The current pandemic has presented many challenges for managers, especially when it comes to how to manage staff working from home. Managing a remote team is no easy task – not only do you have to adjust your expectations and communication strategies, but also build trust with employees who are far away.
In this blog post, we’ll discuss key steps on how to manage staff working from home. We’ll cover setting expectations for the new normal of virtual teams, maintaining accountability and performance standards in an unfamiliar environment, and building trust with team members scattered across different locations.
It’s time to take control of the situation and learn how to manage staff working from home!
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How to Manage Staff Working from Home
Setting expectations for remote staff is essential to ensure that employees are productive and motivated. This includes defining goals and objectives, establishing clear communication channels, and creating a schedule for check-ins.
Define Goals and Objectives
It’s important to set specific goals with measurable outcomes so that remote workers can track their progress. These should be tailored to each individual employee based on their skill set, experience level, and job responsibilities.
For example, if you have an employee who works in customer service, they may need to respond to a certain number of inquiries per day or maintain a certain response time average.
Establish Clear Communication Channels
Remote teams need reliable ways of staying connected with one another in order to collaborate effectively. Establishing clear communication channels such as video conferencing tools or messaging apps will help keep everyone on the same page about tasks and deadlines.
Additionally, it’s important to create protocols for when team members should reach out if they have questions or concerns about work-related matters.
Schedule Regular Check-Ins
Regular check-ins between managers and remote staff are necessary in order to provide feedback on performance as well as address any issues that may arise during workdays. Scheduling regular meetings via phone calls or video chats can help foster better relationships between supervisors and employees while also providing an opportunity for both parties to discuss how things are going within the organization’s virtual workspace.
Managing Remote Teams
Managing remote teams can be a challenge, but with the right strategies and tools in place, it is possible to create an effective team that works well together.
Utilize Technology to Stay Connected
In order to effectively manage a remote team, it is important to have the right technology in place. This includes having reliable video conferencing software for meetings and check-ins, as well as communication tools such as Slack or Microsoft Teams for quick messages and updates. Having these technologies in place will ensure that everyone on the team is able to stay connected no matter where they are located.
Develop Strategies for Collaboration and Productivity
It’s also important to develop strategies that will help your remote team collaborate effectively while staying productive. This could include setting up weekly check-ins so everyone can stay updated on progress, creating shared documents or project management systems so tasks can be tracked easily, and utilizing online collaboration tools like Google Docs or Trello boards so multiple people can work on projects at once.
Be Available
Lastly, providing support and encouragement is key when managing a remote team. Make sure you are available when needed by scheduling regular check-ins with each member of your team. This allows you to provide feedback on their performance as well as offer any guidance they may need along the way.
Recognize achievements publicly whenever possible. This helps motivate employees by showing them that their hard work has been noticed.
Set expectations
It’s important to set clear expectations around deadlines and deliverables so that everyone knows what they need to do and when it needs to be done.
Encourage collaboration
Remote teams can still collaborate effectively using tools like video conferencing or messaging apps. Make sure you give your team time each week to work together on projects or brainstorm ideas as this will help them stay connected and productive while working remotely.
Provide feedback
Feedback is an important part of any workplace, but especially so in remote teams where there are fewer opportunities for face-to-face interactions between managers and employees. Providing timely feedback helps ensure that everyone is on the same page about their performance and progress toward goals and objectives.
Offer flexibility
Working remotely gives people more freedom & flexibility over their schedules – allow your team members some autonomy over how they manage their day-to-day tasks & responsibilities within reason (i . e don’t expect them all online at the same time ) this will help boost morale & motivation levels amongst staff who may feel restricted when working from home fulltime.
Monitor progress
Without being able to physically observe employee performance, it’s important that managers monitor progress closely through weekly reports or check-ins to ensure that everyone remains accountable and on track with objectives and goals.
Promote wellbeing
Working remotely can be isolating at times encourage your team members to take breaks throughout the day away from screens. Provide access to mental health resources if needed and promote healthy lifestyle habits such as exercise and proper nutrition.
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Maintaining Accountability and Performance Standards
Maintaining accountability and performance standards can be difficult when you’re learning how to manage staff working from home.
Establish Performance Metrics and Track Progress
Setting clear expectations with measurable objectives is key to tracking progress. This includes creating a timeline with deadlines as well as setting milestones so that employees know what they need to do in order to succeed. Managers should also provide regular feedback on how their team members are doing so that everyone remains accountable for their work.
Monitor Employee Engagement and Satisfaction Levels
It’s important for managers to stay connected with remote teams by checking in regularly through video calls or other digital communication methods such as Slack or Zoom meetings. This will help keep morale up among team members who may feel isolated, which could lead to decreased productivity.
Asking questions about job satisfaction and workloads can also give insight into how engaged each individual is feeling within the company. This gives managers the opportunity to address any issues before they become too big of a problem.
Implementing a rewards system for high achievers is a great way to encourage and set an example for others on the team. Monetary bonuses or recognition during company meetings can show all staff members that hard work pays off. This will help foster a culture of success within the organization and motivate employees to strive for excellence.
Conclusion
Managing staff working from home can be a challenging task, but with the right strategies and resources, it is possible to create an effective remote team. Setting expectations, maintaining accountability and performance standards, and building trust are all important steps in how to manage staff working from home.
Are you a manager or leader looking for resources on how to manage staff working from home? Promotable.org offers tools and guidance to equip managers with the skills necessary to lead remote teams effectively. Get started today by exploring our free library of guides, tips, and strategies designed specifically for managing distributed workforces.
With Promotable’s comprehensive solutions, it has never been easier to build a productive and successful team no matter where they are located!