Teleworking & remote working
What impact do these new work methods have on managers?
Telework is covered by an agreement between employer and employees, while remote work refers to all work conducted outside the office. Over the last few years, remote work and telework have become more popular in companies. Not surprisingly, the tech sector is a step ahead when it comes to adopting these new ways of organising work inside companies, but it is not the only one.
More and more employees from a variety of sectors are now working from home, a coworking space, or another place outside the office, from one to several days a week. And the practice is set to last. What impact do these work methods have on managerial roles and how can managers maintain ties between their team members? We take a look.
Impact on managerial roles
Telework has a number of advantages. It helps to enhance employees’ quality of life and ensure a better work-life balance. However, remote work comes with a few pitfalls. managers see less of their team members. They therefore need to rethink some of the ways they go about their day-to-day work and how they perceive their relationships with their team members.
In order for remote work to be successful, trust is vital. Managers must come to terms with the fact that they cannot control what their employees are doing all the time, and trust their ability to work autonomously. They have a very good understanding of their assignments and what is expected of them, there is no need to add too much pressure.
Not surprisingly, without visual control, the managerial role must adapt.
The manager must plan regular updates, individually and/or as a team, to enquire about the progress of the team’s various projects.
The manager must also:
- Implement Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to monitor their team(s).
- Find new ways to maintain relations outside regular, scheduled video calls. These calls are not enough on their own and tend to be a cause for concern, or even a source of anxiety among employees in the long term. As a manager it is vital that you find solutions to bring back some spontaneity in your interactions.
Maintaining ties between colleagues is essential
Maintaining ties between team members is the second most important factor to ensure telework is a long-term success. Why? Quite simply to ensure employee commitment and wellbeing in the long term. Although they work autonomously, your team members must not feel as though they are alone and left completely to their own devices.
Video conferencing is one of the first solutions available to managers for maintaining ties between colleagues. Rather than sending a flurry of emails, it is sometimes better to arrange a video call. This communication channel is more conducive to rich dialogue.
In addition to work meetings, you can also plan in some social occasions, such as virtual coffee breaks or short online gaming sessions. This can help you sound out your team and give everyone the opportunity to express themselves and interact with others.
Did you know?
There are tools available to help managers achieve spontaneity in their oral communications, both with and between their team members. Their functions and features help reduce what is commonly known as “Zoom fatigue”.
For example, Glowbl offers a virtual workplace. This solution includes videoconferencing but goes way beyond that. Employees can for example navigate between different virtual spaces, just as they would if they were at the office. This leaves more room for spontaneity, in the day-to-day environment of physical distance between colleagues, and team members can work in simultaneous mode when they wish.
Preventing disintegration of employees’ feeling of belonging to the company
To ensure that your employees still consider themselves as full members of the company, it is vital that you communicate on company life, and on goals set and results obtained during given periods. Never miss an opportunity to highlight good news, positive feedback from customers, and positive performance indicators.
