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25.05.2020 Business Features

Effectively Managing Employees Remotely

By Mrs. Patricia Abena Kissi
Effectively Managing Employees Remotely
25.05.2020 LISTEN

The COVID-19 pandemic with its associated lockdowns, restrictions on movement, and working from home, was not something that was anticipated; and so many organisations did not plan for it. Thus, even though the ideal thing to do is to establish clear policies on remote work, and offer training to managers and employees in advance, this was not so because nobody planned for the pandemic.

Thus, employees have been forced to work from home and managers have been forced to look for ways to manage the work of employees remotely without any clear remote-work policies and plans.

As a matter of fact, many managers are used to the traditional way of managing employees through close monitoring and supervision of their work and performance within the office space. Thus, the new way of managing employees who are working from home could be a daunting task for many managers.

Indeed, managing employees remotely is a new experience for many managers and supervisors. And just like any new experience, it requires a lot of getting used to. In an attempt to ensure that this works, some managers may resort to micromanagement which could be counterproductive. We can manage employees remotely without micromanaging them. Here are a few tips to help you effectively manage your employees remotely.

First, organisations need to understand that working from home requires some investment in technology and other infrastructure. Organisations need to provide the necessary tools and equipment that would ensure that employees work effectively from home. This may require that companies give laptops, smart and resilient phones with sufficient call credits, and stable and reliable internet with sufficient data to their employees.

Organisations should also assist their employees to create conducive work areas at home. Employees working from home should also be given training on how they could use the required technology to do their work effectively. Once these basics are covered, managers can then follow the appropriate means to remotely manage their employees.

Secondly, managers should set clear productivity or performance goals, expectations, deliverables, and timelines for each of their employees. Let employees know exactly what they are expected to achieve and by which time. Employees should know what they are required to achieve on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. For example, if the customer service representative is to ensure that all customer complaints channelled to them are successfully resolved and captured in a daily report, that should be clearly communicated in writing and be agreed on by both parties.

That way, employees know exactly what is expected of them in terms of their performance. If performance expectations are not clear, measuring performance may be ineffective and biased; rather than being objective and effective.

It is important to note that managing employees is not just about ensuring that they are working; but it is more about ensuring that they deliver on set performance expectations and targets. In fact, employees are not rewarded for effort made, rather, they are rewarded for the achievement of results. Therefore, if you want to effectively manage your employees remotely, set clear performance goals and expectations with them.

Thirdly, managers should do structured regular check-ins with employees working from home. Let employees know that though they are working from home, they are not alone. Let them know that you are with them and the whole team is with them. As part of the regular check-ins, you can make daily check-in calls not only to monitor their work but also to find out how they are coping and to motivate them.

Find out challenges they may be facing and see how you can help them resolve them. Remember that working from home is new to many employees; and it comes with some challenges like distractions, family pressures, and so on. We have seen photos of working from home mothers who are carrying their children while working on their laptops.

Working from home therefore is very challenging in itself, especially for working mothers. It is therefore the responsibility of managers and supervisors to check in on employees and to see how they could be assisted to address their challenges with working from home. Also, managers could do a weekly video team meeting with employees to give them a sense of their connectedness as a team.

Again, managers could encourage experience sharing among employees during these team meetings so that they could learn from one another on how they could work more effectively from home; and how they are addressing the challenges associated with working from home.

Fourthly, managers could ensure that their employees keep timesheets for when they start work and when they close. The fact that employees are working from home does not mean you should allow them to do what they like and work anyhow. Agree on clear working times with your employees based on their peculiar home situations and exigencies. Do not insist that every employee works from 8am to 5pm, rather, agree on the times that will best suit them based on their home situation.

There are some who could work from 8am to 5pm, but there may be others who could be more productive by working from may be 9am to 6pm or 10am to 7pm. They are some who could even work for less than eight hours and still be productive and achieve the required results. Thus, the focus should not be so much on the working times as on the tasks to be executed and the results to be achieved. Having said that, ensure that whatever time frame employees are on, they keep a timesheet that they sign in and out daily. This timesheet should be submitted to you at the end of every week as a means of monitoring their time spent on work and their productivity.

Fifthly, managers should ensure that employees working from home prepare and submit weekly activity planner and weekly reports. Guide employees to prepare their weekly activity planners based on performance expectations and goals agreed on. Encourage employees to send their weekly planner to you by the weekend of the previous week. This way, you can keep track of the activities or tasks of the employee throughout the week. Without appearing like a micromanager, find out during your check-in calls the progress of work or tasks indicated on the employee’s weekly planner. If there are any challenges in performing those tasks, find out how you can assist them to overcome such challenges. For example, if it is a logistic challenge, ensure that the right logistics are provided for the effective execution of tasks. At the end of the week, direct employees to submit a weekly report on the tasks indicated on their weekly planner.

Let them highlight their achievements and challenges. Where you need to have a discussion with the employee regarding their achievements as well as challenges, do not hesitate to do so. It is not advisable to wait at the end of the month to deal with issues regarding the employee’s productivity and challenges.

Do a daily assessment as well as a weekly assessment to keep employees on their toes and also assist them to deal with any challenges that may be weighing them down. Remember, you are not physically present with them to notice any challenge first hand, so create the right channel for them to get help when they need it.

Let me conclude by reiterating that when managing employees remotely, there is the need for managers to assist employees to create the right work environment at home and to provide them with the required tools and equipment such as laptops, smart phones with sufficient call credits, stable and reliable internet with sufficient data that will help them work effectively. Again, as a manager, you need to set clear productivity and performance goals and expectations with your employees and hold them accountable for them. You also need to have structured regular meetings via phone calls and video conferencing. Ensure that all the team members meet at least weekly via video conferencing to keep the team spirit up and to share experiences. The productivity and performance of employees should also be monitored through weekly planners and reports. Remember that you are not with your employees physically at the office workspace; and therefore, your focus should not be so much on working time and efforts but more on productivity and results.

Further, managing remotely requires a heavy dose of mental fortitude, commitment, dedication, and discipline. Managing remotely may be new to you but with these few tips and others you may glean around, you will be able to manage your team effectively. So, embrace them to ensure that you are managing your employees to work effectively and productively from home.

The writer, Mrs Patricia Abena Kissi, is an HR and Business Development Consultant, Career and Personal Development Coach, an Author, and the CEO of SEDAT Consult Limited. SEDAT Consult provides business support in the areas of recruitment, staff and HR outsourcing, training and development, compensation and benefits management, HR advisory, and business development to meet the business, staffing and training needs of start-ups and SMEs, as well as well-established companies in the country. Our mission is to ease the business burdens of organisations through the provision of innovative, practical training, research, and human resources solutions using proven techniques to address the business needs of our clients.

www.sedatconsult.com.gh ; [email protected]

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