In our last two blogs, we provided tips on how employees can set up their home office and adjust to their new working environment. Now, we’re going to delve into the ways leaders can manage remote teams under the circumstances brought on by COVID-19.
It’s important to understand and accept that a ‘work from home’ daily structure will likely not be the same as when employees are in the office. Don’t get caught up in rigorous details, instead, ensure that your employees are thriving, receiving your support, completing their tasks efficiently and taking care of their mental health. Remember that each employee will respond differently to the transition of having to work from home. Therefore, taking the time to consider and connect with each individually, find out what’s working and what’s challenging, will enable everyone to create a beneficial working structure.
Trust your employees. Assume the best from them. Continue to build trust through your actions and be flexible with individual needs. Showing that you can be accommodating and understanding to employees’ personal, as well as professional needs, will positively impact their mindset and give them room to grow. To further help with their development, set goals early, articulate them, and determine how employees will track their progress and how you will measure their performance. Also, set specific check-ins to ensure there are no misunderstandings about what’s expected. Include write-ups and meeting notes to keep track of what was discussed – don’t just rely on conversations. Taking notes keeps a clear record and can be referenced frequently.
To build cohesion among your team, establish shared responsibilities. Ensure that everyone is clear on who’s responsible for which task and find creative ways to use the strengths of each of your team members. Successful work is a group effort so use the group to your advantage.
Building cohesion and connection among the team also comes from creating a ‘no-blame’ culture. Remember, since we are not spending every day with our colleagues, issues and misunderstandings can ensue more frequently. When we are face-to-face, our reactions and feelings are expressed not only through our words, but also our body language. When we are not face-to-face it is very difficult to interpret what exactly the message is. Your employees should feel safe to report issues or concerns and work through problems – this will help them establish strong beliefs and reliability in one other. To help with this, when meeting virtually, ensure that everyone is using their video camera. This will help you as a leader monitor body language and notice how the team are connecting or if they are struggling. This also builds camaraderie when the team can physically see each other.
Another aspect to consider when managing remote teams is technology. Without a doubt, your employees will need efficient online tools, electronics and resources to perform their jobs successfully. Determine the needs of each individual and ensure they have proper functioning equipment. There are countless applications and software available for team collaboration – you need to select ones that will be used across the board in order to establish consistency and eliminate technology overload.
Over communicating is perhaps the most necessary tactic when managing remote workers. Share information frequently, check-in and promote regular conversations and set up group chats. Again, this keeps everyone connected and reiterates expectations. Vary the ways in which you communicate so that your employees will catch the message.
Communication also ensures that you’re maintaining positive relationships with your team members. Build connections. Be sincere and show genuine interest. Be a cheerleader and help set your employees up for success.
Useful Resources:
Microsoft | 2 Weeks In: What We Learned About Remote Work
The Pontefract Group | Remote Leadership Toolkit
Micro | The Ultimate Guide to Remote Work
