Is Work-from-Home the New Business Development Normal?

by | Jul 22, 2020 | Lead Management, Sales Strategy, Sales Tips

In the wake of the 2020 global coronavirus pandemic, thousands of businesses were forced to transition to a work-from-home environment overnight.

Some transitioned fairly successfully, while others faced a more chaotic experience. No matter which your business experienced, you may be sticking with work-from-home for the long-term. As you make your new business development team plans, working from home will be part of the equation.

What Work-from-Home Can Mean for Your Business

Working from home, or remotely, has several benefits to you, your employees, and your business. Remote work means significant savings on office space and it expands your hiring pool far beyond your geographic constraints. Employees with flexible working options tend to stay with a company longer and experience higher satisfaction from a more measured work-life balance. And, without the commute, your team gets more working hours during the day.

Other work-from-home stats to consider include:

 

  • A Future of Work survey showed 78% of managers listed “flexible schedules and telecommuting” are the most effective non-monetary way to increase employee retention

Making Work-from-Home Work for You

If your business had a rough transition to mandatory work-from-home, chances are you weren’t able to implement a sustainable work-from-home system. Now that remote work is happening, you may find your team a little unsettled as a result of the hasty start. It’s time to go back and make sure you set up work-from-home right for your team and your business.

And get the help you need to move forward.

The NuGrowth team has worked with businesses and teams of all sizes to rethink and restructure their development approach for years. Our Fortune 500 sales management expertise has helped organizations hire, coach, train, and develop teams to succeed in the most unpredictable environments. Let us help your team work through the uncertainty you’re facing and transition to a “new normal” of lasting sales team success.

Here are some steps to get you started.

  1. Make a clear policy. Now that you’ve had time to see how remote work is playing out, you have the data needed to establish robust procedures. Start by defining what positions or departments are suited to work from home. It’s inevitable that not all employees will be able to do their job effectively out of the office.
    In addition, define elements like work hours and dress codes to help people stay accountable. Be clear that things like video meetings with colleagues, clients, and partners, require proper attire. And, specify work-from-home exceptions like “all-hands” meetings, certain presentations, or specific client meetings.
  2. Establish an approval process. To get a good handle on who is working remotely, have team members submit requests to move to work-from-home for a certain number of hours or days.
  3. Define a way to show availability. A significant issue with remote work is knowing when a person is available to chat or not. In an office setting, you know exactly when someone is around by checking their desk or calling their office phone. For remote work, you need a system like Slack, Google Chat, or Microsoft teams to indicate when a person is available, busy, or away. Pick one system for everyone to use to streamline communication.
  4. Stay connected. A Harvard Business Review poll found almost 50% of successful managers check-in frequently with remote workers. Make sure your team leaders are checking in often, talking formally and informally, to help remote workers stay connected to the team. And, as part of this connection, help team members stay connected and accountable with a culture of responding to messages sent, by email, text, or chat, to let them know it was received.
  5. Establish tasks In your regular employee check-ins, talk about specific tasks. Studies show task-oriented rather than activity-oriented work is more effective for remote workers. Focus on establishing specific deliverables with your team, breaking down projects into daily, weekly, or monthly goals.
  6. Keep the teamwork vibes. Beyond regular check-ins, create recognition programs to call out high-performing team members and keep everyone connected.
  7. Get (and teach) the right tech. Make sure your team has the basics: a computer or laptop, instant messaging service, virtual meeting service, and access to any project management or collaborative software you use. Beyond giving employees access, ensure they have proper training and a way to connect with I.T. quickly should any issues occur.
  8. Keep testing, asking, and refreshing. Your work-from-home system, like any critical aspect of your business, can always be improved. Check-in frequently with managers and team members to see how the system is working and get feedback on how to do it better.

Set Your Team Up for Success with NuGrowth Solutions

The team at NuGrowth has operated with a remote work/in-office hybrid for years, and we’ve successfully helped numerous businesses transition to remote working environments. With targeted training and a fully-remote functional tech-stack, our team is poised to help you transition to work-from-home while boosting your development outreach and results.

Find out more about how the NuGrowth team can streamline your processes and grow your pipeline today. Get in touch at 614.304.3917 or fill out a simple contact form here.