Remote work has become more than just a trend—it’s a fundamental shift in how we operate. But, for all its appeal, working beyond a traditional office space isn’t without its drawbacks. For small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in Edmonton and surrounding areas, understanding how to maintain productivity in a remote environment is essential for making the approach work.
Does Remote Working Really Affect Productivity?
Some evidence points to ‘yes’. In a 2023 study, researchers found that on average, working from home does decrease employee output—by up to 19% per hour. Before you rush to call everyone back to the office, let’s dig deeper into what’s really happening.
Remote employees often find themselves caught in a paradoxical situation. They’re spending more time in meetings aimed at staying connected, yet these very meetings are eating into their productive “focus time.” What’s meant to be strategic coordination often devolves into lengthy sessions of resource sharing and status updates, especially when hampered by technical difficulties.
So, the culprit isn’t the concept of remote work itself—it’s how we’re executing it.
The Make-or-Break Factor Behind Effective Remote Work
Technological issues consistently rank as the primary factor affecting remote work experience. That probably won’t come as a shock—just think about your typical remote workday. How much time do your employees spend:
- Searching for files across different platforms?
- Troubleshooting connectivity issues?
- Waiting for large files to upload or download?
- Trying to access systems that weren’t designed for remote use?
Each minute spent dealing with these issues is a minute of productivity lost. Ready for the good news? Mitigating the problem is entirely within your control.
Your Pivotal Remote Work Foundation
The solution to many remote work challenges lies in cloud hosting. It’s not just about storing files online. It’s about creating a unified digital workspace that empowers your team to work seamlessly from anywhere—and, more importantly, gets them excited about doing it.
While most know Microsoft 365 for its basic applications—Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and the like—it’s evolved into a comprehensive remote work platform.
We discussed its use in hybrid working environments here, but in terms of fully-remote Edmonton businesses, some of 365’s best tools for productivity include:
- Forms: Surveys and polls make gathering data and feedback easy
- Power BI: Transforms data into actionable, visual insights within interactive dashboards, supporting informed, data-driven decisions across dispersed teams
- Teams: Centralizes communication and collaboration with secure chat, video calls, and file sharing, ensuring remote teams stay in the loop without the frustrating back-and-forth
- Power Automate: Streamline repetitive tasks and workflows allows your teams to focus on high-priority work.
What Can IT Services Do for Your Remote Team?
Having the right tools is only half the battle. To truly optimize your remote operations, you need expert guidance and support—something professional IT services excel at providing.
- Expert Configuration and Security: An experienced support team will set up cloud solutions tailored to your specific needs, implement robust security measures to protect remote operations, and ensure compliance with data protection regulations.
- User Training and Support: By providing clear, jargon-free advice on using new tools and offering ongoing support for technical questions, they’ll also help your employees maximize productivity through proper tool utilization.
- Proactive Problem-Solving: Support services will take the lead on maintaining system updates and security patches. They’ll monitor your systems to prevent issues before they occur, and when they do, the pros will ensure a quick resolution.
Breaking Down Barriers to Support
How often have you heard (or thought), “It’s probably not important enough to call IT about”?
It’s a damaging enough sentiment in the office, but for remote teams, this hesitation to seek help is a true productivity killer. Reliable IT services change this dynamic by:
- Providing clear channels for support
- Encouraging questions and problem-solving
- Offering remote assistance that feels as immediate as in-person help
- Creating a culture where no technical question is too small (or “too silly”)
With a trusted team on their side, your employees will never feel the need to take on IT issues themselves (and add to their own workload in the process).
Take Remote Work Performance Into Your Own Hands
Whether you’re new to a remote setup or have been using one since before ‘WFH’ entered the dictionary (2001, if you’re interested), the right IT service provider can transform your team’s output.
They’ll help standardize processes across all work locations, ensure equal access to resources for all team members, maintain security (without sacrificing convenience), and, crucially, keep your people focused on their work rather than technical issues.
The narrative that remote work equals reduced productivity isn’t set in stone—so let’s work together to change it.
Tier 3 IT Solutions: Trusted Managed IT and Cyber Security Partners in Edmonton and Alberta
Our mission is to empower businesses in Edmonton and Alberta to get the best from what technology has to offer them. From IT strategy and support to cyber security solutions, our expert team has over 30 years of experience helping local SMBs thrive.
To learn more about enhancing your remote work setup, don’t hesitate to reach out for a call with our president, Jesse.
