Remote work has become the most preferred choice of work amongst employees and
employers alike. The benefits and advantages of remote work is now realized by all and
hence, it has become the top most priority for jobseekers while looking out for
opportunities. Similarly, employees have now began to explore remote hiring as it is cost
effective and also provides them access to a wide range of talent all over the world. While,
remote work has multiple advantages, this transition can be a bit difficult for employers
while trying to manage remote workers due to some barriers like lack of face to face
communication, video fatigue, difficulty in managing wide range of culturally/
geographically varied talent, assessing work progress etcetera. However, in this article we
will be exploring few ways and tips on how to manage remote workers effectively.
Let us look at few ways regarding how employers and business establishments can manage
their remote workers
- Emphasizing on communication: While face to face communication is limited and
doesn’t exist in remote work, yet the employers should emphasize on
communication through emails/ video calls/ messages/ slack or google meet
channels so that the entire team feels like a family and are aware about the goals of
the company as well as their roles and responsibilities / what is expected out of
them.
Employers should have dedicated time allotted for communicating with each and
every employee, not only about work but other aspects as well. Also, they need to
have an approachable mindset where the employees feel wanted and can have the
confidence to speak about anything and everything. Transparent communication
helps in strengthening employee bonds and brand building - Investing in tools to facilitate remote work : Employers need to prioritize investing
in tools that will facilitate remote work. This will ensure that work will take place
smoothly and efficiently from the vicinity of their homes or any other place they
choose to work from. Some of the tools are-
a. Slack
b. Apps and Software Programs
c. Mail supplied and stationary
d. Reliable internet connection or access to a co-working space
e. Digital video conferencing tools like Zoom or Microsoft Teams - Setting expectations clearly: It is very important for employers to set expectations
very clearly to all its employees so that they are aware of what is expected out of
them. With remote work, there is hardly any difference between public versus
private and hence, it might get difficult for employers to get things done from its
employees since there is no one to monitor them or have face to face conversations.
Therefore, employers should be very clear about what they expect out of each and
every employee. Their roles and responsibilities should be clearly defined, KPIS and
KRAs should be clarified and proper documentation should be emphasized.
This will help not only in fulfilling organizations goals but also every employee will be
able to track their professional progress as well which will help them in the future.
- Team interaction and employee building activities: In a remote work set up, it might
get lonely for workers since they work from different locations. With limited
communication, they might feel isolated and different from one another. Therefore,
it is extremely important for employers to set specific days and allotted timeslots for
team interaction and employee building activities. Most of the companies have a
dedicated employee engagement team who looks after these aspects. The teams can
organize virtual ice breaking sessions, fun Fridays, virtual birthday and other
celebrations. This will help in strengthening employee bonds and will also help in
building a good company culture. - Regular follow ups with remote workers: It is extremely important to follow up with
remote workers by employers and managers to check
a. If the employee is doing good overall (In terms of meeting targets/ expectations
and also his or her mental and physical well being)
b. Discuss weekly and monthly goals with the employees
c. Give an open platform to employees so that they can discuss anything and
everything, get things clarified and also provide feedback and suggestions
d. Discuss plans for employees’ professional developments and also check if it
matches with his or her long term goals or not
These regular follow ups help in creating a good employee experience with the company
and also to retain them longer in the company.
- Review company’s remote work policy on a timely basis- With the changing nature
of work and evolvement of remote work from COVID 19 to now, its important to
regularly review company’s remote work policy and make changes/ update as per
requirements when it comes to technology used by team, incorporate remote first
policies, research and adapt remote workforce solutions and hiring strategies. This
will help companies to stay relevant and attract the best talent.
In conclusion, we can say that remote work is here to stay and hence it is extremely
important for employers to transition to a remote set up and also adopt practices to
manage the workforce. This will help in finding and retaining the right talent and also
managing them effectively to meet organizational goals
