To ensure employee productivity in a remote working environment, it is essential to set guidelines and expectations in advance to avoid clashes and misunderstandings.
As a leader, it's up to you to determine what the priorities are, and discuss how tasks will get done. When we are in physical proximity, we understand each others’ nature and working patterns, but all these intangible clues are missing in remote working.
This should be an ongoing conversation. Remember, going fully remote is a new experience for many companies and their workers. Be honest about what isn't working or can't get done in these circumstances. More overall communication is going to be necessary. Critical questions that need resolving include: How are teams going to track projects they're working on? How will they meet to discuss this? Will you all be connecting on Slack, Teams. Zoom or email? Will there be standing meetings at a certain time to get everyone coordinated?
Set clear expectations for:
- Work hours
- Time tracking
- Availability
- Communication policy and system
- Timely meetings
- Key projects and deadlines
- Scheduled meetings
- Response to email
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Communication is a big part of any organizational success. And in the current remote work situation, it is even more necessary to help lower the chances of misunderstandings.
The technological and productivity tools provided to remote employees are vital for maintaining regular check-ins. Determine the platforms you will use, such as Zoom or Google Hangouts, as well as instant messaging apps beyond regular email.
Then establish a schedule for contact such as daily check-ins via video-chat, phone call, or instant messages with the full team, smaller units or individuals as necessary. This daily connection creates a sense of belonging and normalcy among all the employees. It also ensures that priorities are in place each day.
Set virtual office hours and be available on instant messaging apps throughout the day to help employees who need instant contact.
And finally, to avoid costly mistakes in case of emergencies, ensure you all have each others’ personal phone numbers as well to quickly respond while working from home.
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The old saying 'faith can move mountains‘ is true for almost anything in this world. This is especially true for your employees. Faith and trust in your employees goes a long way to ensuring productivity.
In a work-from-home scenario, it is even more necessary to trust your employees to take care of their duties so that they perform to the best of their abilities. Trust is always built by your behavior, your communication skills, and your management skills.
However, it's reasonable for leaders to be concerned about productivity; work must be completed accurately and on schedule for an organization to succeed. Some companies have gone beyond daily reports and check-ins, and are taking the steps of installing monitoring software and even cameras to ensure their employees are actually working when they are supposed to.
This rather draconian step can be deeply uncomfortable and offensive to staff members. It can in fact backfire. As Dr. Reed Blackman wrote in an article for the Harvard Business Review, “Surveillance threatens to erode trust between employers and employees… Employees who are now subject to new levels of surveillance report being both “incredibly stressed out” by the constant monitoring and also afraid to speak up, a recipe for not only dissatisfaction but also burnout, both of which — ironically — decrease productivity. “
All of these decisions about how to handle workforce issues should be based on trust as all signs, including the recent announcement by Google that its workforce can be remote until July of 2021, point to remote working becoming more common. Trust is a highly valued principle by all workers, and especially the next generation of workers. And how companies handle their monitoring of remote employees could very well be a determinant as to how they are able to both attract and retain employees.
Although communicating with your team members is a must to ensure that you two are on the same page, it shouldn’t feel like you’re breathing down their necks or that they are constantly under scrutiny. Here is where leadership skills must combine with a fair and humane side to ensure trust between everyone. When you work with a team you can trust, you’ll find that concerns about their productivity will disappear.
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Company Culture: Status Quo Versus Evolving
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Many companies in the corporate world are famous for their culture and vibes, which employees remember for ages. Your organization doesn't have to compete with the entire world, but the overall vibe and culture of a company can make or break an employee’s experience, which results in them being productive or unproductive. So, it is essential to maintain a positive vibe for all employees for better work experience.
Just like you’d have lunch, chat by the watercooler, or go out for special team-building activities in an office, all of these things can be replicated in a digital space. Getting your team comfortable with virtual socializing is one of the most important things you can do to help your remote team be successful. We all need connection, and your team will look to you for permission and inspiration here.
Ask your team to come up with ideas of what they’d like to do or talk about, so they’re invested in the events. Consider setting aside a program budget to purchase games like Jackbox or books for a book club. Create a Zoom or conferencing call to share weekend activities. Even organize virtual happy hours if that is appropriate for your company's culture. You can also get started with fast team-building activities for video meetings. The most important thing is that people enjoy it and want to show up.
You’ll know your team is thriving because they’ll interact with each other easily on social calls, and suggest ideas for games or activities. Group chatter will be a healthy mix of work talk, Youtube links, memes, and shared photos of weekend activities. And encourage team members to speak up if they think of new or different activities.
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