Whether or not you’re a fan of remote working, chances are your business has had to do a lot of it in recent months. With the coronavirus pandemic restricting all but the essential workers to their homes, your employees will no doubt have experienced the many joys and challenges of telecommuting.
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Working remotely has its pros and cons for both workers and management. On the one hand, it allows employees to maintain a better work-life balance as it reduces the costs and time of travelling to a workplace, and gives them some degree of extra freedom to organise their schedules and avoid the watchful eye of micro-management. As an employer, having happier employees can result in higher levels of productivity.
On the other hand, your staff may find it frustrating not being able to communicate immediately with members of their team. If your communication strategy is not up to the task, it could be a barrier to getting work done. You may also find some employees struggle with feelings of isolation. They may long for the everyday normality of face-to-face human contact. On a management level, you may find it stressful and anxiety-inducing to not be able to monitor exactly what your team is doing at all times, particularly if there are members of staff who often need to be guided with a close hand.
If you are moving towards a more remote workforce, you will have encountered some of the inherent challenges. Working flexibly and freely should not come at a cost, so you should ensure that all the potential risks are covered. Here are some tips for effectively managing your remote workforce.
1. Be personal
As an employer, you are often swept off your feet. Sometimes a quick check-in with a member of your team is all you have time for. But this doesn’t mean you have to be impersonal. It’s hard to tell how an employee is coping with the pressures of working in isolation, and an abrupt interrogation about their current project may make their situation worse.
Show them they are valued as a member of the team by making time to chat about how they are and what they’re up to. Just because they are not physically in your presence, it doesn’t mean they are any less critical to your business. Use video whenever you can rather than voice calls, as seeing a friendly face will make them feel more involved in what’s going on. Regularly schedule in company or department-wide conference calls to give everyone a chance to catch up and feel a sense of company culture.
2. Be balanced
Sometimes flexible working schedules are difficult to balance, particularly if you have workers across different time zones. You don’t want to instil resentment by making the one international employee always have to join conference calls in the middle of the night. Try to keep schedules balanced by occasionally having other members of your team accommodate the outliers.
3. Have the right technology in place
Remote working will instantly fail if your technology set up is insufficient. Laggy video and crackly conference calls can prevent effective communication and be detrimental to your business. Investing in a robust communications system (such as Unified Communications by Gamma). is key to effective telecommuting.
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