3 Ways to Keep Your Finance Team Productive Amid the Lockdown

With the Coronavirus continuously changing the way businesses work and pulling down the country’s economy at the same time, accounting firms will face a difficult experience in the long run. Amid continued speculation over the restart of the British economy, accounting firms have found themselves in a predicament where the motivation of their team members is in a downward spiral due to the extended lockdowns. Although many remain hopeful over the possibility of business returning to normal within the coming year, the reality is grim for many, especially for staff members struggling to be productive. In many finance teams, motivation and productivity are at an all-time low because of the lack of a productive office setting that many professionals were accustomed to. As the absence of deadlines, schedules, office hours, and clients continue to affect your firm’s productivity, there’s one question that you might ask: “How do I keep my finance team productive during the lockdown period?” Given the current situation where productivity is clearly lacking and the difficulty to stay afloat is far more present than ever, it’s taking a toll on your finance team as well. As the current lockdown situation continues to put most firms in a choke point where the clients are dwindling and activities are few, your team members are probably in a slump as they have no tasks to work on, even more so if they’re just working from home. Fortunately, keeping your finance team as engaged as possible during the lockdown can be done with a few key practices, such as the following: Help make the experience of remote work much easier for everyone While some workers may be doing fine with the new set-up, there are some finance team members who are struggling to adapt and maintain a positive outlook to keep themselves going. The best way to fix this is to schedule one-on-one interviews with your team members to learn more about their struggles and how you can best help them adjust! Keep your communication lines open at all times When it comes to overcoming the hurdles posed by the current lockdown, another effective way to beat the situation and make sure that motivation stays afloat is to keep a line of communication open. It may not seem like much at first, but scheduling weekly check-ins or open chat boxes will make it far easier to cope with the absence of an office setting by replicating interactions, making it easier to stay motivated! Set goals that everyone can aim for If there’s anything that can kickstart your finance team’s motivation to help bring your accounting firm through the pandemic with ease, it is having a set goal in place that everyone can work towards. As opposed to merely prescribing mundane daily tasks and telling your team what to do, taking a different approach by setting a goal that everyone can work towards makes it easier to keep boredom at bay. When you take the time to set clear-cut goals, you’ll make work feel more fulfilling and keep spirits high until it’s time to get back to the office after COVID-19 blows over! Conclusion Despite the growing boredom and slowdowns that come with the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s essential that you keep your accounting firm running smoothly by keeping your finance team motivated. With the help of the three practices mentioned above, you can keep your finance team as productive as possible to make sure that their skills are sharp to help your firm hit the ground running once operations resume! For the latest news and updates on the UK accounting and finance industries, we’ve got you covered with trending stories that are posted daily – subscribe to our accountancy newsletter today!