The new normal is bringing numerous challenges pertaining to remote workforce management that you need to prepare for right now in order to preserve operational efficiency. Follow these tips to help organize, manage, and engage remote teams in the new normal.
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As 2020 quickly comes to an end, we find ourselves thinking about what the next year has in store for us. While you are probably already on top of the latest trends and predictions in various sectors such as sales, marketing, PR, and beyond, you’re probably not quite sure how you’re going to retain productivity, engagement and company culture in the new year. After all, the new normal is bringing numerous challenges pertaining to remote workforce management that you need to prepare for right now in order to preserve operational efficiency.
Without a doubt, the solution to this problem lies in balancing digital transformation with good leadership and communication. You want to make your employees feel valued and appreciated, engage with them in meaningful conversation, but also make their lives easier with the right software. So, let’s put all of this in perspective and take a look at the best tips to organize, manage, and engage remote teams in the new normal.
Start by implementing a project management system
First things first, you need to provide all of your teams and employees with a centralized online platform where they can work together on every project in real time. The new normal emphasizes on remote work, and that presents various challenges but also brings numerous benefits to the table. One benefit is having access to an international talent pool, but the challenge being that people can’t keep collaborating via email and Google Drive.
Instead, they need a centralized, cloud-based project management tool built specifically for your industry and niche. Luckily, nowadays you can find a project management (PM) tool for any sector in the business world, with a ton of features to make the job of every department easier and more straightforward. Implementing the right PM software will also break the barriers between teams and enable cross-department collaboration, which will also eliminate department silos in your organization. The result is a more cohesive employee collective that works together to achieve better results.
Create a strong communication hierarchy
A big threat to remote teams, especially during trying times is the lack of efficient and effective communication. It should go without saying that good communication is the basis of productivity and efficiency in any workplace, but you can’t just rely on a communication tool to eliminate all your problems. Before you introduce a communication platform or messaging software, you need to set a clear and comprehensive communication hierarchy.
A communication hierarchy is basically a set of rules and guidelines for your employees on the best ways to communicate vertically and horizontally across your organization. It ensures everyone knows exactly whom they report to and whom they should communicate with for optimal results and to keep every project moving along while avoiding bottlenecks. Take some time to devise this hierarchy to boost communication efficiency.
Engage your teams with the right tool
To manage your teams and better connect with every employee, you need to use a tool with a variety of engagement features. Some of the best and most comprehensive employee engagement solutions out there have built-in chat functions, virtual notice boards, location tracking, various communication channels, engagement monitoring features, employee feedback, and more.
These and other features allow you to stay in touch with everyone and manage their workflow easily, but also make better decisions through feedback and regular check-ins. Your engagement tool should also have a smart rostering system to help you create more efficient work schedules and delegate tasks to the right employees every time. This is also a great way to stay on top of your human resources and manage employees during holidays, sick leave, vacations, and beyond.
Measure success on outcomes instead of activities
The new normal has changed the way we do business, and it has definitely changed the way we measure employee performance and success. While it used to be that you would measure performance based on logged hours or how much time people spent on non-work-related websites, nowadays you want to measure performance on outcomes.
Why? Because remote work is not about micromanaging or overseeing the employees’ every move, it’s about making sure that the job gets done within the specified timeframe. You stand to gain a lot by taking a more lenient approach and allowing your employees to schedule their work hours around their unique routines. This will make them more productive and allow them to focus better while delivering results more consistently.
Engage with employees in one-on-one meetings
Last but not least, you need to have regular meetings with all of your teams, preferably every morning in order to start the day off right. However, you also need to schedule one-on-one meetings, and for one very important reason – to ensure employee well-being, engagement, and happiness. Keep in mind that the pandemic has greatly disturbed the lives of your employees, and that some of them might be going through tough times.
You as the leader need to reassure them that they are not alone and that you care about their mental well-being. Engage with the individual regularly, check up on them, and try to find out what they need to perform better or just be happier at work. The more time and genuine interest you invest in your employees during this stressful period, the more positive feedback you’ll receive, and your workforce will be happier long-term.
Wrapping up
The new normal has brought many opportunities but also many challenges to the business sector. Be sure to use these tips to avoid the pitfalls and create a more cohesive employee collective that will take your company forward in 2021.
