Managing Remote Workers

The skillset most managers develop over time often relates entirely to managing in an office. Stopping by a direct report’s desk to check in, scheduling one on one meetings or taking them out to coffee to catch up on their progress. If they have a question about a line item on the Cashflow Statement, you can teach them how to find the answer by walking them through your accounting software and Balance Sheet. 

With the coronavirus pandemic, almost all offices shifted to remote work. You sent your employees home on a Friday with a laptop, and might not have met with them face-to-face in months. To be an effective remote manager requires taking the skills you used in the office and applying them differently.

Focus on Performance, not Hours

For many workers, one of the biggest advantages to working remotely is the ability to flex their time. If they need to take fifteen minutes in the morning to run a quick errand, they can. During the pandemic, employees are balancing work and distance learning. Breaks consist of helping a fourth grader with their math homework.

Insisting on maintaining a regular, nine to five, day can be very stressful. While employees should still make conference calls and Zoom meetings, as a manager you need to understand that the work they’re producing matters more than the hours they work. Some couples have created switch shifts, where the husband takes the kids in the morning so mom can work, and they switch in the afternoons.

The obvious exception would be if you bill clients for hours worked. Even then, expect that an auditor may sign in at 10 p.m. to finish their day’s work.

Establish Clear Expectations

Do you need that report by Friday at 3 p.m.? Your employee is not a mind reader, so make sure they know your deadlines. To manage effectively when you’re not in the office, set clear expectations. Make sure that your team knows what you need from them, and when. Having clear deliverables empowers employees to arrange their own schedule, supporting the goal of focusing on performance.

If you’re both new to working remotely, go slow at first and don’t overload them with work. There is an adjustment period - even if it’s as simple as getting used to working on one screen instead of two. Prioritize the work you’re assigning so they can focus on the most important tasks first.

Check in Regularly

But not too regularly. After all, if you’re texting, direct messaging, and emailing several times a day, you’re interrupting them as they work. Some people struggle with completing their tasks if they’re constantly pulled away from them and then must re-focus on what they were doing.

You will have to find the balance between regular communication and being hands-off that works for both you and each direct report. Keep in mind that it could vary by team member. Younger generations dislike communicating by phone and prefer text or direct messages. If you’re struggling to figure out how to communicate with a particular person, make yourself available through multiple modes of communication and pay attention to which mode they gravitate towards.

A good rule of thumb is to maintain routines established in the office. If you previously held a one on one every Tuesday at 10 a.m, keep up this routine but via a Zoom call. Weekly team meetings can continue, just not in an office.

Solicit Feedback on Your Management

While many managers are comfortable offering feedback about job performance, they can find it hard to solicit feedback on their performance. Asking your employee how you’re doing as a manager can feel like an awkward role reversal. But involving them in the process of developing a work from home strategy increases their sense of ownership and buy in.

With the pandemic and shelter in place rules, you might have been shoved into a work from home situation with little time to prepare. Both you, and your employees, are figuring it out as you go. Asking them what is and isn’t working for them could lead to workflow improvements that work for all of you.

Now is not the time to manage authoritatively. Doing so could alienate your team and lead to them looking for work elsewhere. Fostering a sense of “we’re all in this together” will keep your team functioning in harmony rather than seeing themselves as individual contributors. After soliciting feedback, listen to what your team says and put their suggestions into action.

For example, if a team member mentions that it’s very hard to have meeting times changing constantly because they’re also scheduling calls with their child’s teacher, make it a point to stop rescheduling as much.

Pay Attention to Employees’ Emotional States

A boss is not a therapist, it’s true, but it would be a mistake to completely ignore your employee’s emotional states. One of the biggest downsides to remote work is that workers often express loneliness. Given that the pandemic forced the situation, they could also be dealing with anger or resentment.

In the office, if someone snaps back or sends a curt email you may give them the benefit of the doubt. They could be having a rough day, or the baby is teething and they didn’t sleep last night. When your team is working from home you don’t have that insight into their daily lives.

Try to remind yourself to continue to not react poorly but rather investigate when you worried about a team member’s job performance or tone. Open the door for them to communicate about their emotions as the pandemic had dragged on. 

To manage remotely, you may just have to shift your skills and apply them differently. It will make you a better manager - both in and out of the office.