5 tips for maximizing remote workers' productivity

The COVID-19 outbreak has forced many businesses to offer, if not require, work-from-home options for employees. With people working remotely, employers face many challenges with maintaining the same level of productivity as before the pandemic. Here are five guidelines to help ensure your employees are maximizing their time outside of the office and inside their homes.

Guidelines for ensuring productivity

Require a set schedule. Contrary to popular belief, a large number of employees end up overworking when they work remotely. One reason is because they don't maintain a set schedule of working hours.

Be sure your employees have a start time, a designated lunch break, and an end time. Working set hours not only provides a consistent schedule during which you can reach them for assignments or questions, but also gives their minds time to rest.

Enforcing a hard limit at the end of the workday prevents employees from working nonstop. Additionally, setting a schedule for your nonexempt employees and accurately tracking their hours is especially important for correctly paying overtime, if any.

Eliminate distractions. On average, remote employees lose at least 27 minutes per day on distractions, including text messages, phone calls, and conversations with other household members. Encourage them to manage the distractions by: