Working from home was already becoming consistently more popular even before the coronavirus pandemic. Naturally, employees love the flexibility in work hours, and employers can stand to gain as well. Employees are often more engaged when working remotely, and this leads to increased productivity. This is especially true when the workforce uses a unified communication app, and remote employees feel appreciated when receiving specific feedback and achievements and performance. Having less turnover saves the company money, and working remotely has environmental benefits as well.
When employees work from their residences, they’re likely to be less stressed and more relaxed as well. Employers recognize the value of all of this, and up to 80% plan to continue letting employees work from home, at least part-time. Of course, not all jobs can be done from home. Essential workers like emergency responders, retail employees, and those in the food industry still need to be on location. Even some office jobs may not be possible (or productive) to do from home. You may find that your office’s productivity is better when people are on location, or you may be in an area that lacks reliable high-speed internet coverage. Whether you transition back to the office when Covid-19 is over, or you’re still in the office now, here are some excellent upgrades you can make to welcome your workforce.
Wellness Programs
Incorporating health and wellness into your workplace is always important, and it’s even more so during a pandemic. Naturally, employees need options for healthcare, but you can also offer wellness activities to encourage each worker to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Employers who provide benefits that have a tangible effect on employees’ lives are much more likely to retain workers, and wellness challenges are a great way to do that.
Consider physical activity challenges for workers who want to participate in some friendly competition. Walking challenges around the office building could be a good example. Nutrition challenges are also a great way to encourage employees to stay healthy. Of course, employees also need to take care of their mental health, so you might host educational meetings in your conference room to go over mindfulness and information about healthy sleep patterns. This is also a great opportunity to provide healthy snacks. At the end of the month, you may even choose to reward employees who participated.
Telephone Entry System
It’s important for your workers to feel safe and secure while they’re on the premises, and an effective security system like a telephone entry system goes a long way toward ensuring this. Some of your remote employees may even be familiar with these if their apartment complex has one. These systems are often used in housing complexes and for commercial offices for access control purposes and to allow communication between residents and visitors.
Your office may install a landline system, cellular system, or a camera entry system. These days, video intercom systems are generally considered the best option since they enable two-way video calling, virtual keys for guests, and they can keep a record of every entry for security purposes. With a cloud-enabled system, you’ll even have a back up of all videos and relevant information.
Educational Space
There is now strong evidence that the physical design of the educational spaces design significantly impacts students’ performance. This has consequences on communication, interaction, and just overall learning experience.
Customer Relationship Management System
No business can survive without providing great customer service, and your office should be equipped with the best tools for both your customers and your employees. While call center jobs are often outsourced to remote employees these days, you may still decide to keep some agents in your office, so that they have access to your best hardware. Equipping them with an omnichannel CRM system will make their work much more engaging and will improve retention rates in an industry that’s notorious for turnover.
With omnichannel routing, customers can make contact with your agents via their preferred digital means (text, SMS, email, webchat, etc.), and they can even switch communication channels mid-conversation while staying in contact with the same agent. Your agents will also be able to use a simple desktop to keep track of all conversations, making their jobs easier and saving everyone’s time.
These are just a few great upgrades to welcome your employees back. Of course, it never hurts to do some smaller things like improving the lighting in the office or bringing in some greenery to improve the atmosphere.
