You could be pleased to engage your first remote team members– whether an employee of the company is going remote or you were hired to oversee a highly decentralized team– but are you equipped to tackle? We can’t deny that we’ve arrived at the pinnacle of remote work. Anyone who has managed remote teams, on the other hand, knows how challenging it can be daily. Working from home implies more hassles, fewer opportunities to engage organically with coworkers, and a greater sense of social isolation, all of which can lead to decreased productivity. To address these issues, businesses should look into innovative ways to manage and interact with employees, as well as provide more opportunities for employees to engage with one another. Whether you’re contemplating a quick remote work plan or a long-term project, here are some lessons learned and best practices for managing remote teams efficiently.
Look for – signs of distress
Regular touch and conversation with the employees whether direct or indirect is a great way to get an idea or visibility into employees’ challenges and concerns. One has to try and grab every opportunity one can get to make things clear to the employees that you support and care for them. Provide managers with information on how to best tackle sensitive topics resulting from the COVID-19 epidemic, such as alternative work models, job security and prospects, impact on staffing, and workplace friction, to enable regular talks between managers and employees.
Over- Communicate
In a normal day-to-day work environment, the increase in the communication gap can create unnecessary challenges. One has to understand that, beyond simple daily check-ins, over-communicating about the team’s tasks, roles, responsibilities, and expected outcomes is critical. Hence communication becomes one of the crucial parts when employees are working from home or remotely to maintain their focus on new and different tasks and goals.
Provide/Equip Employees
Ensure that staff has the technology they require to succeed, which may include more than simply a phone and a laptop. Do your employees, for example, have suitable gadgets like webcams to join online meetings? A company or organization should not assume that the employees will be familiar with all types of virtual communications or comfortable with the environment. You can equip your employees to work efficiently from home even if you don’t have a wide range of technology or collaborative tools. You have to accept and be fair with the situation that virtual communications vary and are different and will not be perfect. So one has to be patient, professional, and respectful of others. Be informed that some employees may find virtual communications less pleasant and effective, and train them on when and how to escalate unsuccessful virtual interactions. For example, if the issue is not solved with multiple email conversations then it is time for the virtual meeting to come to a solution.
Rules of engagement
The most appropriate thing to make remote work more efficient for managers is to set expectations for the frequency and the best timing for communication with the team. For example, when things are critical we prefer using the instant message and for daily check-in meetings, videoconferencing is one of the best options to opt for. Determine when team members should communicate with their supervisor (maybe you), and when the management should approach each member of the team.
Organized and flexible
One of the best ways to maintain consistency is to provide flexible work hours when it comes to working from home or remote teams. Although a comprehensive plan is necessary, you should be willing to change strategies accordingly. It shouldn’t matter whether your staff works in the morning or the evening, as long as the work is finished and of high caliber.
Provide better options for collaboration
One approach for managers to remain on top of what their employees are doing is to provide a shared document that monitors job activity. Even when groups are in the workplace, it’s an excellent practice that will help management fine-tune their expectations and obligations for employees during this uncertain time. Also, as a team, decide on appropriate virtual collaboration conduct, such as sending a fast message to say “I’ll call you back” if you are deeply absorbed in something else when a colleague contacts you.
Each of the preceding alternatives is simple although not without a challenge. They all necessitate time, focus, and consistency. But believe me when I say that your employees will appreciate it. The organization will reap the rewards. You’ll also be better equipped with the fighting gear you’ll need to navigate the choppy waters of transition. HR department bears the entire responsibility for staffing solutions and employees in this work-from-home situation, ensuring that employees receive the necessary social and technical assistance throughout this dilemma and be more active and motivated. Nevertheless, companies are seeking to make it permanent for workers to work from home by making it more efficient and rewarding based on productivity. The industry is steadily going toward remote working; it is the new status quo, and everyone is upgrading and changing to the new approach, as well as learning to preserve a work-life balance. All of the senior executives and managerial staff are aware of the problem and are working to find a better solution to improve employee productivity when working from home.
Struggling to grow your business in this COVID-19 crisis and unable to find the right talent? Maintec Remote Staffing services help you to offer the best remote/ virtual employees for all your staffing needs. Prior to connecting them to you, we ensure that they are dedicated, timely committed, and professional to the work as per your requirements for the same.