The COVID-19 pandemic led to a surge in remote work, which was both loved and loathed by people. One of the aspects of managing an organization that was adversely affected was leadership. Most managers found it difficult to give instructions and communicate effectively, which resulted in poor responses from subordinates. Additionally, the events in their respective locations affected their ability to balance work and life. However, it is important to note that managers cannot control how others feel or respond, but they can control how they respond themselves.
Neither organizations nor employees anticipated such a swift move to home-based remote work in March 2020. As a result, managers need to find ways to ensure productivity, connection, and overall wellness—all without the benefit of seeing their team live. In a traditional workplace, team members bond and establish personal connections through spontaneous interactions such as hallway catch-ups, quick team huddles, coffee breaks, and lunchroom banter. With remote work, all of these vital elements of communication have been replaced by personal computers and a variety of apps and online tools.
Employees now expect their managers to be present, hands-on, and operationally vigilant without being intrusive. In other words, they don’t want their managers to micromanage them, but they want their managers to micro-understand their work. Micromanagement is restrictive and undermines trust, disempowers employees, and manifests itself in the form of exhaustive reviews, checklists, and levels of approval. On the other hand, micro-understanding is about better integrating yourself into your team’s workflow and problem-solving remotely. A micro-understanding manager can identify vulnerabilities and construct a radar for potential trouble spots. Being flexible, delegating, and trusting your employees is key to being a successful micro-understanding manager.
Here are 3 things you should begin to do differently
1.Clear Communication: In a remote work environment, it can be challenging to establish healthy connections with team members. As a result, it is essential to be intentional about getting to know each other better. One effective way to achieve this is by sharing user manuals. User manuals comprise a set of questions that help team members understand each other’s working styles, preferences, and values. These questions could include things like, “What part of the day do you perform the best?” “What annoys you?” “What motivates you?” and much more. By sharing user manuals, team members can gain insights into each other’s personalities and working styles, which can help to avoid misunderstandings and promote a sense of collaboration.
This is simply clear communication, and it contributes to the success of remote teams. When working remotely, team members are often working from different time zones or juggling competing priorities. As a result, it can be challenging to ensure that everyone is on the same page. Clear communication, including concise messaging and regular check-ins, can help to prevent misunderstandings and ensure that everyone is working towards the same goals. This includes being transparent about project goals and timelines, sharing progress reports, and providing regular feedback.
In addition to preventing misunderstandings, clear communication can help to build trust among team members. When working remotely, it can be easy to feel disconnected from your colleagues. However, regular check-ins and transparent communication about project goals and timelines can help team members feel like they are working together towards a common goal. This can foster a sense of collaboration and community, which can lead to better outcomes for the team.
Clear communication is essential for ensuring that remote teams are productive. Without the benefit of in-person interaction, it can be challenging to gauge progress on a project or assess the needs of team members. Clear communication can help to ensure that everyone is working efficiently and that progress is being made toward project goals. This can ultimately lead to higher levels of productivity and better outcomes for the team.
To achieve clear and efficient communication, it is essential to establish communication channels that work for everyone. This could include a combination of video conferencing, chat, and project management tools. It is also crucial to set clear expectations regarding working hours, response times, and preferred communication channels. By doing this, team members can avoid confusion and work together effectively towards common goals.
2. Clear Goals and Expectations: As a team leader, setting clear and realistic goals for your team is crucial to achieving success. One of the most effective ways to do this is by using the SMART framework, which stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This means that your goals should be well-defined, so your team knows exactly what they need to accomplish. They should also be quantifiable, so you can measure your team’s progress and success. Additionally, your goals should be realistic and achievable, so your team doesn’t feel overwhelmed or discouraged. The goals that you set should be aligned with your overall strategy, so your team understands how their work contributes to the bigger picture. Lastly, your goals should have a clear deadline, so your team knows when they need to finish their work.
While it’s essential to set goals for your team, involving them in the goal-setting process can also increase their motivation and commitment. By soliciting their input and feedback, you can create a sense of ownership and collaboration among your team members. You can also leverage their skills, knowledge, and perspectives to create more realistic and relevant goals. Communication is key here, and it’s important to ensure that your team understands what is expected of them and what their role in achieving the goals is.
Once you have established clear goals, it’s important to track and review your team’s progress regularly. This means monitoring your team’s performance, providing timely and constructive feedback, celebrating their successes, and addressing their challenges. Regularly scheduled reviews with your team can help you evaluate their achievements, identify gaps, and set new goals. This monitoring and reviewing process will also help you keep your team motivated, accountable, and focused.
3. Provide Resources and Support: Providing your remote team with the appropriate hardware and software is one of the most basic and essential resources for enabling them to perform their job duties. This includes providing them with laptops, monitors, keyboards, mice, headphones, webcams, printers, scanners, and other devices. Additionally, you should ensure that they have access to the necessary software applications, platforms, and tools to create, share, collaborate, and access files, documents, projects, and data. It is also crucial to make sure that the hardware and software are updated, secure, and compatible with each other. To ensure that your team members can complete their work without difficulties, you should provide them with technical support and troubleshooting options in case they encounter any issues or problems.
In addition to these, a reliable and fast internet connection and phone service are also crucial resources that your remote team members need. The internet and phone services are the main channels of communication and information exchange between you and your team, as well as with clients, customers, and other stakeholders. Moreover, it is crucial to reimburse your team members for their internet and phone expenses or provide them with a stipend or allowance to cover these costs.
It is common to face challenges related to limited electricity and computers/solar power in remote areas. Checking up on each employee and how they are doing in their locations can make them feel cared for and encourages them to perform well. It is essential to involve them in virtual, weekly, or monthly meetings and allow them to raise their concerns to the management. Encouraging informal interactions among staff, even if it is only for three days a week, based on the number of staff, can be beneficial. Additionally, allowing them to do presentations of their activities, such as quarterly review meetings, can keep them on their toes since they know that every quarter, they will need to give a presentation.
Another support is the opportunity to learn and grow is one of the most valuable resources available to them. This support helps them acquire new skills, knowledge, and competencies, as well as improve their existing ones. You should provide access to and also encourage them to participate in online workshops, seminars, conferences, and networking events that can help them expand their horizons and connections, this will improve their productivity and boost career prospect.
The tips mentioned above are basic, yet complex in their own way. If you want to know more tips, please click Here. These tips require your time, attention, and consistency. However, you will be happy that you started working on them as soon as possible, and your team will also appreciate it. Your organization will benefit from these tips. By implementing these strategies, you can create a more effective and productive team that can achieve its goals and objectives. These tips will help you to be better equipped to navigate the murky waters of change.