Now that we know remote work is here to stay, how are we handling it? Managing a team that is remote from your office is a lot different from the old way of supervising your workforce. What are the challenges of managing a remote team and how can managers and employers make changes to better manage their remote work teams?
Top Tips for Managing Your Remote Workforce
Just two years ago, employers faced a scramble into the embrace of the remote work model. COVID was responsible, of course, but few employers had time to put things in place to help them manage their newly remote workers. For those employers who now recognize the permanence of remote work, there is an opportunity to improve the management of your remote teams by employing some best practices to adapt to these changes:
Start by being clearer about the expectations for the job.
There is a level of autonomy that comes with remote work, so you won’t be able to walk around the office to guide employees. Instead, put your energy into the upfront process of working with the employee to set goals and expectations. Make sure your employees understand the procedures necessary to do their job remotely along with the cultural norms that guide their daily communications and interactions with the team.
This brings up the issue of onboarding your remote teams. This is an area where some employers may struggle; while there is a basic in-office onboarding procedure in most companies, your training teams (if you have them) must establish was to set up the new remote worker for success right out of the gate. This includes employee feedback and other ways to monitor how the newly appointed worker is getting along on their first 90-days—and beyond.
Use Technology to Help
Put technologies in the hands of your remote workers that help them do their jobs—but that also help you monitor their efforts. Having the right communication tools in place is critical but so is also setting expectations about how you will use these tools. For example, is it okay for a manager to IM an employee after hours and are they expected to respond? We hope your answer is “No,” for work/life balance alone, but when everyone is remote, they often work when it’s convenient and that may not be the normal 9-to-5.
Companies have an opportunity now to create a new normal. For many, it’s a complicated adjustment that is far too easy to get wrong. If you do, your remote workers may be less productive and feel far less connected to your organization than you’d like. That leaves your company vulnerable to the syndrome known as, “The Great Resignation.” Having the right tools and teams in place to manage your remote workers from day one is now critical for HR teams. Fortunately, there are companies like FoxHire, to help you lighten this load.
FoxHire, as an EOR, is uniquely positioned to help companies better manage their remote workforce. We offer the processes, human power, and technologies for a smooth and turnkey management of your remote and on-staff workforce. Talk with our team today about how outsourcing hiring, onboarding, and ongoing management of your employees by an outside resource can improve your business.
