As you know, the COVID pandemic has forever changed the workplace. Not only how we work, but where we work. It has forced businesses to accept the individual’s work preference – whether it’s hours available, technology, or location — or else. You can accomplish that with cloud communications.
According to a recent state survey 97% of respondents want to work remote, at least some of the time, for the remainder of their career. Remote work, or at the very least, a hybrid of remote and traditional work is not only the future, but the here and now.
So, with employees working from all over, how do you support your remote and hybrid/traditional workers? Here are some tips on how to support all workers and ensure your employees are successful and productive.
Supporting Remote and Hybrid Workers: It’s Normal
As mentioned earlier, offering a remote option is longer a perk, but an expectation. And, although it may be tempting, don’t favor those workers who decide to come into the office over remote workers. Just because someone has decided to work on-site, it doesn’t mean they’re special or more productive than their remote counterparts. What all employees complete is work and should be viewed as the norm.
Supporting Remote and Hybrid Workers: Leaders Should Be Remote
If you would like to encourage this new norm, top level management should lead by example. When your management is remote or hybrid, it can give the impression that remote work is normal within your company. You have the opportunity to mold the culture and set an example for your employees, so don’t miss out on that possibility.
Supporting Remote and Hybrid Workers: Communication Technology
If you are ready and willing to support your remote and hybrid employees, it is a possibility that your communication technology needs to change. You can no longer rely on a traditional phone system and need to consider a cloud-based telephony solution. You can support all employees with a cloud-based communication solution which includes messaging, video conferencing, and business tool integration.
Excel Telecom can provide expert advice on teleworking and implementing cloud communications.
Supporting Remote and Hybrid Workers: New Reviews and Goals
Once you have opened the door to remote and hybrid work, you will need to update your performance review procedures. What was once an in-person, “watch em at all times” situation now needs to evolve into a product-based review. As the leader, you will need to set expectations of the results and output you want to see from your employees – whether they are remote or on-site. That will now be the main measure as to whether or not your employees are meeting their goals. If your employees are hitting their goals remotely, congratulations, you have a successful team.
Supporting Remote and Hybrid Workers: Trust
One of the hardest transitions for managers is to give employees freedom. As the boss, you need to set the expectations, sit back and trust your employees to get the work done. Remember, you’ve hired them for their talents, let them do the work. If you’re successful in this, you’ll create a culture of trust which leads to happier employees, and you’ll get the best out of them. Ignore your instincts to control and micromanage at all costs. You might be setting yourself up for remote work failure if you continue to control those who are better off left to their own devices.
Supporting Remote and Hybrid Workers: One-on-Ones
Just because your workers are independently working at home doesn’t mean you can’t be involved. You can continue to make time for your employees and direct reports. Talk often with your remote workers and decide a cadence that works for both of you. Also, a 1:1 should be your direct report’s time. Let them determine the agenda and what they want to discuss. They may want to discuss their project, or they may just need to talk.
Supporting Remote and Hybrid Workers: Overcoming Challenges
If you’re experiencing roadblocks in workflow or communication issues, it’s important to be empathetic and figure out what works best for your team. Ask your employees directly. They may not respond to messages (Slack/Teams) and prefer a video/audio calls. How are tasks being managed? If projects aren’t being tracked effectively, you may need to implement a software solution. Once you’ve uncovered the key to solving the challenges, you can deploy the fixes and get everyone on the same page.
Excel Telecom Can Provide Support for Your Remote and Hybrid Workers
Let the experts at Excel Telecom support you as you transition to a remote/hybrid work environment with cloud communications. We can supply everything you need to support your employees with telephony solutions to connect, collaborate, and communicate from one application. Contact us today and let’s start the conversation on how you want to run your remote teams.
