Is Your Business Returning To The Office? Here Are Some Tips For Employers.
The time has come for many of us to return to the office, and amongst a weird world of social distancing and sticky sanitiser, the prospect can seem a little scary. It’s safe to say we’re all just a little bit worried about how to ‘get back into’ it. Be that office work, the commute, or your trousers (thanks lockdown.)
Returning To The Office: Tips For Employers
The last thing you need to be worrying about right now is productivity. Especially if you’re the boss. To make life a little easier, we’ve pulled together a few hints and tips, so you can get back into work and hit the ground running. As for the trousers? We’re afraid you’re on your own.
Boost yourself.
Chances are, as an employer, you’re constantly offering feedback to your employees. More often than not, it’s a pat on the back – and it almost always boosts their mood. Better mood means better work, so offer yourself the same praise. Consider taking five minutes to write down a few of the things you’ve done well recently. It feels a little awkward at first, and you’d probably rather not, but trust us, it helps. Especially on the days you’re tearing your hair out.
Get grooving.
Cheesy, but true.
Music improves motivation and brings people together, so why not invest in a subscription to a streaming service? We love Spotify. It’s full of ready-made playlists, big names and small bands – so there’s something for everyone, and every mood. If you’re really feeling fancy, you can even build a playlist of your own, filling it with the songs, sounds or podcasts that help you get your head in the game. Better yet, Spotify allows you to create collaborative playlists, so you and your team can share the songs that really work. Let’s just hope everyone’s got good taste.
Get organised.
Organisation makes life a whole lot more productive, and that applies to your work life too. For you, and your team.
With social distancing set to stay, consider swapping notice boards and flipcharts for online project boards, such as Planner, Trello or Asana. Both allow you to create virtual boards for different projects, clients, or team members before splitting each board into lists (‘to-do’, ‘doing’, and ‘done’ are safe bets.) Then, simply add your tasks (called ‘cards’ in Trello,) and get going. All team members added to the boards can see the tasks, so everyone’s up to date, no matter where they’re working from.
You can even upload files, set deadlines, and post comments. Perfect.
Make a break.
Be sure to make time for you and your team to have a breather. Whether it’s after-work beers over Teams, coffee and catch-ups in the morning, or a tea break in the afternoon, it’s important to give your head some space. It’ll also help you confine the back to work chit-chat to break times, ensuring that you stay on track for your day.
Besides, your colleagues really don’t care about your Sourdough.
We know it’s tempting to power through, and push to get the work done, but you’ll only burn out, and that’s no good for you, or your work.
Stay safe.
Last but not least, look after yourself, and your workplace. The rules and restrictions that now make up our everyday life are the source of a lot of worry for a lot of people, and we don’t work well if we’re worrying.
Put in the extra effort to make your workspace as safe as possible, and ask your team what would make them feel most comfortable. Fewer worries mean fewer headaches, and you’ll be left with a safe, productive environment.
You could even treat yourself to a new office plant, now wouldn’t that be nice?
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