With new variants of COVID-19 appearing, many employers are considering extending their “work from home” protocols into the near future. In fact, several big companies, including Google and Amazon, have announced plans to keep workers home until at least 2022. However, companies are also fearful that the long-term work-from-home model may have a negative effect on productivity and employee morale. How can employers keep their workers safe but still demand high quality and accountability from them?
The answer may lie, surprisingly, in web design. The design of your website including add-ons, software, and accessibility will have a huge impact on how much control you have in workflow and other factors affecting work-from-home employees. At Caldiatech, we have been working with employers throughout the pandemic to help them choose the right programs and solutions for their unique workplace needs. Here are a few things we have learned:
- Having the right tools is the difference between success and failure. There is no doubt; the only way to ensure that you are successful is to give your employees the tools they need to get their jobs done. Having access to the right digital tools is the most important way that a company makes work-from-home employees successful. Therefore, it is critical that you choose software, platforms, and add-ons that are going to boost your employees’ productivity and give you control over the workflow and work product. Without this, work-from-home becomes nearly impossible to do successfully.
- Website design and setup helps or hinders employees. There isn’t much between a “good” and “bad” website design for companies that want employees to work from home. A better way to say this might be: your website design works or does not work for your employees; there is very little middle ground. It is critical that employees are able to easily navigate your website, find the tools they need, and submit work in an easy-to-understand manner. If they can’t, you will likely not get the work product that you expect, creating a stressful situation for both you and your employees.
- Some tools are better than others. While work from home has created a laundry list of “best practices” and “coolest new digital tools,” the fact is that some tools are better for your company than others. It is up to you, as the employer, to vet these tools and choose the ones that work for your business. This does not necessarily mean that what works for another company will work for you. Tools must be selected on the basis of intelligent design, user-friendliness and productive outcomes for your particular business, not based on what works for your friends and their companies.
At Caldiatech, we have worked with numerous businesses to design websites and choose productivity tools that enhance workflow. When you work with us, you gain insight into how various programs contribute to your company’s productivity. We will help you make the best choices for yourself and your employees, even in these difficult times!