How to Successfully Manage Your Employees Working Remotely (Working from Home) During the Coronavirus

General Safety

Mar 20

How do you manage staff who are working from home?

With more and more people working from home these days (and that trend is expected to continue: More Canadians will be working from home post-pandemic) organizations are going to need to re-evaluate how they manage the work of – and the relationships with – their remote employees. In the past, management was fairly simple in the office or physical workplace setting with managers and staff interacting and working together in the same space, developing relationships at the same time. But now, communication is online and gone are the days when a manager can just walk over to an employee to see how they’re doing and how their work is going.

Thankfully, with today’s accessible technology and many online networks - as well as a shift in mindset - it’s fairly easy to manage people working remotely. Here are some steps that managers can take to make sure their team is happy, productive, and engaged.

Always communicate with your team members

The foundation of any effective management is good communication. Whether it’s in an email, a text, or a quick phone or video call, make sure you communicate your expectations and work priorities clearly and regularly.

When communicating work priorities and projects, use one of the many online tools to manage workflow so that remote workers can access them easily. This can include a platform that costs a monthly fee, or it can be as simple as updating a cloud-shared Word document or a spreadsheet.

Communicate regularly with your workers, touching base to not only see if they need assistance or feedback but to maintain a personal connection that is found in traditional offices. If possible, plan regular video meetings with your team – this connection and camaraderie will be invaluable to the productivity and well-being of your team.

Use video chat apps

Use video call apps and platforms like Facetime, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom, and Skype. When you are unable to walk over to speak to a team member at their desk, the next best thing is to video call them. A video call allows you to not only communicate verbally, but it allows you to see body language and a mannerism – other forms of language that can get lost in normal phone calls.

This might be an obvious point but pay attention to time zones. For workers located in different parts of the country or the world, it is important to consider this important factor so you can pre-plan check-in times and calls accordingly.

Maintain effective project management

When communicating work priorities and projects, use one of the many online tools to manage workflow so that remote workers can access them easily. Some effective and affordable options include Asana, Trello or Microsoft Planner. These tools allow you to assign projects and roles to team members, to monitor their progress with updates, and to create organized schedules empowering you to meet your goals and deadlines. Or, if your budget can’t cover the fees of an online platform, project planning can be as simple as updating a cloud-shared Word document or spreadsheet.

As the above section on video chat apps addresses, there are communications challenges with remote teams and workers. While the use of video communication is invaluable, team communication can be supplemented by the use of the said online project planning tools which ensure all project-related communication is stored in the same place. Virtually, these tools also create a sense of community, engaging your team on one central location when a physical office is not an option.

Clarity = productivity

Workers who are the most productive are those who focus on the objectives of their tasks - and it is up to the manager to clearly communicate those objectives. Instead of paying more attention to the processes or the means, managers should focus on what the worker is accomplishing regardless of how they got there. Not only does this result in greater clarity for all parties involved, but it also results in a more engaged worker who clearly understands the goals of their work.

Pay attention to signs of stress

With these new, sometimes-lonely working conditions, remote workers are handling stress in different, less-predictable ways. While signs of stress are sometimes obvious, managers usually need to ask the worker directly about their anxieties and challenges. In these new circumstances, it is even more important for managers to regularly facilitate both formal and informal conversations and meetings to not only discuss work and projects, but to talk about the worker’s mental health.

It is also important that managers, regardless of the industry, make it clear to their team that he or she supports and cares for their well-being, and they are always available to talk.

Trust your team

Suspicion and distrust are toxic for any relationship, especially those within a work environment. While it may be a little uncomfortable for the manager losing their ability to monitor their team, they need to have confidence in their workers and trust that they are staying on track, without having someone peering over their shoulder. Give them the benefit of the doubt and deal with performance issues as they arise. A skeptical manager can result in disengaged and resentful employees, severely damaging any positive work culture that employees thrive in.