Transitioning an entire business to work from home or remote work is a big task. Many organizations will take small steps toward this, breaking the work up into manageable pieces. Starting small often gets great results that are well worth celebrating.

Any WFH success is worth celebrating. Letting all stakeholders feel the rewards of WFH success is essential to perpetuating that success. It helps key players gain important institutional and political favor within the organization, to shift the corporate culture toward one that embraces WFH. 

Here, we will look at how some organizations have taken small steps toward WFH. And we will highlight the ways organizations have honored and enjoyed those successes. 

Updating Technology As Needed

Research from G2 showed that this March, small organizations were updating WFH communication tools more slowly than enterprise and mid-size organizations. Small businesses were updating their tech and processes at a lower rate. Because these organizations have fewer employees and a smaller budget, they may not be as focused on the latest and greatest tech as larger firms.

Small businesses can take a slower approach to updating technology, doing it as needed rather than updating and procuring everything at once. If your business or organization is smaller, you may not need to take on an entirely new system at once. It may be worthwhile to trial a few options or focus on one area of need, such as communication. 

Shopify: Funding Employees

Shopify took one big step in helping employees shift to working from home, offering a $1000 stipend to buy necessary office supplies. Their goal was to ease the transition to working remotely, offering funds for things like lamps, office chairs, and desks. They also allowed employees to take their monitors, keyboards, and laptops home.

It can be helpful to consider what your employees might need to transition to work from home and take specific steps to assist them. You may choose to do this through allowable expenses, as Shopify did, or your organization could provide the equipment directly.

Recognizing Successes

Masthead Media has been working remotely for a long time and the company has a policy of celebrating big wins. They create virtual spaces, like chat rooms or team newsletters, to highlight great work. They note that this brings employees closer and builds a culture of support. They also say that this method of celebration helps team members get to know everyone, and it gives them the chance to toast accomplishments together.

Another article explores the many ways various other organizations celebrate wins, often in an easy, accessible way. At Infinite Red, the team has Slack channels designed to share personal successes and those of others. Convert has a similar practice, with a #humblebrag channel and virtual tacos. They also host a Wins and Miseries meeting session that allows for sharing both the ups and downs in a safe space. 

An MIT Sloane article explores the role of recognition in remote work, pointing out that the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ approach makes it so remote workers often receive less praise. MIT Sloane suggests celebrating with physical packages for remote workers, so they have something outside of the usual virtual, digital world. An illustrated thank you card, a snack or treat delivered to one’s door, a book, or any other physical product can be a big boost for members of your WFH team.

All of these ideas are focused on celebrating remote workers and their successes so that they can have a better feeling of belonging that will improve their productivity and morale. For stakeholders and decision-makers, it demonstrates the benefits of WFH. And it shows how teams can stay connected and do great work wherever they may be. Celebrating these wins and successes, no matter how big or small, ensures that everyone knows the value of your WFH team.

We care about WFH and its success. GroupLink everything HelpDesk, GroupLink Workflow Process & Incident Tracking, and GroupLink for SafestSchools are high-quality, reliable platforms for WFH and workflow. If you want to learn more about our tech or you have questions, please get in touch today. We invite you to contact us online, call us at 801-335-0700, or email us at info@grouplink.net to hear from one of our team members.

Check out the next article in our series. Work-from-Home’s (WFH) Future – for CIOs & CTOs: Goals, Metrics & Timelines will show CIOs and CTOs how to put plans into action. We will demonstrate specific goals, metrics, and timelines for WFH and its implementation at your organization.