Work from Home: How to Make it Work [Updated 2020]

It's been a couple of years now since Yahoo scrapped their work from home policy. It turns out that working from home had become decidedly unproductive for the company. But in the modern working environment it's becoming more and more common for employees to work from home (if not for the whole week, certainly an odd Friday here and there!). So how can you manage a workforce that is geographically dispersed and/or working from home?

Actually, a myriad of companies provide the option to work from home. The options vary from part- or full-time work. An increasing number of businesses also opt for a home-based, self-employed way of working by facilitating online websites, forums and social media to land gig jobs and clients. The ways to earn money remotely across different time zones are endless.

Tips for Work from Home Management

Communication, communication, communication

Communication is key when people want to work from home. Regular phone calls, Skype calls, emails and texts are par for the course and should be encouraged. If you've not heard from your team member or colleague all day, chances are they've not done much other than catch up on their TV programs. If one of your team members or colleagues is working from home be sure to give him/her a call at random points in the day to check if they need any help and/or on the status of their deliverables. Don't treat home office like a holiday.

Book-ending the day

This is a simple trick that works wonders: set up a meeting at 09:00 and at 16:30 (i.e. a short meeting at the start and end of the day for all remote employees and those having a home office). Use the morning meeting to set the agenda for the day and outline expectations for deliverables. Use the end of the day meeting to check back on what's been accomplished by your team. This gives employees no excuse to slack off and ensures that everyone is working towards the correct objectives. The meetings don't need to be longer than 10 minutes, but try to give everyone a chance to talk and commit to their tasks.

Use Google Hangouts

Google Hangouts is a great tool for sharing and communicating amongst remote teams. Having people show up on camera is a good way to make sure they're not lazing around in their pajamas until 4 o'clock. It also engages employees and allows them to feel part of the team. Combine this step with the previous step and you're on to a winner!

Compulsory office days

Even completely remote teams need to get together at some point. People by their very nature thrive on physical interaction and this just can't be replicated in a virtual environment. Maybe it's once a week, or once every two weeks, or even once a month - but set one day aside for the whole team to get together. This can even be a social occasion like weekly/monthly drinks or other social events. But for staff that work from home, it's critical to have one day where you all get together in the same location.

Pair working

For employees who work from home, a good tactic can be to encourage pair working. This is where you and your partner review each other's work after it's completed and provide verbal feedback in a relaxed setting. When working from home this encourages people not to let their partner down and also promotes communication and teamwork. You can switch the pairs around periodically to get even more benefit.

Set clear tasks for you and your team

Planning for the week ahead is always helpful. It will help everyone understand what is expected from them and also you will set clear expectations for everyone. You don't have to be overly rigid with your plan, as something urgent might come up during the week but it's always good to have a clear list of tasks in place.