Managing Your New Remote Employees.
Challenges of Remote Work
The following are challenges that are inherent in remote work. Managers need to understand that these factors can make working from home difficult. Especially when remote work is started with no preparation or training.
- Lack of face to face supervisions
- Lack of access to information
- Social Isolation
- Distractions at home
How can managers support remote employees
As much as remote work is full of challenges, there are quick and inexpensive actions that managers can do to help their employees transition towards this new environment of working. Here are some actions, that you can incorporate into managing your remote employees.
- Establish structured check-ins: Manager should establish a daily call with their employees. Calls must be a forum in which employees know that they can consult with you, and that their concerns are heard.
- Provide communication options: Establish video conferencing technologies for “face-to-face” meetings. Video is useful for complex and sensitive conversations. Quick collaboration can be done with technologies such as Slack and Text Messaging.
- Establish expectations: Remote work becomes more efficient when managers set expectations for frequency and timing of communication.
- Provide remote social interaction: Everyone likes to have fun so managers should establish opportunities for interactions that are non-work items.
