Ask People to Share 

Create a space in your team’s communication platform for people to share their own home setups. Seeing what other people are doing serves as a great source of inspiration for others to try out different setups. It also works as a solid bonding experience as everyone empathizes with working from home. 

Let Them Grab Supplies 

Most modern office spaces have nice computer setups for their employees. This can include multiple monitors, standing desks, comfortable chairs, and more. The home setup for the average employee simply doesn’t compare.  

This can make work very difficult as employees try to do their job from a small laptop screen while sitting at a kitchen table. Not only does it affect their productivity, but it can put strain on their neck, back, wrists, shoulders, and more.  

Because of this, many businesses are allowing their employees to borrow a few supplies from their office desk, whether it’s a chair or a monitor or something similar. Just make sure that employees checkout anything they take so you can keep track of everything.  

Leverage Modern Tools and Platforms 

Today’s software and productivity tools are built with collaboration and sharing in mind. For example, Office 365’s software suite features real time collaboration, easy sharing, review markups, and more, allowing multiple people to work on the same document without having to attach, download, and manage various files. 

Make sure that employees are properly using the tools at their disposal so they can efficiently work as a team. A little proper training doesn’t hurt. 

Encourage Non-Work Discussion and Engagement 

Having people work in an office isn’t just about making sure they’re staying on task. It also builds relationships, community, and culture. With everyone separated, your company’s culture can be strained. Relationships need to stay active to remain healthy. 

You should encourage your employees to engage in some normal small talk, life updates, etc.  

Platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams provide simple ways to create chat channels where people can discuss hobbies, interests, current events, and more. All of this helps to keep normal office culture alive. 

Many are also engaging in digital lunches or happy hours through video chat. If you’re not seeing this happen naturally, encourage a socially connected employee or two to get things going. 

Keep Communication Open 

Now more than ever, it’s important for you as a manager to stay open and reachable by your employees. Chances are, they have questions and concerns they’d like to know in the midst of everything happening. Even if you don’t have a concrete answer, just being able to listen can make a significant difference.  

Give Them the Support and Security They Need 

Nothing stops an employee’s productivity and disengages them from work like a technical issue. Their computer might break, software might fail to load, or they could have connectivity issues. Whatever the cause might be, it’s critical that they get the help they need. 

Additionally, you need to make sure that your systems are operating normally, and that they’re secure. 

Managing all of this in the midst of everything else happening can be a lot for any company, especially if they don’t have a full IT team. Thankfully, you don’t have to do it alone. A third part IT company can assist in keeping your systems running and your employees engaged. 

At DataYard, we provide a range of IT services designed to meet the needs of businesses large and small. As a dedicated IT company, we’re very experienced in operating remotely, enabling us to assist you and your employees, no matter where you might be working from. 

Our IT consultants in Dayton, Ohio can also help you make sure that all of your bases are covered when it comes to having your employees working from home.