When teams are accustomed to in person interactions and then suddenly moved to a virtual setting, workers may start to feel isolated. If managers work towards helping their team stay happy and productive, this will lower stress that comes with working remote.
The following 10 tips will help managers who have remote employees:
- Set expectations early on- Managers should keep employees up to date on guidelines, boundaries, and policies while working remotely. Managers should set a good example by replying to calls and emails in an efficient manner and being productive alongside their team.
- Be organized and flexible- Adjust to different strategies that work best for the employees while working from home.
- Adapt the length of meetings- Maybe in person team meetings are long and include more in-depth team participation, while short virtual meetings may be more effective during this time. This will bring the team together to connect and stay motivated while still giving employees enough time on their schedules to complete their work.
- Track employee’s progress- Have your employees check in and let their managers know what they are working on and when it will be finished. Although managers cannot see their employees working they will be able to see that work is getting completed.
- Stay on top of Communication- It is important that managers communicate with their employees to keep them on top of deadlines and expectations. Create a healthy amount of communication, while not checking in enough can make an employee feel isolated, checking in too much may make an employee feel they are not trusted to complete their work.
- Listen to employees- Great managers listen to their team, listen to feedback and implement a solution.
- Be there for your team by creating connections- Try to maintain a sense of normality by starting a fun group chat with the team or giving shout outs to employees for their progress and hard work.
- Create a way to collaborate- A great way to collaborate as a team is providing a shared document where teams can share ideas and be innovative.
- Resist the urge to micromanage- Managers should set up 1:1 meetings with employees to check in and give and receive feedback. There should be a level of trust that employees are getting their work done without their manager standing over their shoulder.
- Celebrate success- Managers should look for opportunities to praise employees for their hard work and completing milestones. A quick video chat to tell an employee they are doing a great job is more personal than an email and will keep employees motivated to keep up the great work.
Some questions you may be asking on this topic – How do I manage this process with my employees? How do I enforce this with them? How do I develop a company policy on this? How do I train my employees? Bizhaven, who represents the finest HR outsourcing solution can help! Contact us today at [email protected] / 916-409-7677
