With the coronavirus pandemic, many employees find it challenging to do remote work as required by their companies. For the first time, the world has to work from home away from physical interactions every day at the office. Close to 25 percent of the total US workforce already works from home at least part of the time. During a crisis, we often find ourselves dealing with rapidly changing circumstances and unprecedented levels of preparation. Managers are finding it difficult to cope with these uncertain times. Here are a few tips that can make remote working easy for your team.
Establish Scheduled Daily Touchpoints
Successful managers establish routine check-ins with their remote staff. They take the form of one-on-one video or phone calls if your workers work independently of each other or a team call if their work is highly collaborative. The critical feature is to ensure that sessions are predictable and regular and that employees know that a manager is available for a consultation where there are concerns and questions.
Provide Several Communication Platforms
Remote workers have at their fingertips an array of technologies that make communication as seamless as possible. It can be through email for regular reporting or video conferencing for face-to-face presentations. Face-to-face communication provides the chance for people to use visual cues in communicating, which further amplifies the understanding of media. The video combines audio and visual components making it the most personal way of communicating remotely.
Establish Rules of Online Engagement
Working online becomes more efficient and satisfying when leaders set expectations on time, schedule, and communication means for their teams. Rules of engagement dictate how conversations will occur, the frequency of calls, and options to explore when one is unreachable through technology. While some choices and expectations may be better than others, employees must share the same set of communication expectations.
Provide Opportunities for Social Interactions
A manager can encourage work-life balance by providing an opportunity for employees to hang out and converse over non-work-related issues. The easiest way is to leave some time before a meeting begins for non-work items. Other options include encouraging employees to take turns in hosting virtual parties, pizza feasts, and drink-ups while jamming to a music selection of the host of the day.