Teleworking tips: our advices for teleworking implementation
There are situations in which companies are required to make temporary use of telework. In the event of a major health crisis, major social movements or exceptional weather events, teams must organize themselves urgently. This can be a complicated task for those who have never experienced telework before.
Beyond the regulatory aspect and the tools to be used, setting up such an organisation implies changing one’s view of how to manage one’s teams.
If you need to quickly generalize telework, here are 10 teleworking tips from Tixeo that will allow you to create simply and quickly your virtual open-space.
1. Define a legal framework
In France, under normal circumstances, the set-up of telework in a company requires a company charter or agreement. An agreement between an employee and his employer is nevertheless sufficient by law to establish telework; the French Labour Code gives the possibility to formalise this agreement freely, by any oral or written means. An amendment to the employment contract is not necessary.
Note: in case of force majeure, as in the case of an epidemic, the law can impose telework on the company and its employees.
2. Provide the right collaboration tools
The priority is first of all the implementation of a secure VPN (Virtual Private Network) allowing all your employees to access the company’s local network via a secure internet connection. The members of your team must also have remote access to your company’s mail server via webmail. Finally, the installation of a file exchange platform can also be considered.
To these tools can be added asynchronous communication solutions (wiki, company blogs, etc.).
3. Select suitable video collaboration solution
Another priority in a remote relationship between employees is to regain a feeling close to that provided by a real working environment. That’s why it’s essential that you use a reliable video conferencing tool that’s simple to deploy and has many collaboration features, such as desktop and document sharing, file transfer and instant messaging. To go further, Tixeo offers its advanced video collaboration feature, TixeoFusion, which allows you to combine multiple focus groups within a single video collaboration space. The Tixeo solution is quick to install and provides a realistic experience close to a face-to-face meeting.
4. Remain connected permanently to your virtual open-space
Keeping in touch is essential for your teams as they embark on teleworking. In order to regain the interactions you had in your offices it is therefore advisable to consider a continuous audiovisual relationship within your teams. The TixeoFusion video collaboration mode meets this need and optimizes communication between different team members, creating a true virtual open-space. In the same videoconference, it is possible to talk only to some participants without disturbing others, and even choose to work in isolation while being connected to your team.
5. Don’t change your habits
Once your workspace is dematerialized, it is important to continue to apply the rules and habits of the office, especially those related to working hours. In this context, enforce rights to disconnection and privacy. In fact, invite your employees to join and leave your virtual open-space at set times, just as you would do in the office.
6. Trust your employee
Control your employees in real time: Is you kidding ? Trust is the cornerstone of successful collaboration, especially when it comes to telecommuting. By generalizing teleworking, you necessarily give more autonomy to your team members who are often more involved in their mission and in the life of the company.
7. Communicate
Even if your time is limited, it is essential to explain to your teams how you are going to collaborate remotely: communicate with pedagogy about the future organization, train on the new tools and, above all, stay tuned. You should also tell your customers and partners in advance about your new way of working, which they can easily adapt to and even adopt.
8. Promote a friendly atmosphere
The company is a place of exchange and social relations that you must absolutely preserve in your new organization. Every morning, when you arrive, don’t hesitate to meet as you would around the coffee machine. Throughout the day, leave time for free and friendly discussions. By maintaining such a relationship, you will avoid the feeling of isolation that your employees might experience in a remote organization, especially if it is imposed by a crisis situation.
9. Always protect the confidentiality of data and communications
The quick introduction of telework should not hide the risks that this type of collaboration can pose to companies. When employees are spread out in different locations, security must be optimal and be the subject of particular attention. It is therefore imperative to deploy the most reliable solutions on the market. As stated before, a secure VPN is essential as well as a company-specific cloud. Similarly, the confidentiality of communications must not be ignored. For instance, Tixeo’s video collaboration solution integrates end-to-end encryption of communications (video, audio and data) whatever the number of connected employees. It is the only video conferencing solution on the market to be certified and qualified by the French National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI).
Teleworking tips – to go further into the subject of security :
10. Last teleworking tip: analyse the feedback from your company and your teams
Once the crisis period is over, it can be interesting to draw up a report on the temporary implementation of this remote organisation and to analyse the feedback from your teams. During this phase of teleworking, your employees will not have lost the time associated with transport and will even gain in comfort and quality of life, which will lead to a significant reduction in their stress. It is likely that this will result in increased productivity gains, also due to better communication within your organisation. This is one of the main reasons why an increasing number of companies are virtualizing their entire open-space and thus generalizing teleworking. By permanently adopting this practice, organizations can enjoy other benefits such as reduced structural costs (office rentals, travel expenses), reduced sick leave and staff turnover, and the ability to recruit over a wide geographical area.
We take advantage in our teleworking tips to explain TixeoFusion. TixeoFusion’s advanced video collaboration feature, allows to organize several independent discussion within the same videoconference space. Attendees can communicate securely within the same space without disturbing attendees outside their group. Interactions are optimized and allow large teams to collaborate remotely.
TixeoFusion provides a feeling close to a face-to-face meeting and thus arouses the commitment of your employees while guaranteeing complete privacy of communications (video, audio & data).
For a project group or to manage a team of teleworkers, TixeoFusion replaces the classic open-space on a daily basis.