Managing Remotely: A Guide for Leaders & Teams

As the Chinese Yin-Yang proverb says, "there is some good in every bad"; so it's in the case of COVID-19.

COVID-19 has accelerated the implementation of "flexible working arrangements" faster than any research, regulation, and policy has ever before; showing us that remote working IS ACTUALLY POSSIBLE!

Unfortunately, it hit us hard and unexpectedly, giving us very little time to prepare our leaders and teams. As a result, we are experiencing leaders panicking about deadlines not being met, employees feeling isolated and disengaged; and individuals, in general, worried about their future.  

Having built THMC with remotely working team members, I have been asked to share the foundation of our success. The lines below are a summary which I hope you find them helpful :)

1. Acknowledge the differences. Working from home will impact each team member differently. For instance, some people like myself become much more efficient when working from home as its quiet and they have fewer interruptions. However, for some others, working from home might lonely and boring. And for others, might mean chaos - as they juggle work with constant demands from kids, parents, pets... 

Even though we most probably can't change the individual's situation, you will be surprised by the positive impact lending an ear has. Acknowledging the discomfort and discussing the concerns and struggles will not only build the team spirit but also generate solutions and share best practises.

2 - Set crystal clear expectations. Many managers struggle to trust their team members, something that I don't quite understand, to be honest. When I hear this concern, I always ask the same 3 questions: 

• Do you actually work when you say you're working from home? 
• If you do, why do you think your team wouldn't? 
• If you can't trust your team, why did you hire them in the first place?  

The manager's who resist the most are generally the ones who would watch Netflix when they should be working, but from home.

That being said, the best technique to make sure the work is done is to set clear expectations. The more detail, the better. For instance, you could say "despite the current situation, we'll keep our customers engaged by doing X, we'll maintain our standards by doing Y, we'll fulfil our mission by doing Z." 

3- Communication: Working from home might make employees feel cut off from the resources, information and relationships they need to do their jobs well. The solution is easy: keep in touch. 

A daily/weekly team catch up call, or video call would keep the team accountable for the project progress and also ease some of the loneliness and tension. At THMC, we schedule our weekly calls for 1.30h instead of 1h as this allows us the time to go personal building rapport and trust.

But what happens when you need quick answers or to bounce ideas? Opt for what we call an "open, ongoing call". 

We came up with this simple technique last year, due to the delivery of a complex project that required different team members concurrent input and immediate answers - something easy to do when you're seated across each other in the office but challenging when working remotely. Hence, we recreated the feeling of being seated next to each other by getting everybody to join a conference call with the mics muted while they do their own work. This way, when one of us had a question, we just had to unmute the mic, and the team would be there to support.

4. Support your managers and team: A sudden change like this can be hard on managers and the team. Some may feel worried as they don't "show face" in the office, others may worry about the disruptions to the workflow they're accountable for, and some might struggle to engage workers from a distance. Giving them support, both practical and emotional during this transition through coaching, affirming about the situation and understanding about altered deadlines are fundamental. 

Do you have any other great tips to share with us and the fellow remote workers/managers? Please share! We are here to learn and grow together!

Also, get in touch if you'd like to get some additional support to navigate and excel in the current working conditions.