Unlocking the Power of Remote Working- Best practices for managers and teams
The pandemic has got a firm grip on our lives.World over businesses are impacted.The goals set at the beginning of the year have started to look challenging for companies to achieve.
Remote working and virtual leadership has become a reality. For the majority this is not a routine and are facing hardships dealing with this change. Organizations that have never promoted work from home as a flexibility option for their employees, find this a cultural change , one which calls for new skills to manage.Remote working requires a mindset change and like any other change this is hard to navigate.
Challenges in working remotely
Managers face many hurdles as they struggle to equip themselves to deal with remote team members. Remote working can boost productivity and morale but if done incorrectly it can also demotivate employees and cause inefficiencies in the team, impacting business results.
In the last few weeks , I have been helping some of my coaching clients deal with the trauma of working remotely and manage their anxieties while they work from home . The feeling of isolation , not knowing whom to talk to in times of crisis, and lack of clarity on what time to shut down the computer and call it a day, is taking a toll on their sleep and overall health. According to a survey by Qualtrics, 52% of the workers feel more anxious working from home.
Managers on their part are struggling to put together effective communication plans to lead , inspire and direct their teams in the daily course of the day. A sudden change in the way they have been managing and guiding their teams make them feel insecure. The old control and command style of leadership is not working. Managers therefore need to be coached and provided training on working effectively with remote teams.
Best Practices for working with remote teams.
- Prioritizing and setting meaningful goals
“Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.” — Stephen Covey
In the 80’s Stephen Covey taught the importance of prioritizing things in life. His powerful time management strategy is beautifully explained in this video. In difficult times like today, when everyone is under lockdown and working from home, it is important to prioritize tasks and eliminate distractions.There is a lot vying for individual time and attention. The OKR measurable strategy becomes very helpful during such times, to align remote teams and prioritize day to day projects and tasks.
One of the best practices for working with remote teams is to follow agile practices.It is during times like these when OKR methodology can be used to set clear and meaningful goals for the teams working remotely. The weekly check in process and the continuous communication with individuals in the team help the managers to stay connected , track progress and measure specific key results for achieving the objectives.
Clarity is essential when working remotely, and therefore assigning ownership of Key Results, guidance to achieve them, conducting daily sprint meetings and helping them collaborate helps them to boost morale and keeps individuals focused.
With OKRs you also have the opportunity to relook at your objectives and change them to manage your immediate priorities. The objectives that you set at the beginning of the quarter will have to change in the current scenario.
- Transparency in work schedule
Managers can lead by examples by letting their teams know about their daily schedule. The team members should be made aware of what you as their manager are working on , your lunch and coffee break timings, the time during which they can reach out to you with any problems and if they need your help to solve them. This behavior by the manager encourages the team to be more open and honest in their working and can improve their productivity.
- Use technology effectively to collaborate across project teams
Lack of access to information can be harmful to productivity. This article outlines how virtual collaboration is possible with the use of tools like Slack, that helps to improve communication. With tools like Slack , Zoom and many others, collaboration and communication across geographies has made remote working effective. While these tools are available to enable collaboration, it also takes effort on the part of the individuals to use these tools to build relationships, trust and understanding with everyone else working on the same team. It probably takes more time to build working relationships and trust when one is remote but maintaining a disciplined approach helps to get there faster.
- The Rally effect
“Leaders instill in their people a hope for success and a belief in themselves. Positive leaders empower people to accomplish their goals.”
-Unknown
According to a survey conducted by Gallup, what followers need from their leaders is Trust, Compassion, Stability and Hope. It is said that if leaders have a clear way forward , human beings are amazingly resilient. What employees need from their leaders is explained in this article from Gallup.
- Clarity in expectations
“In times of uncertainty, employees crave clarity. As a leader, you won’t always have all of the answers — no one expects you to — so you must be open to listening and learning from others. Once you understand a particular challenge and outline the options, you have to be confident in making bold and optimistic decisions”. Marillyn Hewson
When people are working from home, they crave for clarity on what is expected from them. If they are working on Projects , or any task, they need to be told clearly what has to be delivered by them. The least the managers can do is talk to the team members and manage expectations. Dealing with ambiguity can cause a dip in productivity and lead to more stress and anxiety. Remote teams should also be advised on when to disconnect from technology. People can get overworked and it can cause mental health issues.
Leaders have a responsibility to make sure that their remote teams are set up for success. Every team member should be physically and mentally ready to work remotely. Individuals should not be left to feel insecure. Any such feeling will make them work extra hours and cause burnout.
By deploying the right tools, establishing solid processes and fostering inclusivity will help in improving the overall productivity and performance of the organization
“Successfully working from home is a skill, just like programming, designing or writing. It takes time and commitment to develop that skill, and the traditional office culture doesn’t give us any reason to do that.”- Alex Turnbull Founder and CEO of Groove
