workers home.
According to a report by Business Insider, even major companies are in support of the measures to protect employees from the pandemic.
Companies such as Microsoft, Indeed, Google, American Express, Airbnb, and Nationwide Insurance have previously sent their employees home, with no plans of asking them to return to their offices soon. The directive may even extend up to 2021.
With this measure, the challenges are present. Businesses and CEOs may have a difficult time managing remote employees since the nature of work with these companies happens in the office.
With the shifting work conditions, how can business owners and managers ensure that their employees are working in a similar way and with the same productivity while they are remote?
The way full-time remote employees do their job is, in a major way, is different from how corporate workers do the work. In turn, with productivity being downsized and placed on the lower range, such businesses are on the verge of losing clients.
The goal now is to keep businesses alive. However, this is never far from being difficult. The biggest shopping districts and malls around the world have once closed and reopened only to follow the health protocols.
In Southeast Asian countries like the Philippines, people may not go out and enter into facilities, like department stores, without their quarantine pass. However, some cities have loosened their restrictions.
Tips on Restoring Work Productivity
To restore work productivity, a careful strategy is needed. Here are some of the specific measures on how you can effectively restore work productivity while working from home:
-
Re-organise the workplace
Several offices have started doing this. According to the World Health Organisation, getting the workplace ready involves making the spaces clean and hygienic.
Staff members must receive tasks to clean and disinfect surfaces and objects regularly. This includes desks, tables, keyboards, telephones, and the like. With this, offices can help prevent the spread of the virus.
You can also rearrange the office in-line with the safety protocols that your health department implements. You can keep social distancing followed by providing spaces between desks and cubicles. Each table in the office may only accommodate up to two individuals if they’re originally intended for four people.
You must also develop a plan on what to do if someone becomes ill, leading to or because of COVID-19. Regular teleworking must also be considered, as well as developing a business contingency plan (BCP).
-
Mental health support for the employees
With productivity decreasing, there are chances that the mental health of the employees may get affected. Psychological units or human resource departments must be present and ready to provide remote advice for workers who might get affected or might suffer from psychological challenges.
Indeed, the change in the working environment and the lack of opportunities the pandemic may bring must be addressed well. They should not be deprived of access to mental health units, therapy sessions, medications, and more.
-
Set new house rules
Alongside arranging the office space and re-organising the workplace involve setting new house rules that follow strict physical distancing.
For instance, companies must lead in providing information. Face masks, face shields, and other protective gear must be worn before entering the premises of the office, once it re-opens.
Other preventive measures include:
- Promoting regular hand-washing among customers, contractors, and employees.
- Promoting good respiratory hygiene and habit.
- Advising employees to consult authorities before organising and going on business trips.
- Advising employees who show symptoms to immediately stay at home and get treated, and assuring them that this can count as their leave.
At home, as workers continue to perform their tasks remotely, there should be hygiene kits, perhaps alcohol and face masks nearby should there be a need to have them. And if one of the persons in the household exhibits signs and symptoms of the virus, they should immediately seek medical attention.
-
Upgrade hardware
Part of preparing both the office space and at-home workspaces in line with the safety and health protocols is upgrading the hardware. They include:
- Upgrading to the latest VoIP phones, such as VoIPTech’s Wave
- Investing in cloud and SaaS tools
- Updating older software and hardware
- Creating a cloud backup
- Monitoring risk with the help of video collaboration tools
- Investing in tools that help keep the systems running, such as a cloud contact centre technology
- Revising the VPN strategy
- Adapting new security measures for teleworking
Image Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/5QgIuuBxKwM
Improve Work Productivity with VoIP
How to improve productivity in the workplace or at home is a challenge that you can beat while following the measures listed above—from updating the workspace in line with the protocols, proper informative drive with the workers, up to updating the communications systems.
One of the most effective ways is to utilise the best of VoIP apps, such as VoIPTech’s Wave, a cloud communication platform. Wave can help increase productivity among your employees by providing them with several productivity tools to aid efficient communication, such as multi-device voice calls, audio conferencing, call transfers and recording, and more.
VoIPtech Solutions will ensure high productivity by maintaining a streamlined communication system for your business. For more information, visit voiptech.solutions.
3562