In the last two years, working at the kitchen table has become common and, for some parents, juggling virtual school while trying to hit work deadlines has also become a daily challenge. And, contrary to popular belief by some, COVID-19 did not start the remote work conversation, it simply blew the proverbial lid off something that had been bubbling beneath the surface.
In some sectors, such as IT and financial services, remote work has been popular for years, as it provides companies the freedom and flexibility to build products faster, hire the best talent in the world, and enjoy other benefits of the location-independent setup. However, in industries with hourly employees such as manufacturing, hospitality and retail, it’s almost impossible for some of these employees to perform these duties online.
If your company is considering a remote work option for some or all of your employees, here are five tips from Jackie Wiles in a recent article, Micromanaging Your Remote Workers? Own It, Then Fix It.
- “Empower team members. Make sure team members all understand the impact and scope of what is expected of them, articulate how their activities are crucial to meeting enterprise goals and provide each with the resources they need to get the job done.
- Focus on outcomes. Don’t waste time obsessing over the time the team dedicates to getting the job done or how they do it. What matters is that they get results in the agreed-upon time frame.
- Be flexible. Give people the opportunity to work when, where and how they can be most creative and productive.
- Plan for the worst case. This makes people feel trusted and confident in their ability to handle problems.
- Do not blame. Blame instantly crushes self-esteem and spoils the bonds of trust with your employees. Focus on lessons learned from failures. Let your team come up with the answer of what to do better next time”.
Bottomline: Going fully or partially remote means companies need less workspace or none at all. They can maintain an office in a more affordable location, as well as employ workers from areas where the cost of living and salaries are more suitable for a company’s budget. However, you institute your remote work program, it should be built on trust, with that, it could become a failure.
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