Helen Hardy

Columnist

Helen Hardy,

Managing Director, BeyondHR

Effective Remote Working

To help you improve the engagement and productivity of your remote employees, BeyondHR Managing Director Helen Hardy shares her top tips for motivating the workforce.

The COVID-19 pandemic struck fast and hard and saw mass change in how workforces operate. It accelerated the move from the traditional office-based model to remote working – something that has been struggling to gain traction before COVID-19.

Although vaccines for everyone are on the horizon, the return to the office still seems like a distant goal with hybrid models of remote working appearing to be here to stay as normality is redefined.

Moving from an office environment to remote working brings its own set of unique challenges. The crisis resulted in a sudden change of circumstances, meaning many companies were unable to establish clear remote working policies or training prior to the change, having to hit the ground running to accommodate the transition.

We hadn’t planned to be in this situation, but it was an opportunity. Suddenly, the tools and ways of working we were so used to no longer worked. We have had to adapt our whole way of working and become more intentional in our behaviour as we learnt new ways of collaborating and talking.

Now well into the pandemic, we have a better understanding of the benefits and limitations of remote working. We know that a lack of face-to-face supervision, limited access to information and increased social isolation can impact an employee’s level of engagement, performance, and sense of connection.

With many companies pondering how best to deliver coaching remotely, here are five ways in which you can mentor your team, to ensure they stay engaged, productive and motivated:

• Communicate

Communication is key to any successful team, but a lack of faceto-face interaction makes regular communication even more paramount. We can no longer rely on body language, tone of voice or conversations at the kettle for extra information and therefore regular check-ins are vital in remote working.

Ensure all employees have access to any information they may need, as well as training. Always keep the team up to date with tasks, duties, and upcoming projects and set clear boundaries for engagement and deadlines.

• Empathise

Acknowledge that employees may be feeling anxious or stressed. Working from home provides an opportunity to bring more empathy to the workforce, supporting one another and resolving any issues, so always try to keep your virtual door open to ensure employees know they can approach you.

• Embrace the tech!

The lack of face-to-face interaction may have taken a while to get used to but by this stage in lockdown most of us are well accustomed to daily Teams and Zoom meetings!

Take advantage of these programmes to establish a new way of creating face-to-face interaction – as well as providing hang-outs to get things done quickly.

This is also a great way to check in with your team to talk over any issues, planning or even for some team building!

• Manage expectations

Agree ways of working, set clear expectations of your team and ensure communication is efficient and constant.

Many employees are now facing new obstacles such as physical and emotional isolation and with the ongoing closure of schools, many employees are also walking a tightrope as they try to juggle childcare, home schooling and the demands of work. If this is affecting your employees ,consider adopting a more flexible approach to working. Removing that obstacle will enable employees to be more productive.

• Virtual team building!

By now, many of us have done more Zoom quizzes than we care to count, but holding virtual events with your team allows social interactions – and they can be fun. Try and carve out some time for non-work conversations and activities throughout the week.

The virus broke through previous barriers, that may have prevented remote working in the past, resulting in a structure shift in where and how we work. Establishing a successful remote working policy requires time, attention, and consistency, but it is worth it, and will ensure you and your team are better equipped to navigate the incoming waves of change.

“We hadn’t planned to be in this situation, but it was an opportunity. Suddenly, the tools and ways of working we were so used to no longer worked. We have had to adapt our whole way of working and become more intentional in our behaviour as we learnt new ways of collaborating and talking.”