Working from home? Here’s how to keep your employees on track

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, a majority of organisations are considering work-from-home arrangements. In fact, a 2021 report from the Pedestrian Group found that a full 80% of Australian companies which permit employees to work remotely expect this trend to continue long-term. As business leaders, we’re having to navigate these unprecedented waters as they come, which can make proper management difficult.

I know it’s hard enough to manage a team without throwing remote workers into the mix. However, with the right practices in place, you can quickly elevate your management for your remote teams moving forward.

As work-from-home arrangements continue, here are tips for effectively managing your team members from home.

1. Set initial expectations and continue to revisit them
Expectations provide clarity — for you and your employees. Your virtual teams need a clear understanding of what is expected of them, despite a remote or hybrid working arrangement, to keep projects, goals and initiatives on track. Furthermore, these expectations should be continuously revisited to guarantee managers and employers are on the same page throughout times of change or uncertainty.

2. Communicate as much as possible
When it comes to best practices for management, communication is always key. Ensuring proper communication is a necessity to boost loyalty and teamwork, as well as foster more successful collaboration throughout your organisation. A report from Pumble found that teams who communicate effectively can even increase their productivity by as much as 25%.

Working from home? Here’s how to keep your employees on track

3. Avoid micromanagement
It’s easy to resort to micromanagement with your virtual teams because it’s difficult to know exactly what they’re doing throughout the day. However, this can quickly diminish morale and job satisfaction throughout the company if employees feel excess pressure or a lack of trust. It’s essential to avoid micromanagement practices to instil a strong sense of trust while keeping morale, engagement and job satisfaction high.

4. Encourage social interaction between co-workers
Despite the rise of remote work, teamwork, collaboration and organisational culture are still key elements of a successful business. It’s critical that managers like ourselves find ways to promote social interaction at our companies so co-workers can build strong working relationships — which ultimately leads to better business performance. This might include virtual team bondings or icebreakers to guarantee your employees get a chance to know and learn from each other.

5. Be flexible and offer continuous support
Flexible working arrangements require adaptability from managers and employers to be successful. Employees have unique situations and needs that should be heard and addressed to keep a remote work system running smoothly. This also necessitates continued support from us as business leaders to show our concern and commitment to their best interests.

Remote work is here to stay, which means it’s a great time to review your management practices to ensure your employees have the help and support they need throughout these changes.

Contact us to find out more about our course on managing virtual teams or for training on supporting remote workers sufficiently.