How to help professionals who cannot adapt to the home office?

The coronavirus came to shake the corporate structures. Before a practice adopted only in the most modern companies, the home office ended up becoming the standard in 2020 and should be part of the new normal.

A model imposed by the need for social distance, remote work, contrary to what was initially imagined, did not make the head of all employees. The home office has failed to please Greeks and Trojans and, after a few months, many professionals have complained about the experience.

In this article, we will show the different profiles presented by professionals in this teleworking system and how HR managers can act to make the practice more pleasant and productive, collaborating so that each person can adapt to the home office.

Teleworking x home office

First of all, it is good to clarify the difference between telecommuting and home office. Both are practiced outside the company’s facilities, however, while the former can be practiced in a coworking, cafe or even in a park, the latter can be performed only at home. This has been happening since the beginning of the pandemic, when companies asked their employees to carry out their tasks in their homes.

So, home office is when the employee performs his professional activity at home (remembering that, in Brazil, remote work was regulated only in 2017). But, despite all the advantages offered, the lack of contact with colleagues combined with the spatial restriction of the work environment is a headache for many employees.
Diversity of profiles

Home office employee profiles

Aware of this new condition, Back to Humans, the national research and monitoring laboratory for trends and feelings in relation to work, developed, in March 2020, the study “A Home Office at the End of the Tunnel”, In which he points out four profiles of professionals in the home office. Varying according to the individual profile and the structural context in which people are inserted, follow the general characteristics of each profile:

Familiar and happy

Here, we have allies working at home. They understand, practice and defend the home office, embracing the culture that more important than control is delivery and productivity. According to enthusiasts, a weekly planning meeting is enough to align projects and tasks to flow as expected.

Studies show the love of the home office. Gallup showed that by 2017, 43% of remote workers, at least for a few days a week, had increased productivity, while the report The 2020 State of Remote Work, from Buffer, indicated that 98% of remote workers interviewed wished to continue working from home until the end of their careers.

Familiar “pero no mucho”

These professionals have the practice, but prefer to work in the office, because they do not identify with the culture. They do not like or know how to organize a work routine at home or are not as responsible with schedules and deliveries.

It is interesting to note here that 53% of people who do not recommend remote work work in companies or teams with a hybrid model, in which there is a mix between employees in offices and in the home office.

According to the Back to Humans study, employees are likely to face problems with collaboration and cultural challenges, or the company may not have the structure or offer sufficient support to remote workers.

Learning process

In this brave new world, entrepreneurs and employees are still adapting to a work style, in which, on one side of the scale, there is a bet on increasing efficiency and, on the other, there is a fear of falling productivity.

Here it is necessary to follow the logic of self-management to account for the intrinsic complexity of the home, which includes domestic chores and living full time with children and family members. The moment still includes the concern with the economy, which has been showing negative rates, and with the health of itself and of family members in the middle of a pandemic.

Despite the difficulties, the moment provides the chance for companies to offer better structures and build closer relationships with employees. In companies where there is no home office culture and command and control mentality prevails, employees tend to strive to show that they are always in action, which can affect their attention to tasks and, consequently, their productivity and satisfaction with the company.

Idealists

There are also those who romanticize the home office, with the belief that there will be an optimization in communication between professionals. Practice, however, can show the opposite, with distance distancing the understanding and hindering the progress of the projects.

The home office only improves interactions when companies are committed to providing effective messaging tools, developing communication policies and providing support in case of misunderstandings.

How to help employees adapt to the home office

In the midst of this diverse and complex scenario, the presence of HR is essential. It will be up to managers to keep an eye on and support their remote teams. See below for tips on how to make your home office lighter and more productive.

Improve your communication policy

With the distance, the interactions gained a new dynamic. Companies that do not have a clear communication policy can confuse workers, who often try harder to show that they are available full-time than properly dedicating themselves to their tasks and projects.

So, make it clear to employees what are the deadlines and deliveries to which they must commit, keeping communication channels always open. Communication and collaboration have always been extremely important and now they are worth more than ever for each one to adapt to the home office.

Offer emotional support

It is normal that, with the current situation, employees feel a little out of place and dejected. But this picture cannot persist for long. Companies must monitor the health status of their teams and emphasize that detachment does not mean abandonment.

Ideally, HR should remain close to the professionals, maintaining ties and reinforcing the sense of belonging to the company, in addition to providing a communication channel for emotional support. Encourage mental health care and refer professionals, when necessary, to health specialists.

Take care of data security

The employees went to work from home and, with them, followed a lot of sensitive information about the company and the clients served. Maximum attention is needed regarding the protection of the database. Educate professionals on security protocols and keep your IT staff on hand to avoid any major problems. We dealt with this issue more thoroughly in the article “Cybersecurity: why HR should be more involved in the topic”.

Train team leaders

More freedom requires more responsibility, right? In order for the processes to proceed smoothly and for each professional to play their part, close monitoring of managers is necessary. That is why it is important that HR provide training for remote team leaders.

After all, it is essential that teams dialogue easily and confidently, planning the agenda, organizing goals and deadlines and fulfilling deliveries. The manager needs to be attentive to the profile of each subordinate, giving the necessary support, since while some need more guidance, others like more autonomy. Always listen to what employees have to say and set the necessary limits.

Give feedback to employees

Keeping teams motivated on the rise is essential for everyone to adapt to the home office. Research has proven that giving feedback to employees is a simple and effective tool to welcome them and boost their morale.

Don’t expect them to go to HR and ask questions about performance. From time to time, provide information about their performance and congratulate them whenever a successful project is completed.

Have a plan for the post-pandemic

Crises require planning. Therefore, develop a strategy to deal with and overcome the current turbulence, placing your employees as a priority. According to a study by Deloitte baptized “How to reduce the pandemic impact on employees: A guide for company leaders”, or “How to reduce the impact of the pandemic on employees: A guide for company managers”, in free translation into Portuguese, companies should develop effective management processes foreseeing various scenarios for the post-pandemic world.

The recommendation is that companies analyze their priorities and focus their team’s efforts on the most important tasks. And just as important as creating a plan is communicating it transparently to employees. The way leaders behave during critical times leaves lasting marks on their companies and employees. Therefore, a consistent plan combined with effective communication can strengthen employees’ ties with the company and strengthen the corporate culture.

Keep socializing

Prolonged distance can affect the bonds between employees and the company. Don’t let that happen by maintaining virtual spaces for interaction.

How about creating a group on WhatsApp to send messages and warn about the birthdays of the day or open a chat for a coffee or digital happy hour? Encourage professionals to talk to each other and take a breather between tasks. This will help everyone to adapt to the home office and lighten the mood as well.

Do you want to know even more about how to optimize the work of your teams during the home office? How about, then, follow an article on effective communication in the home office?