Grinnell Mutual

I have been observing, over the past few years, how different companies are dealing with the new era of remote work within technology. We continue to hear about companies requiring their employees to return to the office, saying that they see a loss of productivity, culture, and employee engagement within their teams across the organization.

This poses a question: Is it the employees who are struggling with working remotely or is it the leadership who are struggling with managing the remote workforce?

What are the real issues around productivity and engagement? How do we keep team members engaged that are not all on the same court? How do you bring new employees into remote work environments and still give them a sense of belonging?

Remote work has changed the paradigm of how employees work. They now have more flexibility, increased accountability for their own tasks, and a revitalized focus on their communities, friends, and families. Team members who are new to working remotely, or new to the company, may feel like they’re sitting on the sidelines wondering how to get into the game, how to be involved in the day-to-day decisions and to contribute to the organization’s success. These resources are struggling to find the balance between learning how the inner workings of the organization run and expectations of remote work employment.

Helping employees navigate the new field between increased accountability and decreased interactions begins with leadership opening the lines of communication and distributing a playbook that everyone works from, no matter where their office is located. Leaders need to be a champion for this new playing field and create an even stronger working partnership with staff who work remotely to be successful.

  "Working hard" no longer equates to how many hours are spent at the office, but to the ability to provide quality end products within the deadlines set   

In a remote work world, leaders need to step up, set forth clear expectations, communicate even more, and find new ways to validate the end product of project assignments. To be successful, new techniques need to be developed for both leaders and teams. Senior leadership needs to take steps to offer enhanced training in the areas of remote work, direct communication, setting expectations for deliverables and deadlines, and how to provide meaningful metrics that now focus on the remote culture environments.

Training course topics may look similar to the past, but now need to focus on the remote work challenges that have changed the game:

● Trusting your staff and verifying outputs

● Creating clear goals and transparency for day-to-day work

● How to create clear expectations that are project-based

● How to create clear metrics that matter and demonstrate success

● How to stay engaged with remote teams

● How to build connections with a remote workforce

● How to measure remote success

It’s also imperative to make sure leaders understand the importance of one-on-one feedback and meeting regularly with each staff member. Leaders and staff need to take the time to prepare for each meeting. Leaders should be asking engaging questions and understanding what people are working on so they can help the employee see how a project or assignment aligns with moving the business forward and fits into the company’s overall goals. Helping individuals feel a personal connection during this time of impersonal communications starts with leaders that have a passion to lead and help their teams be successful.

“Working hard” no longer equates to how many hours are spent at the office, but to the ability to provide quality end products within the deadlines set. If done correctly, productive and engaged employees will flourish. People who have moved to remote work continue to state their love of the flexibility and work-life balance that this opportunity has provided, and that remote work has increased their quality of life. It's up to leadership to partner with staff to make sure we can continue to support that benefit by being clear about expectations, being transparent about company goals, and keeping the lines of communication open and productive.  

The game has changed, and although some companies will continue to use their old playbooks, I believe those willing to update their playbook will be successful.

Game on, leaders.  

If we want engaged, accountable, and driven self-starters on our teams, we must make sure we are training our leaders at every level in a new style of coaching, mentoring, and leadership. 

Nicole Chesmore

AVP – IT Cybersecurity, Operations and Service Management.