6 Top Tips for Managing Remote Employees

More than ever, people are working – and managing other people – from home offices. Some companies are finding the transition surprisingly successful and plan to continue it indefinitely while others may struggle with time management and accountability, among other issues.

If you find yourself suddenly managing remote employees, these 6 top tips will help you and your team succeed in this new environment:

1.      Share in both the pains and the gains. Unless your office had many remote employees previously, this may be a big challenge for everyone involved. Issues can include lack of face time, communication challenges, technology issues, and the many distractions of family, pets and home life. Let your team know that you recognize these challenges and that you’re facing them yourself. Likewise, let them know that you see their efforts and celebrate the good that is happening.

2.      Ensure that everyone has the right tools and technology. Just like school districts have had to scrounge to supply tablets and laptops to students in need, many of your employees may need assistance in procuring the technology and tools they need in an at-home environment. These items may include a laptop, policy manuals, a corporate credit card, a headset and a phone, for example. Make sure that security and privacy remain paramount in your offsite work.

3.      Establish clear expectations. Based on the work and the employee, expectations may vary, but it is important to set guidelines from the start so that your team doesn’t drift off every day at 3 p.m. (that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t let them leave a little early on Friday if all work is satisfactorily completed). This can include start and end times, email and voicemail response times, resolving X issues an hour and other specific deadlines. Determine how much of this work needs to be documented and how it should be done.

4.      Stay connected. When you are suddenly and indefinitely away from the office, you may quickly realize how much you miss those water-cooler interactions, the birthday celebrations and the impromptu lunches. With that in mind, make an effort to conduct regular team meetings where everyone has a chance to participate and to see each other’s faces. This can provide connection, communication and a chance to check in. Make sure all team meetings include an agenda. You can also check in with individual employees on a regular basis.

5.      Pay attention to budgets. While remote work can save money in the long run if you give up expensive office space, this work can also be costly in the short term if you are paying for your regular physical space while also supporting everyone’s technology needs at home. Particularly if you are in charge of a budget, pay attention to charges and costs throughout your remote working time.

6.      Communicate, communicate, communicate. Email and texts can easily be misinterpreted and days away from the office may turn into weeks and months. Make sure you are regularly communicating with your team and your managers and letting your group know what is coming and what to expect.

Finally, be patient. Change always takes time. Give yourself and your team the time and space they need to get settled and to begin moving ahead proactively.

How to Conduct Successful Employee Check-Ins

New hire employee check-ins are incredibly valuable. They’re not only important to make sure an employee’s experience is going well, but the goal of conducting check-ins is to make sure that they’re in a strong position to focus on and meet the demands of their work. So, how can you conduct check-ins in an efficient yet productive manner? Here’s what you should focus on:

• Convenience – If you want employees to respond, then you must create programs and activities that are convenient, user-friendly, and confidential to encourage participation. This will up the response rate, which will ultimately lead to better understanding of both the employee and job at hand. Also, include an opportunity for employees to leave their information for a more direct response or follow up questions.

• Automation – Check-ins shouldn’t be complex or burdensome on administration, but they should be high on value. So, consider using technology to your advantage, and set up new hire check-ins to distribute automatically. Automating responses can actually keep everyone focused on the goal at hand and better navigate and record employee responses.

• Goal & Response – Check-in programs bring value when organizations are positioned to react to their responses. This means setting clear program goals and creating non-leading questions that will provide relevant feedback.

• Timely Intervals – The point of new hire check-ins is to encourage engagement and prevent unnecessary turnover. So, make sure your program is set up in timely intervals. For instance, you don’t want to ask about an employee’s first day six months down the road. Send brief surveys at regular intervals so that feedback can be heard and responded to in an appropriate fashion. 

Check-ins should meet the needs of both the company and the employee. That’s how you foster employee engagement and retention.