Part 3
(A three-part series, helping leaders and teams work easier, remotely.)
Here are more tips and suggestions, and valued information from the Gallup organization:
- Managers need their leaders’ support more than ever during this time
- Going fully remote may be your organization’s new way to work
Communication
- Employees who are accustomed to working in-house may feel cut off from the resources, information or relationships they need to do their jobs well, so plan for more conference calls.
- It’s OK to pad socializing into the timeframe; indeed, it may be vital for people who need lots of interaction to keep their energy up.
- Managers will have to be diligent about communicating productively — coaching high performance requires frequent conversations.
Your staff needs to hear from you too, especially as economic fears worsen, to maintain their trust in leadership.
- Keep the lines of communication open, honest and broad.
- Send emails or post videos about your reasoning, intentions and expectations.
- Make it easy for managers to know your thoughts and contribute their own.
Big Hint / Idea from Alysia
A wise friend of mine, Ron Harvey, said that “Your Audio and Video need to ‘match’”; in other words what you say and do will be carefully watched by the people who surround you.
My (Alysia’s) suggestion is to do the “Crazy Cycle in the Workplace” Workshop (ask me for details). This program shows leaders, through specific communication patterns, how to give ‘Personal Care’ to their employees. It also shows employees, through specific communication patterns, how to give ‘Respect’ to their employers / bosses.
When either party fails to do so, everyone takes a ‘ride’ on the crazy cycle’!
Support your managers
A sudden change in the practice of management can be hard on managers:
- They may worry about disruptions to the workflow they’re accountable for.
- Some may feel they have to be physically present to be good coaches; unsure that they can engage workers from a distance.
- Rather more negatively, there are still some managers who don’t trust workers they can’t see.
- All of them will have to manage workers in a new way.
Give them your support, both practical and emotional, during what may be a tough transition.
- Invest in management development and coaching ahead of the budget plan, and be affirming about the situation and understanding about altered deadlines.
- Remember, your managers always need to know you have their back — but never more so than when they feel insecure.
Looking Ahead
- Other than this year, Gallup finds that 43% of U.S. employeeswork remotely some or all of the time, (Spring 2020, it’s 60% of people are working from home) and many studies show remote workers are more productive and profitable than in-house employees.
- Don’t worry — telework can succeed spectacularly.
- But don’t be surprised if they don’t want to come back to the office.
Gallup research shows that 53% of employees say greater work-life balance and personal wellbeing are “very important” to them when considering a new job:
60% of women, of whom 48% are actively looking for a new employer
51% of U.S. workers say they would quit their current job for one that allows flextime.
Big Hint / Idea from Alysia
What’s a Leader to do?
Here are some questions, that we had recently in a roundtable discussion with Ron Harvey and over fifty Columbia, SC area coaches and leaders:
Try to answer these for yourself, as well:
- What is the most ‘valuable lesson’ you have learned while working remotely?
- What Action Steps should leaders take if we go back to working in person again, in a week or so?
- What risks should leaders be mindful of when we return to working in person?