The year started innocently enough but then turned ominous as the world was hit with COVID-19 global pandemic. This has forced a lot of businesses to mandate their employees to work from home. No one expected it to grow to this magnitude. Now, everyone all over the world has retreated inside their homes and locked their doors to keep their families safe from contracting the deadly virus. 

What was once a niche way of working or an offered company benefit, has now become the new normal. However, most businesses aren’t ready and are now scrambling to equip their workforce with the capacity for flexible remote work. 

So, how can businesses support their employees who need to work from home?

1. Enable your team with the right tools

First of all, employers have to enable their teams with the right tools. This means they should have the right devices available to them to help them do their work well. Examples of these devices are laptops, smart phones, and tablets. Make sure your team has a stable internet connection and a dedicated home office or work area. That could be anywhere from a spare room converted into a home office or an uncluttered kitchen table, just make sure these areas are free from noise and distractions.

2. Enable your team with the right resources

Second, they have to have the right resources. Team members might have enterprise apps, learning systems, and collaboration suites that have all the bells and whistles, but these are useless if the team doesn’t know how to use them or even understand why they should be using them in completing their work. Employers  would do well to equip their teams with the right tools PLUS the right training or access to a knowledge base on how to use these tools.

3. Over Communicate

Lastly, employers have to over communicate. Being tucked away and isolated in your own home office is hard enough for team members who are new to this work from home setting. Where once there was structure, there is now a lot of uncertainty. Employers should have real time feedback mechanisms in place and must always encourage social contact by having regular check-ins. Not only is connection healthy for work teams but for overall wellness, too.

With everyone working from home, employers can use this opportunity to let their team know that they are important and that their work is valued by enabling them with the right tools and resources to help them excel in their work.