Remote employees do a lot for their employers, including cutting back overhead costs and providing quality work from all around the globe. So shouldn’t remote employers reciprocate with a trusting attitude towards their employees? It seems only natural to us.
If somebody chooses to work remotely it’s because they enjoy their independence, so don’t squash that spirit by being a micromanaging overseer. Instead, working to build trust with your employees will create a work relationship that both ends can benefit from.
If remote employees feel respected and free to work in whatever way is most productive for them, they’ll turn out the best work. If remote employers trust their remote employees enough to refrain from hovering over them at all times of the day, they’ll save themselves a lot of time and energy that can otherwise be used to focus on other projects.
So how can you start building trust with your remote employees and vice versa? Here’s what we think.
1. Checking-in is OK, but limit it to once a week.
Nobody likes an employer who is on their back constantly. And honestly, it’s difficult to actually get work done when your boss is pinging you every twenty minutes. Instead, if you feel the need to check-in with your employee on a regular basis, limit it to once a week.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that you can’t communicate with your employees if you have a question or need to discuss a new project. Rather, this notion hopes to instill the idea that you trust your employee to work on their assignments without a babysitter. Don’t be their babysitter. Be their boss.
2. Give positive feedback when it’s earned.
Employers are often quick to note when something is going awry in a project and provide critical feedback. There’s nothing wrong with that (so long as it’s done in a respectful way). However, what employers often let slip away are opportunities to praise their employees accomplishments.
To build trust with an employee, you first have to build a solid work relationship. By acknowledging everything they do well, you begin to form a work relationship that is built on honest judgement and awareness of the amount of effort needed to perform well in a position.
3. Assign new projects from time to time.
You don’t want to overwhelm your employees with work, but to demonstrate the fact that you trust them (and to keep them from becoming stagnant!), assign new projects for them to work on from time to time. Doing this will show that you are confident in their abilities and curious to see what they can come up with.
Assigning new projects to employees can also be a huge benefit for the employer, as you really don’t know what your employees are capable of until you given them the opportunity to innovate.
In building trust with your remote employees, you’re opening up the opportunity for your business to thrive. Good work relations are the foundation of a well-formed team that is productive, creative, and ambitious.
This article was originally published on Remote.com