![]() This could take the form of a series of one-on-one calls, if your employees work more independently from each other, or a team call, if their work is highly collaborative. Actions that you can take today include:Įstablish structured daily check-ins: Many successful remote managers establish a daily call with their remote employees. How Managers Can Support Remote EmployeesĪs much as remote work can be fraught with challenges, there are also relatively quick and inexpensive things that managers can do to ease the transition. Even in normal circumstances family and home demands can impinge on remote work managers should expect these distractions to be greater during this unplanned work-from-home transition. Yet, in the case of a sudden transition to virtual work, there is a much greater chance that employees will be contending with suboptimal workspaces and (in the case of school and daycare closures) unexpected parenting responsibilities. Typically, we encourage employers to ensure that their remote workers have both dedicated workspace and adequate childcare before allowing them to work remotely. In fact, this is a terrible representation of effective virtual work. However, over a longer period of time, isolation can cause any employee to feel less “belonging” to their organization, and can even result in increased intention to leave the company.ĭistractions at home: We often see photos representing remote work which portray a parent holding a child and typing on a laptop, often sitting on a sofa or living-room floor. It is thought that extraverts may suffer from isolation more in the short run, particularly if they do not have opportunities to connect with others in their remote-work environment. Social isolation: Loneliness is one of the most common complaints about remote work, with employees missing the informal social interaction of an office setting. However, if you receive this email from a remote coworker, with no understanding of their current circumstances, you are more likely to take offense, or at a minimum to think poorly of your coworker’s professionalism. For example, if you know that your officemate is having a rough day, you will view a brusque email from them as a natural product of their stress. Research has found that a lack of “mutual knowledge” among remote workers translates to a lower willingness to give coworkers the benefit of the doubt in difficult situations. This phenomenon extends beyond task-related work to interpersonal challenges that can emerge among remote coworkers. Even getting answers to what seem like simple questions can feel like a large obstacle to a worker based at home. Lack of access to information: Newly remote workers are often surprised by the added time and effort needed to locate information from coworkers. In some cases, employees feel that remote managers are out of touch with their needs, and thereby are neither supportive nor helpful in getting their work done. Many employees, on the other hand, struggle with reduced access to managerial support and communication. ![]() Supervisors worry that employees will not work as hard or as efficiently (though research indicates otherwise, at least for some types of jobs). Lack of face-to-face supervision: Both managers and their employees often express concerns about the lack of face-to-face interaction. Challenges inherent in remote work include: Otherwise high-performing employees may experience declines in job performance and engagement when they begin working remotely, especially in the absence of preparation and training. To start, managers need to understand factors that can make remote work especially demanding. Fortunately, there are specific, research-based steps that managers can take without great effort to improve the engagement and productivity of remote employees, even when there is little time to prepare. ![]() ![]() workforce already works from home at least part of the time, the new policies leave many employees - and their managers - working out of the office and separated from each other for the first time.Īlthough it is always preferable to establish clear remote-work policies and training in advance, in times of crisis or other rapidly changing circumstances, this level of preparation may not be feasible. In response to the uncertainties presented by Covid-19, many companies and universities have asked their employees to work remotely. To get all of HBR’s content delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Daily Alert newsletter. ![]() In these difficult times, we’ve made a number of our coronavirus articles free for all readers. ![]()
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