3 Secret tips for managing a Remote team

Make remote work more productive and engaging for employees with these empathetic but practical actions.

Vast numbers of employees now work remotely, and it’s too late to develop a set of remote-work policies if you didn’t already have one. But there are ways to make the remote-work experience productive and engaging — for employees and the organization.

“At most organizations, scenario planning focuses on the necessary operational responses to ensure business continuity. Few of these plans address the ability or bandwidth of employees to focus on their work,” says Brian Kropp, Distinguished Vice President, Research, Gartner.

HR should help managers with nine specific activities to ensure employees get the requisite support to tackle the emotional roller coaster of this crisis — and are productive and engaged.

1. Be on the lookout for signs of distress in your employees

Use both direct conversations and indirect observations to get visibility into employees’ challenges and concerns. Use every opportunity to make clear to employees that you support and care for them. To facilitate regular conversations between managers and employees, provide managers with guidance on how best to broach sensitive subjects arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, including alternative work models, job security and prospects, impact on staffing and tension in the workplace.

2. Equip employees

Make sure employees have the technology they need to be successful, which may be more than just a mobile phone and laptop. For example, if you expect employees to attend virtual meetings, do they have adequate cameras?

Even if you don’t have an extensive set of technology and collaborative tools available, you can equip employees to function effectively when remote. But don’t just assume that people know how to operate with virtual communications — or are comfortable in that environment.

Acknowledge that virtual communications are different — and won’t be perfect — but should still be professional and respectful of others. Be mindful that virtual communications may be less comfortable and effective for some, and coach employees on when and how to escalate ineffective virtual exchanges. For example, if you haven’t settled an issue in six emails, the conversation may need to be elevated to a virtual meeting to get closure.

Read more: 3 Keys to Leading Large-Scale Virtual Meetings

3. Promote dialogue

Two-way dialogue between managers and employees ensures that communication efforts help, rather than hurt, engagement. Gartner research shows that employees’ understanding of organizations’ decisions and their implications during change is far more important for the success of a change initiative than employees “liking” the change.

Two-way communication with managers and peers provides employees with the information and perspective they need, and enables them to express and process negative emotions and feel more in control. Managers can create opportunities for two-way dialogues that focus on a realistic picture of both the positive and negative implications of the current COVID-19 outbreak.