Over the last few months, the nation has dealt with the threat of COVID-19. The normalcy of life was shattered by forced business closures, social distancing guidelines, and shelter-in-place restrictions.

The changes to work environments forced many companies to find creative ways to continue operations, with many turning to work-from-home opportunities. Because of linked phone systems, cloud-based platforms, and video chat connectivity, many of these companies only experienced a small hiccup as a result of the transition.

There have been many managers and experts who have touted remote work as detrimental to a company’s productivity, but COVID-19 shed new light on the matter. Here are some of the truths about remote work that were made clear during the pandemic.

Engagement Depends on Communication

Any good manager knows, whether on-site or connected remotely, the communication will yield employee engagement. It's also important to know that how often you communicate will impact engagement results.

Having frequent conversations with an employee will increase the likelihood of productivity. For remote workers, this means actively receiving feedback several times a month. Whether it be a phone call, chat function, or through email, staying in touch with your remote employee is important.

Expectations Equate to Accountability

Nothing is going to happen unless someone sets a standard of expected achievement. Employees are only going to care about the expectations that have been set for them. Remote workers, despite the physical distance, must be held accountable for the autonomy.

You may use a productivity management software or you could follow-up on deadlines and tasks yourself. As a manager, be clear about the expectations and help the employee establish a priority list of tasks to get there.

When an employee knows what is expected from them, there are more consistent focus and engagement efforts. Work together, clarifying concerns and eliminating as many distractions as possible that don’t support the end goal.

Solitude Can Be a Gift

Many would say that the office environment and their coworkers are the pep in their step at work. However, many have found that working on their own gives them greater productivity, self-confidence, and motivation.

External structures can often hinder individuals from exploring their talents or stepping up to the plate to take on a new project. When an individual is not in a competitive environment, they become more confident in the work they are doing and exert this confidence in new areas.

Over the last few months, many employees have thrived under the gift of autonomy, recognizing their strengths without the added pressure of coworkers.

Not everyone has this same response, and so managers need to pay attention to who is doing what, especially when everyone moves back to the office. Create a situation that capitalizes on the individuality that was displayed while workers went remotely.

The Future is Bright

During 2016, only about 43% of the U.S. workforce operated remotely for some part of the workweek. Since the first few weeks of April 2020, a new poll found that just over 62% if the American workforce had been relocated to positions that operated from their homes.

The coronavirus drastically changed the outlook on remote employment opportunities. Now that the U.S. has had some time to see how well it worked and employees have adapted to the change, the future could hold some big changes for the business world.

Managers and leaders will have to adapt the managing a group of individuals that have been autonomous for several weeks, if not months. Schedule and routines are going to have to get re-aligned, not to mention the relocation of equipment.

For jobs that were previously denied work-from-home options, COVID-19 may have changed the narrative that productivity can be just as strong whether you work on or off-site.