If you’re new to leading people who are distributed and working from home due to COVID-19, these guidelines are for you. A little extra awareness and planning goes a long way when your team is working remotely for the first time.
COMMUNICATION IS KEY
- Over communicate. Communicate clearly and frequently with your team – more is better. Use a combination of formats including email, messaging apps, online meetings, and conference calls. Remember, different forms of communication work better for different people.
- Make yourself available. People can’t just pop by anymore, so tell them when and how it’s easiest to reach you. Think about scheduling office hours where you’re at your computer or on a video conference so people can find you easily if they have a question.
- Check in more often. A lot happens during hallway conversations, which will now be missing. Also, people who are home for long stretches may feel isolated.
- Add standups. Consider adding a periodic (even daily) standup call. These can be brief calls where team members share critical information and ask questions. They’re an efficient and effective way to keep everyone aligned. Often they last no more than 15 minutes.
- Create communication guidelines. This is new to everyone, so help the team identify and set expectations.
- Should everyone be available during a set of core working hours?
- Ask everyone to set out of office or Slack alerts so people know if they’re working, in a meeting, or taking a lunch break.
- What is the expected response time? Make sure your expectations are clear.
- Tell people how to communicate when they need an urgent response vs. something less urgent.
- Connect informally. If you usually chat in the office or have lunch together, don’t stop now. Check in just to say hi and see how people are doing. Consider “hanging out” virtually over breaks or lunch.
USE TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGY
Don’t be intimidated by technology. There are lots of great low cost and no cost tools that can help you connect with your team. Now is the perfect time to give them a try.
- Video/conference calls: Google Hangouts and Zoom are some of the most popular
- Tasks tracking and project management: Trello and Asana are user friendly.
- Appreciation. Don’t forget to say thanks! We love showing appreciation using Thnks, Knack Shops, and Intentionalist Gift Cards.
GOALS SETTING AND PROGRESS TRACKING
- Set clear goals. If goals aren’t already well defined, now is a good time to write them down. Clear expectations will go a long way.
- Track progress. Help people stay on task by measuring progress in weekly calls or emails. If you don’t use a tool to track progress today, you can start by taking more detailed weekly notes.
- Celebrate wins. Things are hectic, maybe even chaotic, but don’t forget to recognize and celebrate what’s working well.
Share your questions and tell us how we can help – info@reverbpeople.com
