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As COVID-19 continues to impact the daily lives of the U.S. and the world, more and more businesses are moving their office and employees to remote work. From big companies like Microsoft and Amazon, to smaller ones like QuantumMark, we are all having to adjust our business plans. This can feel overwhelming. Especially for companies and employees that are not used to working remotely. It can be hard to keep accountability and ensure key business tasks are still completed. To help navigate this new territory, we’ve put together 3 tips for successfully managing remote work during COVID-19. Read below:
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Start from the top
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It is really important that the top leaders in a company (CEOs, VPs, Managers, etc.) are engaged with everyone. You need to share the messages around what your company is doing, what employees can expect, and what the new processes are. Leave no room for confusion, in an already confusing time. Martin Mickos (fastcompany.com) said it best: “The CEO must be present in online tools and channels, communicating proactively and engaging in timely conversations… Available, approachable, personable, showing their personal side and not just their professional side, showing vulnerability and not just strength, listening more than pontificating. Encouraging, praising, and high-fiving people across the company. When the organization sees that the CEO has gone completely remote and digital, they will be ready to follow.”
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Utilize (digital) tools
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Accountability, both for getting work done and ensuring people are not overworking, can be a hard thing to manage in a remote environment. This includes holding yourself accountable for continuing to enforce/promote your company culture, which is extremely important in a remote environment. Luckily, we live in a digital age. With this digital age comes many tools that will help you, your team, and business. There are a ton of messaging services, such as Slack and Microsoft Teams. There are video conferencing services like GoToMeeting and Skype for Business. At QuantumMark, we recently provided a refresher training on our internal messaging and conferencing services to ensure all employees felt ready to transition to a remote environment. Look at what tools you already have, ensure all team members know how to use them, and lead by example.
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Communicate – then do it more!
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Being remote can cause some isolation issues for employees at all levels. One of the best ways to combat this is to up the communication. Make sure everyone still feels included, still feels like a part of their community. You can do this by utilizing the messaging services mentioned above. Encourage employees to not only interact over work items, but life things as well. Try to recreate the interactions they’d have in the office. Similarly, make sure you over-communicate about all work-related deadlines and tasks. Share why things change, what clients are affected, etc. Don’t leave anything for employees to worry about and make sure they feel supported in all their assignments.
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In a time of considerable uncertainty, making work as consistent as possible is the true key to success. Moving remote will be an adjustment for many. To help the transition, you can begin now to use the tools and tips we listed. While there are many resources available to help you and your team, the most important action is to make sure you continue to ensure everyone feels like a team/community. This will help you more than anything else.
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Interested in learning more about navigating remote work? Contact our team at Kim@QuantumMark.com today!
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