While working from home can be convenient and productive, it’s not without its distractions. According to a survey of 1,000 workers by Glassdoor, the top distraction that employees face during the workday is TV. Furthermore, only half of employees feel confident that they can maintain their productivity levels when working remotely as opposed to commuting to the office. Yet it is possible to manage your schedule as a remote worker in a way that maximizes productivity and removes distractions.
If you have a hard time keeping your employees engaged and motivated, you’re not alone. Morale and motivation are hard to get these days. More than 100,000 workers quit their jobs every day, resulting in billions in lost productivity and hiring costs.
Have you ever considered how much time you spend in meetings each day? Attentiv reports that Americans hold approximately 11 million meetings per day, with an average length between 31 to 60 minutes. As the COVID-19 pandemic drove teams away from the office, employers had to adapt to remote meetings. And video calls and phone conferences replaced many in-person interactions.
The problem is that 33.4 percent of meetings are considered unproductive, according to the same report. Leading an effective meeting is a skill, and so is leading an effective remote meeting.
Very often, people think that a full calendar is a proxy for productivity. A daily planner packed with meetings seems to satisfy most managers. However, more often than not, supervisors and team leaders are more productive when they are not spending all day in meetings. Their time is actually better used when they are working with their team, bringing real measurable results.
As companies become more competitive in attracting the best workforce and achieving the highest productivity with the lowest costs, workplace trends continue to change. During the previous years, we’ve seen paid vacations, nap rooms, game rooms, free buffet, remote offices, and other interesting ideas. But in 2019, people expect more.
Having a remote team comes with great advantages. For team members, it means flexibility, less time wasted commuting, less stress, lower costs and increased autonomy. For companies it means access to global workforce with a minimum waste of resources. Being a win-win option, as of 2019, 66% of companies allow their employees to work remotely, while 16% are totally remote.
To speak up in a meeting is considered public speaking, and according to Psychology Today, there are many reasons some people are afraid to do it:
However, speaking up in meetings is important for personal and professional reasons. When you share ideas or questions, you take part in the conversation, provide value, and show that you’re trying to be an active participant in the workplace. All of this can lead to being seen by upper management, which can be critical for moving ahead in your career.
Remote work is a dream come true for all the introverts of our generation. It brings countless benefits for both employees and employers: higher productivity, lower costs, no time lost in traffic, no need to socialize on every break and no annoying mandatory meetings. You set your own schedule and only interact with a bunch of people without even seeing their faces or hearing their voices. Can it get any better than that?
Team meetings have a pretty bad reputation. Most people either shiver or yawn only when hearing the word. The main reason is that uninspired leaders hold people hostage for hours, while delivering dull speeches or presentations that no one actually is interested to hear. But you can do better!
Meetings are essential for the success of any business. They allow people to collaborate and share information, keep updated on company news and make decisions together. Then why do most employees absolutely hate to attend meetings? And what should management change in order to have truly effective meetings?
