A recent CNBC/Change Research States of Play poll concluded that the Covid-19 pandemic managed to push 42% of Americans into virtual workplaces. Supply chain analysts have encountered many challenges in terms of analysis of the projected supply chain needs from flexible working spaces.

With the new changes, they will have to identify new suppliers, monitor existing supplier inventories, and use analytical data to predict the timelines for new inventory orders. To run the operations smoothly, supply chain managers should prioritize establishing appropriate protocols in due time to enable their employees to work efficiently from home. For that to happen, the right remote culture becomes essential for a promising employer branding which you can establish using the 7 tips mentioned below.

Tips to Manage Remote Teams:

1. Implement Technology: With teleworking becoming the new normal, most companies have started to leverage the latest technology available to enhance the communication channels with employees along with ensuring higher employee productivity. Some of the necessities for successfully implementing technologies to work include teleconferencing software like Skype, Zoom, etc., remote desktops, VPNs, collaboration tools, and stable internet connections along with reliable cellphones. Additionally, tools like relevant field service management software will help keep a track of your on-field workers and customers to analyze and maintain your inventories adequately. Essentially, rely on an intelligent blend of the technological assistance available at your disposal.

2. Promote Right Infrastructure: Corporate supply chain software, ERPs, and other systems are the most used tools by most supply chain workers. The right infrastructure typically means being able to access the data from these sources easily over the cloud via the internet. Once that is in place, your employees can access them to manage their remote work culture relatively easily. By promoting these infrastructure changes you will gather a small core of IT experts, maintenance staff, and supervisors to resolve any issues including scanning and emailing documents between employees.

3. Place Appropriate Policies: A lack of appropriately drafted work-from-home policies can ruin the investment you make in your technological updates for remote work. Beginning with addressing cybersecurity to keep official data confidential and secure, you should also mention the employer expectations, formal clothing for virtual meetings, physical workspace necessities, telework locations, ideal working hours, the required internet speeds, etc. You can even consider desktop sharing software for the IT department to access employee computers remotely should any problems arise.

4. Equip Your Team: Once the technological requirements are in place, supply chain managers need to provide their teams with essential hardware including laptops or desktops, scanners, printers, etc. along with necessary training. That becomes inevitable because not every employee will have a background in using remote operational software on their computer and some of them would not prefer company programs on personal devices. Did you know that both communication and project management, known as collaborative tasks, need specialized software to run effectively? Supply chain managers should look into employing tools such as Slack, Trello, and Quire to manage these responsibilities.

5. Communicate Effectively: During these uncertain times when your employees are working remotely, you must ensure that they are frequently reminded about their job role and company expectations competently. Clear, easy-to-use, reliable, and well-sought-out communication channels are essential components to maintain worker productivity. Now, supply chain managers will have to efficiently communicate with the team about what is required from them more often than was required during office jobs. Look for newer ways to remain in contact and reach your team apart from the occasional virtual meetings.

6. Administer Trust: I understand that trust may sound like just a touchy-feely word but believe me it has become a more salient factor for productive teamwork. The level of accountability and reliability between teams and managers determines job satisfaction, commitment to work and productivity levels, workload responses, turnover, work quality, and office dynamics that benefit the company. Do not remain short-sighted about it and pick up your phone to call or text the teams to collaborate with them on a real-time basis along with administering video calls for emotional reinforcement and trust-building.

7. Prioritize Security: Lastly, do not overlook the fact that cybersecurity is a fundamental need especially for flexible workspaces. Cybercriminals are constantly on the lookout for different gaps and vulnerabilities within businesses to extract critical corporate information. To avoid any data leaks, you must equip all the employee computers with the latest software and security patches along with reputable anti-virus software. Besides, unsecured Wi-Fi could pose a cybersecurity threat therefore your teams should use secure WiFi along with firewalls and access passwords.

Work-from-home is the new normal and as dependable team leaders, you can assure a seamless transition for your team by using these tips. With the right tools, policies, work practices, and reliable logistics partners you can effortlessly maintain your supply chain output and manage logistics during the pandemic.

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Author Bio: Kelly Barcelos is a progressive digital marketing manager for Jobsoid – Applicant Tracking System. She is responsible for leading the content and social media teams at work. Her expertise and experience in the field of HR enable her to create value-driven content for her readers – both on Jobsoid’s blog and other guest blogs where she publishes content regularly.