The dramatic increase in people working from home that occurred in 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic may seem now like a distant memory. And it’s true that both remote workers and their managers have, by this time, settled into their new “normal” work routines. But, as is the case with any aspect of the work we perform day after day, the remote work phenomenon continues to evolve. Whether your business is fully remote or you employ just a few people who work at home, it’s important to stay up-to-date with how remote work is evolving over time. What follows are some helpful tips on how you can stay current with remote work trends in 2023.

• Offer workers as much flexibility as possible. One of the aspects of remote work that employees value most is the flexibility it provides. People who can achieve a healthy balance between work and their personal lives are not only more loyal to their companies, they’re also generally happier and healthier in every part of their lives. So as important as it is to be able to connect with your remote employees on a regular basis, it’s equally vital to provide them with the flexibility they need to attain the optimum work/life balance. This means allowing them to establish their own schedules, while still being available for virtual and/or in-person meetings as needed.
• Offer more benefits and “perks” to your remote employees. Studies show that in addition to flexibility, people who work from home place an extremely high value on benefits and perks offered by their employers. Some of those may include bonuses for a job well done, quality health insurance, sick leave and “wellness days,” parental leave, as-needed virtual IT support, and assistance in setting up a functional home office.
• Establish clear and comprehensive remote work policies. It’s not just on-site employees that benefit from clearly established policies and procedures – remote workers do as well. Make sure that your company policies encompass all your employees, whether they work at the office, from home, or some hybrid mix between the two. These policies should cover a broad range of eventualities and set clear expectations for all workers.
• Don’t forget the importance of company culture. Just because your employees work from home doesn’t mean they won’t benefit from a positive company culture. In fact, it’s even more important for remote workers to feel included as valued team members who are part of a positive, progressive, inclusive company. Your work-from-home staff members may not be able to engage with each other one-on-one in a break room, for example, but you can create virtual “break rooms” where your employees can interact, share ideas, and build strong work relationships that help them to bond together as a team.
• Utilize tools that will enable you to assess the productivity of your employees so you can create fair, objective performance reviews. One of the best tools available to measure productivity levels of remote workers is MySammy. Our cloud-based software was specifically designed for managers of work-from-home employees. Without using “spyware” or blocking websites, MySammy measures your employee productivity and provides you with a clear understanding of how each employee is performing and where each individual can improve.

Keeping up with remote work trends is so important for both managers and their employees. And you can start that process today by signing up for your FREE trial of MySammy.