COVID has changed the world forever, be it any sector or industry.
IT world has not remained unscathed either. From running the office to
delivering projects on time and managing teams remotely, it has been a ride for
everyone – be it the employers or employees.
It cannot be said for certain when Corona will leave the
world in peace so it’s better just to adapt to the ever-so-changing world. While
some companies started working from their office after the first wave of
Corona, a significant number of companies had to go back to working remotely as
the new variant and second wave of Corona hit the world.
In this article, we are going to take a look at some of the
tips that will help managers and CEOs in effectively managing their remote teams
in these challenging times.
“The world is forever divided between post-corona pre-corona time. It has affected all industries and every aspect of life. Management has not remained untouched either. “
5 Ways To Manage Your Remote Employees Proactively
1. Quick catch-up
This can be done in a number of ways. You can have a Skype video every week or every day, depending on your work schedule and commitments. A Skype video with all the employees present can feel very much like an in-house meeting, where everyone can discuss anything. Instead of making it a work meeting, just have a quick catch up on what is happening.
You can also have a dedicated Slack channel where everyone gives updates so that it feels like a community. Anything that is comfortable can work, WhatsApp, Microsoft Team – the purpose is simply to remain in touch with everyone.
2. Effective Communication
Now that employees and you are no longer meeting in-person every day, having effective communication is even more important than before. Be very clear about what your message is so that there is no room for mistake or error. Let the employees have enough space to ask you any questions or ambiguities if they have any. Communicate with them on a regular basis about the projects they are working on. If the number of employees is too large for you too look over, simply remain in constant communication with your managers and see what they tell you.
3. Set SMART Goals
If before Corona, you did not have monthly agendas or goals set in stone to follow, it is high time to start doing that. If there are multiple departments, ask the managers to create SMART goals for every employee that are approved by you. This will help you in analyzing if substantial progress is being made or not. Goals that can actually be measured, have deadlines and are quantitative are good approach especially when you are no longer meeting in person with your employees.
4. Use Reporting Tools
Being the CEO, keeping a check on your employees’ progress is definitely not the only thing you do. Looking on how to expand business, meetings with partners, pitch meetings for potential clients are some of the tasks that you have to take care of. The best way forward is to use reporting tools that will make your job quite easy. All employees can report their day’s progress on the tool and you can get a quick overview whenever you want. Tools like Asana, Jira, and Slack help immensely in this regard.
5. Employees are humans
Realize that your employees are not robots but humans that have lives outside of their careers. If someone has a personal issue or wants
to discuss something, lend them an ear and help them as much as possible. Instead of focusing solely on how the work is, take care of your employees’ physical and mental health. Make them feel important and an integral part of the organization.