Addressing the challenges of managing people remotely

It’s no secret that the world-wide implemented lockdowns resulted in a rapid migration of workforces from office-working to remote working. Apart from the workers having to adapt to working remotely and solving technical issues, there is still an important aspect that needs urgent attention: that many managers have not previously managed remote employees. Hey, let’s face it, remote working is no longer a trend, it’s a necessity.

As managers, we have to answer for ourselves: When should you leave employees alone to focus on their work, and when should you communicate? When is there too little or too much communication? How do you manage performance and productivity remotely? How do you ensure the welfare of your most valuable asset - the people working for you?

Are you serious about managing your people in such a way that they continually deliver excellence, and if so, what should you consider?

Communication is key

Talk to everyone at least daily, especially initially, and try to make it face-to-face. Phone calls, emails, WhatsApp, these are important and play a big part in the overall picture, but try to use video as often as possible to create a real personal connection.

You should talk to your people a lot because you want to ensure that they do not become lonely, isolated, and depressed; they need emotional support and someone to talk to; be that someone!

Luckily, one can leverage technology to accomplish this. Tools like Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom make it possible to talk face-to-face, to collaborate on documents, and to share ideas in a virtual sense.

The universal truth is that most workers need to be managed; they require managerial supervision, direction, and positive reinforcement. The only way to do it is to talk to them regularly.

Employees need access to information, and the only way for many of them to satisfy that need is through talking to their managers and their peers (or to use Google!).

Manage expectations and outcomes

Please understand: you can no longer manage people working remotely on activity and perceived levels of effort. You have to set realistic expectations, with progress and success measured in terms of specific outcomes. These have to be clearly defined, adequately articulated, and managed accordingly.

It’s all about enablement

One of my favourite sayings is that you cannot expect someone to run, and then go and chop his legs off. This is particularly true when considering the tools required to be able to work remotely.

There is nothing more disheartening and demotivating as unreliable connectivity, insufficient computing resources, and having to worry about the cost of communication. It is a fallacy to assume that everyone will have everything they need to work remotely, successfully. The organisation has to provide what is required.

Managers also have to understand that employees may be working in a far-from-ideal environment at home and must make allowances for the employees’ ways of addressing that and how they cope with distractions.

Give people choices

Now is also the time to consider all angles. Be flexible - some people will not be able to work from 9 to 5, they may have other responsibilities, for example, to help children with homeschooling during traditional working hours. So, flexi-time will be required. Some people may be in different time zones, and others may want to capitalise on shortened shopping hours applicable during the pandemic. All of these factors determine the times that meetings can take place, the duration of these meetings, and the times that one can expect meaningful collaboration from individuals in your team.

Trust your team to focus on outcomes, and give them the freedom to choose how they will ensure on-time delivery. Managers will have to be the ones fitting into his or her staff members’ schedules, and not the other way round.

So, are you managing and supporting your remote workers in such a way that they can be successful?