There are more companies allowing their employees to work from home than ever before. This was largely prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but many smart companies realized that allowing employees to work remotely is good for business. Most employees will appreciate the opportunity to work from home, which on its own is a major benefit.
With so many companies offering the option to work from home, however, it is still important for organizations to offer benefits to employees to keep them happy in their position. With office workers, companies often do things like providing coffee, offering occasional free lunches, and much more.
Since these types of things are not possible with remote workers, it is necessary to think outside the box to keep the team happy and motivated. The following are just a few things that innovative companies are doing to benefit their remote workers.
1. Quality Equipment
When employees are working from home, they will either need to connect to your business network from their own computer or you will need to provide them with a laptop. Either way, it is important that they have the right type of equipment to ensure their programs will load quickly and they can perform their job properly. Some things that a company can do to ensure employees have the equipment they need include the following:
- Quality Computers – If you are providing employees with a laptop, make sure you get a model that has the necessary specs to run smoothly.
- Extra Monitors – Laptops are nice, but they can be difficult to work on for a full day due to the smaller screens and keyboards. Supplying two (or more) monitors that will connect to the laptop will make it easier to get work done so they can be more productive.
- Equipment Stipend – Employees who work from home almost always end up spending their own money to ensure they have the equipment they need. To compensate for this, consider offering each employee a monthly or annual stipend that they can use for any equipment they feel would make their remote work experience better.
- Custom Requests – Give your teams a way that they can put in requests for equipment that they feel would make them more productive workers. While you may not be able to approve every request, you should always take them seriously as it is often the unexpected things that can make the biggest difference.
While some employees would use the equipment, and especially the stipend, for things not directly related to the job, it is still a good investment. Trusting employees with this type of thing will help to build up loyalty and make them want to keep working hard.
We have a great selection of Monitors, as well as PCs & Laptops
2. Paying for Internet Connectivity
Employees will be connecting to your business network through their own internet connection in almost all cases. While most of them will be happy to do it since they are permitted to work from home, it is a nice gesture cover this expense.
Paying for the employee’s internet, or at least a portion of it, helps to show that you recognize what they are putting into their job and appreciate it.
You might also consider a high power Wireless Router
3. Flexible Schedule
When working from the office, most people settle into a standard schedule that matches everyone else. When working from home, however, that may not be necessary. If an employee has a job that does not require them to be online at specific times of the day, consider allowing them to set their own schedule.
This will be a huge benefit to many people. For example, some people prefer waking up early and getting right to work so they can end their day sooner. Others, however, are more night owls and want to put in their hours late in the evening.
As long as the needed work gets done, leaving the specific scheduling requirements to the employees can be a huge boost to morale. It can also really contribute positively to their work-life balance.
4. Commitment to Remote Work
One of the best things you can do is make a firm commitment to allowing employees to work remotely. Most remote workers today are concerned that their company may make them come back to the office full time. This puts certain restrictions on what they can do.
If you tell employees that remote work is a permanent option, for example, they can decide to move out of the city (or even the state) to a location that they prefer. As long as they have an internet connection, they can always get the job done successfully.
5. Surprise Gifts
Companies often give their employees little perks while they are working in the office. As mentioned above, this could be something like coffee, free meals, or any number of other things.
You do not have to let this type of tradition die out just because people are working from home. Consider having a budget set aside specifically to have surprise gifts sent to the homes of your employees.
If you have an employee who loves coffee, for example, send them a bag of gourmet coffee once in a while. Of course, this will require that supervisors and managers put in the effort to get to know their employees on a more personal level. Building up that type of connection may take work, but it is definitely going to make the employees feel more valued and want to stay with the company for years to come.
Employee Satisfaction is Always Important
The important thing to keep in mind is that just because you allow employees to work remotely does not mean you do not need to continue to work hard to keep them happy and productive. In fact, there is more reason than ever to put in this effort.
There are so many companies offering remote work opportunities that the best employees have plenty of options on where to work. Offering benefits such as those mentioned above will go a long way toward ensuring you are not only able to keep your employees around, but also attract the best talent from other organizations around the world. In the end, keeping the best employees happy is going to be the best strategy for your long term success.
Newegg Business has everything you need to get work done at home or at the office.
