Remote working tips and advice

Tips and advice for working from home

Many organisations had to rethink their approach to remote working during the Covid-19 pandemic. As remote working and virtual teams become the norm, employers must maintain a level of connectivity with their remote workforce to ensure continued productivity and engagement.

On this page you’ll find some practical advice and guidance on how best to manage working from home.

Contents

Top tips for businesses on remote working

  1. Keep your workforce connected. It’s really important that we stay connected to our teams and colleagues on a regular basis. Video calls are a great way to do this using technology like Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Meet Up. Focus on building that sense of community, trust and, where possible, fun, and the rest will follow.
  2. Set a clear schedule. With new rules and regulations being announced frequently, it is important to keep a sense of normality for your employees during their work day. Encourage them to stick to their working hours and normal routine where possible, take regular breaks from their desk and step away from the screen during their lunch hour.
  3. Embrace the chaos. From children to mischievous pets, your employee’s work environment has gained more than a few disruptions and, more than likely, so have your conference calls. Our advice is to be flexible and understanding – accept that Barbie’s clothes need changing and the barking dog needs letting out. We are all in the same boat and need to be kind on ourselves!

Four tips for helping employees develop a new routine while working from home

Though these are some uncertain times we’re living in with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, many companies globally are still able to conduct business by using today’s advanced technology to work remotely from home. Read our tips on helping your employees adjust to a new working routine.

The working from home survival guide

As working from home becomes the new normal for many workers, it’s important to find a sustainable way to navigate this new, strange, and rather beige world, depending on the colour in your ‘home office’. Use our guide to ensure your employees don't fall into a stale working pattern.

Helpful tips for working from home with kids

With most schools and nurseries closed in the UK, more and more parents are finding themselves facing the ultimate challenge: working from home with kids - not to mention home-schooling them too. Here's some helpful tips to get you through.

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Additional resources

Engaging your remote workforce

As businesses continue to review how they operate, there is one thing that the current situation has taught us, that remote working at scale is possible. However, it has also thrown to light the importance of keeping people connected and engaged.

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Return to work

Coronavirus support

The Covid-19 crisis brought many challenges for businesses. Shifting entire workforces to remote working, dealing with furlough and keeping business culture alive. As we continue into the new norm, there are still significant challenges that you will have to face.

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Woman on iPad using People First social feed

People First HR software

People First offers you an effective way to manage, connect and engage your people, enabling you to attract and retain your people throughout the entire employee lifecycle, while saving you time and money.

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Other glossary sections

Building a resilient workforce: the why, what and how

Redefining workforce resilience

The term ‘workforce resilience’ is well used but highly ambiguous. The word ‘resilience’ conjures up images of stoic individuals battling through a storm against all odds. But is a group of tough individuals rolling with the punches really what we mean by or want from a resilient workforce?

In our view, a resilient workforce is one that can thrive in an unpredictable environment rather than just surviving through gritted teeth.

For organisations to thrive, they need to be as adaptable as the employees they depend on. They need to enable their employees to be proactive and excel, rather than hold them back with inflexible and outdated ways of working.

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iTrent Migration Service

Looking to switch software? Is your current platform being de-supported? Why not take advantage of MHR’s expertise and move to a solution with ease that will support your people goals now and in the future.

Find out how to make the move and ensure a seamless transition from your legacy system to our comprehensive and configurable platform, iTrent.

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iTrent Tips Guide

Get the most out of iTrent with our handy hints and tips guide

We’re constantly developing iTrent to help you keep up to date with the evolving world of work. We understand that time (and money) is precious, so having a platform that can help you be more efficient is crucial. iTrent is one of the most comprehensive integrated HR and payroll platforms on the market and we want to help you to use it to maximum effect.

So, our team of experts at MHR have pulled together their top hacks for getting the most out of the platform. You may know some of these already, but some may be new. Read on to discover our top tips to make your life easier!

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MHR Assist services

Get immediate, remote support from our team of experts

Purchase ‘hours’ of support from our expert team of consultants to get the most out of your system. Our Assist service provides rapid response guidance to help you maximise the value of your platform and realise greater benefits within new release features, technological fixes, ad-hoc system administration support and remote configuration across a range of workflows. Our team are on hand to provide your organisation with additional assistance when you need it.

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What is an ERP System and is it Right for Me?

Is an ERP system right for your organisation?

Confused or concerned about ERP systems? Looking for a HCM that really supports your people needs? Let us explain what an ERP is, the pros and cons of this type of system, and alternative options, to help you get the best system for your needs.

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What is employee onboarding?

What is employee onboarding and why should you care?

From the initial recruitment to six months in, manage your employees’ development as they settle into your organisation’s culture. A bad experience is going to cost you.

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Emergency payroll support

Don’t get stuck in a payroll emergency

Sometimes things go wrong and unforeseen circumstances can lead to major disruption. With a critical function like payroll, you can’t afford to be taken offline when your employees need to be paid.

Let MHR protect you from these risks with our emergency payroll support. We provide you with the reassurance of business continuity for your payroll in the event of a problem such as unexpected absences, resignations, organisational restructures, power outages or even natural disasters.

We can provide an expert payroll consultant to run or support payroll processes in a timely and efficient manner until you have restored your resources.

No matter how prepared your organisation, you can’t predict every potential problem that may arise. From temporary absence to widescale disruption from a global pandemic, our services give you the confidence that no matter what, you’ve got a reliable partner to back you up and keep your payroll running.

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Bite size consultancy services

Let us take your pressure away with help from our experienced consultants

Now more that ever, you may be experiencing a limit in system administration resource, higher project demands, or perhaps your in-house teams need additional support and knowledge in niche areas.

We recognise that there are many challenges being faced by organisations at this time of uncertainty. With so much new legislation, additional health and safety requirements in workplaces to maintain social distancing and more scrutiny over resources, it can be difficult for teams to keep on top of system maintenance.

Perhaps you need to configure changes to your pension scheme, pay calculations or absence reporting in light of furloughed workers and changes to sick pay. Even if you’re not sure exactly where you need help, our expert team can offer support and guidance to ensure your system always meets your needs.

To aid you, we can offer bite size consultancy to bolster your teams around specific requests or issues, saving time and freeing up your resources for more critical tasks.

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Implementation services

Your choice: remote or on-premise implementation with professional delivery

At MHR we believe in ensuring that you get the most out of your investment. When you purchase a platform or service from us, whether it be HR software or payroll software, we will ensure that we work with you in your preferred mode to ensure your success.

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Coronavirus support

Here to support you when you need it most

The Covid-19 crisis brought many challenges for businesses. Shifting entire workforces to remote working, dealing with furlough and keeping business culture alive. As we continue to deal with uncertainty and what is becoming the new norm, there are still significant challenges that you will have to face.

MHR has several solutions to help you not only with ongoing guidance and support, but with services to help you with business continuity and save costs.

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