Many people are going back to the office, but not everyone. Major businesses such as Google and Facebook have announced they’re extending WFH policies well into 2021. Some are saying the arrangement could be permanent.

Small and medium-sized businesses are still feeling things out. In many cases, it will be a combination of on-site and off-site employees, all trying to keep the business running as smoothly as they can.

As an owner or manager, you can improve how well everyone integrates their work so your business can keep up with the rest of the world and not fall behind. Here are some suggestions for ways to reduce downtime and improve workflow for off-site employees.

If you don’t have a go-to for tech support, get one

Remote workers have the same kind of tech issues that in-office employees have. Software gets buggy. Hardware goes down. Network connections drop without warning.

Your employees need someone to call — either an individual or department — who is qualified to help co-workers with computer and network issues and is empowered to help solve those problems, whether it be account maintenance or hardware replacement.

This needs to be an immediate service. When someone can’t get work done due to a technical issue, productivity is zip.

If you don’t have someone on staff who can fill the role, consider hiring a managed service provider. One particular advantage of this option is that they often can provide technical support outside of regular working hours, so if your remote staff flexes their schedule a bit, they’re still covered.

Take advantage of the cloud

Over 90% of businesses are using the cloud in one way or the other. If you’re not using the cloud, you’re already behind the curve. The good news is that it doesn’t have to stay that way.

Getting your business on the cloud is super easy. Amazon, Google, IBM, Microsoft, Apple, and a host of other companies can set you up with public, private, or hybrid access at a moment’s notice and relatively low rates. With the cloud’s scalability, you can use as much or as little as you need, so it’s perfect for businesses of all sizes. It’s secure. And it’s become the go-to platform for online productivity apps.

Look into Microsoft 365 or Google’s G-Suite to get a full range of productivity and communication apps your entire business can use and collaborate with. Both are surprisingly affordable. Microsoft has an edge in brand recognition and familiarity. Google gets its advantage in that their apps work equally well on the web and mobile devices.

Get everyone on the same project management app

Project management apps are great for making sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to a project’s development, who needs to do what by when, what updates have occurred, and generally how everyone is progressing. From a management level, it’s a great snapshot of how projects are going. From a worker’s perspective, it’s a clear outline of what needs to be done and how it fits into the larger picture.

There are a lot of apps out there to choose from. Ideally, you want one that updates live across multiple platforms. No matter if you or your employees are accessing the app through a phone, tablet, or desktop computer, the information should be current. Notion does a good job with this. I’ve seen a lot of success personally with ClickUp. ClickUp has an easier learning curve, although Notion has more features.

If you’re running a large business with multiple teams, start with ClickUp at the very least, but you may want to take a serious look at G-Suite and Office 365 as you get more comfortable with online project management.

The most important thing to remember is to make sure everyone is using the same app. That’s going to streamline your projects and cut down on confusion and miscommunication.

Protect yourself from malware, viruses, and phishing

Want to see an employee’s remote work grind to a screeching halt and perhaps take everyone else down with them? Then, by all means, ignore the importance of virus and malware protection.

That’s not what you want?

Good. Neither do I.

Whether you use your designated tech support team to help push this or do it yourself, make sure every employee — on-site and remote — has the latest virus detection software installed on their devices and that its virus definitions are up to date. Likewise, with malware.

Train up employees on how to recognize phishing emails and suspicious links. Anytime an employee interacts online with someone outside your network, your systems could be open to a malware or phishing attack. Put the tools in place to stop them before they can happen.

Establish encryption and cybersecurity protocols

Similar to protecting your business from viruses and malware, you’re going to want to make sure it’s not your employees themselves who may be the ones putting your business network at risk.

Establish cybersecurity practices for everyone to follow — including sensible password use, two-step password authentication, and encryption.

These are particularly important if you’re a business with regulatory compliance requirements such as the health and finance industries. Getting hacked is bad enough. Being fined or shut down for poor compliance is worse.

All cloud services, public and private, employ encryption to help keep your data safe. Using a private cloud gives you an added security layer by more strictly controlling who has access to your servers.

With network and computer speeds the way they are today, encryption will not interfere with transmission quality for data transfers or video conferencing. Failing to have that encryption in place, however, makes your business vulnerable.

It’s not a choice between productivity and health

You don’t have to sacrifice one for the other. Even when employees are spread out and not warming chairs in the office, your business can still run with the same efficiency you’d expect from on-site attendance. It simply takes a little preparation and accommodation.

Reasons for employees to work from home go beyond the current pandemic. While a challenge for some, others are taking to it well and even reporting high job satisfaction. In time, the ability to work remotely will be a valuable hiring option when looking for quality talent.

Planning and implementing smart work-from-home procedures will enhance your business overall and help you keep the kind of talented employees who will build a strong business.