It’s hard to believe it’s been three years since the pandemic began when 70% of Americans started working from home. Things don’t seem to be changing anytime soon. According to Gallup, 91% of remote workers hoped that trend would continue in the years to come. That means it’s likely that you will have to manage remote employees at some point in your career.
As a leader, you need to be aware of all the necessary steps and strategies needed to successfully manage remote employees.
Remote work offers many advantages for you and your employees, especially when considering cybersecurity tips. But to manage remote employees can present a few unique challenges. If you’re looking to overcome these obstacles and help you and your employees stay productive while working from home, you’ve come to the right place.
This article will share 10 tips to help you get the most out of your remote team.
Let’s dig in.
1. Know the Challenges of Remote Work
There are four main difficulties remote workers face. As a manager, you need to understand these if you want to manage remote employees well.
- Lack of time with co-workers. Remote teams need collaboration tools to encourage employee engagement and social interaction. Face-to-face interaction is key to maintaining a positive company culture.
- Video fatigue. “Zoom fatigue” is a legit thing. It can be difficult for the body and mind to be on video calls all day.
- Communication breakdowns. Working remotely makes it difficult to get quick answers to questions as we don’t have the option of physically speaking with colleagues or the supervisor. There’s no way to casually peek over cubicles or take a walk down the hall for help.
- Distractions. From children running into the home office to loud coffee shops, distractions are a main feature of remote work.
Don’t let these things frustrate you. Be patient and understanding. As long as distractions do not become the norm and keep your team from meeting their goals, they shouldn’t be a problem.
2. Set Clear Expectations for Remote Workers
One of the best ways to manage remote employees is to set clear expectations and goals for each member of the team. This will help everyone stay on track and work together towards achieving sccess.
For many people, remote work is a lifestyle just as much as it is a way of making a living. They might seek remote positions, already having a clear set of expectations in place. The option to work loose hours.
The ability pick their kids up from school or eat lunch with their partner without needing to ask permission.
They may even want to go the digital nomad route.
Great Lakes Tiny Homes, which offers tiny homes for sale in Virginia, is just one of the many businesses that reflect the growing interest many people have in not getting tied down to one location by a job or even a big home.
The person who wants a professionally nomadic lifestyle will probably be very disappointed to learn that your team meets six times a day on Zoom. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have intensive communication policies if they make sense for your business. It does mean that you should be clear about them upfront.
Another thing to keep in mind: Studies have shown that up to 70% of remote workers have a side gig.
Maybe they work a shift job in their community or run a small online business. That will be fine at some workplaces but it might not be a good fit everywhere. Are your team members supported in their desire to seek extra work? The answer doesn’t have to be yes, but the information should be readily available.
By setting clear expectations, you can also ensure that everyone understands their roles and responsibilities (which is essential for any successful team!). These expectations should be documented in a written remote work policy.
Your remote work policy is an agreement between the employer and employee that helps them both reach their greatest potential. It clarifies expectations and lays out guidelines for a productive working relationship. Some of the tips in this guide can be included in your remote work policy.
When forming your policy, consider key elements such as the frequency and method of communication, work-life balance, availability during working hours, success metrics (e.g., output rather than hours worked), and any other elements you want to include.
If you plan to make your business remote from the start, the process should be straightforward. If not, then consult your team (especially your remote workers!) to make sure everyone’s needs are met.
3. Build a Foundation of Trust
Employee engagement strategies help build a foundation for a productive workplace.
You need to create a trusting environment where individuals can express their views and opinions without fear. This helps team members feel secure, more engaged with the company, and become more open with you and each other, enabling them to collaborate better.
The reason this is so important is that remote work can be isolating. Isolation has been linked to a lack of trust.
You can build trust with your team in several ways. One of the easiest ways is to create feedback loops to encourage continuous improvement.
You’ll also want to emphasize getting to know your remote workers personally. You don’t have to be best friends, of course.
However getting to know your remote team members is essential for creating a trust-filled environment. Find out about their personalities, work habits, and communication preferences.
Telling your own story is a good place to start.
You can do this face-to-face over meetings. You might also develop a more robust online profile than you otherwise would have so that your coworkers will have an easier time understanding who you are and where you are coming from. This is especially true if you hire remotely.
Potential employees want to understandably know which company they will be working with and what sort of employees they hope to encounter.
This can be very elaborate.
In the example above, marketing leader Jorge Argota provides a 1000+ word description of his biography and background for anyone to see.
Of course, online bios do not need to be quite so expansive.
Here, distinguished attorney Percy Martinez wraps up the most important aspects of his background in two sentences.
The information is brief but impressive, making it easy for anyone considering his services to understand what unique value and expertise he provides in seconds.
Another example is the Allen Law group, which does a little bit of both. Each attorney has a brief bio, which can be read in a few seconds, and a more expansive one that allows potential clients to learn more should they choose to.
Finally, the Zehl and Associates Law Group has a three-minute introductory video on its website where potential clients can hear the attorney’s voice and get a more personal look at them than possible with only a photo.
To manage remote employees, you might take from all of these approaches. You don’t need to write a book, but remember that this bio could replace small talk you might have otherwise had around the office.
4. Provide the Right Tools to Manage Remote Employees
As a manager, you must ensure your employees have what they need to thrive. A computer, internet access, and a phone are enough for most remote work.
However, extra resources can be pretty helpful in making remote employees more productive.
Such resources could include tools like headsets, printers, or collaboration platforms. You might also explore the option of providing a stipend to help your employees afford a reliable internet connection.
Remember that tools can extend beyond what the person needs to fulfill their daily responsibilities.
Many online businesses will employ various AI features to make it easier for employees to access internal resources and help them understand company policy. Often, this takes the form of a chatbot tool.
You can even take examples from how companies deal with their customers to give you ideas on what to offer employees.
For example, The Norden Leacox Injury Law Group implements a unique take on the chatbot feature.
When you visit their website, a video box appears in the right-hand corner of your screen. The attorneys introduce themselves through the video before the chatbot feature takes over, and you are free to ask your questions.
If you are a large company, you could implement something similar for your employees. Ensure each employee knows exactly who to go to when they have questions. This can be a person to reach out to on Slack or via email.
Tools like that can help employees feel more connected in a remote setting.
Finally, you’ll need excellent video conferencing software which brings us to our next point.
5. Schedule Regular Meetings
Plan regular virtual group meetings to track progress and promote a collaborative environment.
Short daily check-ins can help you stay in tune with your team. They can also help you identify any obstacles individual employees may face with their workload.
Greg Baumgartner from Baumgartner Law Firm has to do this as a business even though they have a physical office for employees to reach because of the fast-paced nature of legal work.
When a client reaches out to the firm, getting them onboarded as quickly as possible is paramount, which means virtual consultations and meetings within the legal group taking over the case.
Having a dedicated system for your virtual meetings can take a lot of the stress out of setting up calls last minute. This means knowing which software you need to hop on to, a dedicated scheduling app for client consults as well as for internal client meetings, and having SOPs for every employee to turn to when they are confused on procedures.
It might be helpful to revisit how to run a productive meeting if you haven’t thought about it in a while.
To start- keep these four things in mind:
● Make a clear agenda
● Set expectations like “have your camera on” or “okay if the camera’s off” in the invite
● Encourage people to stay on mute unless they’re speaking
● Select certain days where no meetings are scheduled to allow better workflow
Outside of regular team meetings, plan a one-on-one call with each employee at least twice a month if you are a completely remote team.
6. Establish an Open-Door Policy
Establishing an open-door policy is a great way to ensure that remote workers have access to the support they need to succeed. It allows remote workers to communicate with you openly and transparently. This builds trust and fosters collaboration.
An open-door policy also helps remote workers feel connected and supported, despite not being present in the office.
Leaders should make sure that their remote workers know that they are available for questions, feedback, or just general conversation. Practically, this might look like this:
● Block out regular times on your calendar as “office hours” when your team can schedule a call with you.
● Keep your messaging app or email open throughout the day.
● Make sure your phone is on and you’ll answer a call or return it as soon as possible.
7. Re-think Scheduling Another Meeting
Wait a minute. Didn’t we just talk about scheduling regular meetings? Yes. But not every decision or every topic needs to be discussed in a meeting. Before you schedule that next meeting, ask these questions. If you answer “yes” to any, don’t schedule that meeting!
● Do I lack a clear agenda?
● Do I just need to pass along information?
● Will key people be unable to attend?
● Have we failed to make progress since our last meeting?
● Am I only seeking feedback?
On the issue of feedback, you can get that in an email, chat message, or over the phone.
Often, when you ask for feedback in a group setting, you’ll just hear crickets.
A good alternative idea could be to generate a QR code that links to a feedback form. Depending on workplace culture, you could even allow your co-workers to answer anonymously.
This allows employees to give you more honest feedback and save time. Win-win.
8. Create Opportunities for Connection
Remote workers often reap the benefits of flexible hours and freedom, but they can also, on the flip side, sometimes feel isolated and disconnected from colleagues.
One helpful technique to combat this is to ensure plenty of opportunities for remote employees to connect and learn together.
Establishing a mentorship program is a great way to nurture talent and promote learning in your company.
You could also ask an experienced staff member to run workshops and discussions and organize regular lunches focusing on topics relevant to your industry. Think about hosting open conversations about diversity, work-life balance, and mental health.
These are simple but powerful ways for your staff to feel cared for and connected.
9. Provide Top-notch Development Opportunities
When you invest in developing an employee’s career, it boosts their self-confidence and trust in their own capabilities. This has a beneficial impact on the company’s output, as employees are driven to perform better.
Professional development opportunities should be tailored to help each person reach their goals and stay engaged in their work. Encouraging growth and learning will help remote workers reach their full potential. Consider having your staff attend a conference or pursue a certification. Offer to pay for a course on on a topic that’s relevant to their work.
10. Focus on Physical and Mental Health
Putting people first is essential when it comes to promoting productivity. Even though output matters, ignoring the well-being of your staff will have a negative impact and lead to turnover.
Working at home can make it difficult for employees to distinguish between work and personal lives. Allow them to create good boundaries and tell them that it is perfectly normal not t be always available or constantly responding to messages. Providing mental health days outside of PTO gives people a much-needed break during the working day. This helps to reduce stress.
Allowing employees to take short breaks throughout the day–running errands, exercising, or taking a walk–can help reduce stress and improve their well-being. This physical activity will also lead to increased productivity and some companies even pay their employees to exercise at work.
Taking things even further, you might consider partnering with a wide range of local services to give your employees premium perks. This can involve simple gestures like company-provided gym memberships, but it can go even further.
Some businesses can deal with airlines or hotel franchises to get their employees more preferable rates. Others will strike deals with health clinics or even law firms in the event of a work-related accident.
These perks are not always expensive to set up because they mutually benefit both businesses. More to the point, they can do a lot to make the employee feel more connected with the employer who provided the benefit.
How to Manage Remote Employees: Wrapping Up
These ten tips will help you better manage remote employees if you’re looking to grow in managing your remote workers.
It also benefits your business because happier employees are always going to be an asset.