Tips on effectively managing your newly remote employees
Author: Scott Fiore
With Pennsylvania on a strict stay-at-home mandate, thousands of local businesses are finding themselves in a new situation – working remotely, perhaps for the first time. For many businesses, working remotely is a new idea. Some may not have even thought it was practical.
As a professional staffing agency, TriStarr has experience in remote employee management. To make the most of this unprecedented time, we recommend the following ways to motivate and manage your employees remotely and enable them to perform their best while working from home.
Make sure your employees are trained to work from home
This is likely the first time your entire business is working remotely for an extended period of time, and if that is the case, it’s possible that members of your staff will need to be trained on working from home. It’s best to start with the basics to ensure the success of your team. For instance, make sure all employees have the proper technology like a laptop or desktop to work from home.
Of course, if you are a small business with limited technology or your business does not have access to web- or cloud-based software, some objectives may not be feasible. For those who can work from home, however, it’s important that everyone has the logins or equipment-training necessary available to them.
It’s also likely that employees will need resources they don’t have. It’s best to have someone on staff assigned as the go-to contact to help or troubleshoot with co-workers to avoid frustration and miscommunication.
Establish a company stance on working remotely – internally and publicly
Although business hours may not have changed for your company, it’s important to establish working expectations for your remote staff. It’s normal to allow some flexibility within your team’s schedules as they navigate working from home, especially where other family members may be present, but setting expectations will ensure that operations are more consistent and better organized.
For your clients or customers, you’ll want to share how your team is adapting to any changes brought on by COVID-19 and staying open and ready for business. Social media and emails are an efficient way to relay this information. Team members can also add a line to their email signatures so that clients who you are in contact with often are aware of any new company updates.
Additionally, if your business is in need of temp-staffing or you require extra hiring, using social media to announce your open positions will be crucial as communications move more heavily online. You can also reach out to a professional staffing agency like TriStarr to find the employees you need.
Keep all lines of communication open
As a team leader and manager, it will be vital to remain reachable to your customers, clients, and employees. Be sure you have communicated any necessary changes in contact numbers for calls or texting and assure them that they are ok to use.
Status meetings will also be key as your team tackles project management from different locations. Setting a recurring touch-base meeting daily or weekly will be best to keep all initiatives moving along. TriStarr is currently meeting as a team twice every day through Zoom, the video conferencing app, to keep projects on schedule.
Another way to keep your communication with remote team members organized is to establish “advising hours” during which your employees can make an appointment to have open discussions with you and ask any questions they may have.
Be flexible and patient while your team adapts
There will most likely be a learning curve for effective communication and organization while your team adapts. Offer your team any support they need and be patient while everyone settles in. Be aware that video chats will have glitches and dogs will bark in the background on team calls. Having a positive attitude towards your team will encourage everyone else to do the same.
Hire a professional staffing service like TriStarr to help
At TriStarr, we’re more than just a staffing agency. We offer HR consulting solutions and hiring resources strictly based on your needs. While Lancaster and Harrisburg area businesses continue to work from home, TriStarr is here to help with temp-staffing, remote hiring, and any team management needs you might have. For more information on our services, visit our website.
We may be working remotely, but we have open positions to fill and we’re still committed to being one of Lancaster, PA’s best staffing agencies. Apply online for any of our open job listings or contact us today.
With Pennsylvania on a strict stay-at-home mandate, thousands of local businesses are finding themselves in a new situation – working remotely, perhaps for the first time. For many businesses, working remotely is a new idea. Some may not have even thought it was practical.
As a professional staffing agency, TriStarr has experience in remote employee management. To make the most of this unprecedented time, we recommend the following ways to motivate and manage your employees remotely and enable them to perform their best while working from home.
Make sure your employees are trained to work from home
This is likely the first time your entire business is working remotely for an extended period of time, and if that is the case, it’s possible that members of your staff will need to be trained on working from home. It’s best to start with the basics to ensure the success of your team. For instance, make sure all employees have the proper technology like a laptop or desktop to work from home.
Of course, if you are a small business with limited technology or your business does not have access to web- or cloud-based software, some objectives may not be feasible. For those who can work from home, however, it’s important that everyone has the logins or equipment-training necessary available to them.
It’s also likely that employees will need resources they don’t have. It’s best to have someone on staff assigned as the go-to contact to help or troubleshoot with co-workers to avoid frustration and miscommunication.
Establish a company stance on working remotely – internally and publicly
Although business hours may not have changed for your company, it’s important to establish working expectations for your remote staff. It’s normal to allow some flexibility within your team’s schedules as they navigate working from home, especially where other family members may be present, but setting expectations will ensure that operations are more consistent and better organized.
For your clients or customers, you’ll want to share how your team is adapting to any changes brought on by COVID-19 and staying open and ready for business. Social media and emails are an efficient way to relay this information. Team members can also add a line to their email signatures so that clients who you are in contact with often are aware of any new company updates.
Additionally, if your business is in need of temp-staffing or you require extra hiring, using social media to announce your open positions will be crucial as communications move more heavily online. You can also reach out to a professional staffing agency like TriStarr to find the employees you need.
Keep all lines of communication open
As a team leader and manager, it will be vital to remain reachable to your customers, clients, and employees. Be sure you have communicated any necessary changes in contact numbers for calls or texting and assure them that they are ok to use.
Status meetings will also be key as your team tackles project management from different locations. Setting a recurring touch-base meeting daily or weekly will be best to keep all initiatives moving along. TriStarr is currently meeting as a team twice every day through Zoom, the video conferencing app, to keep projects on schedule.
Another way to keep your communication with remote team members organized is to establish “advising hours” during which your employees can make an appointment to have open discussions with you and ask any questions they may have.
Be flexible and patient while your team adapts
There will most likely be a learning curve for effective communication and organization while your team adapts. Offer your team any support they need and be patient while everyone settles in. Be aware that video chats will have glitches and dogs will bark in the background on team calls. Having a positive attitude towards your team will encourage everyone else to do the same.
Hire a professional staffing service like TriStarr to help
At TriStarr, we’re more than just a staffing agency. We offer HR consulting solutions and hiring resources strictly based on your needs. While Lancaster and Harrisburg area businesses continue to work from home, TriStarr is here to help with temp-staffing, remote hiring, and any team management needs you might have. For more information on our services, visit our website.
We may be working remotely, but we have open positions to fill and we’re still committed to being one of Lancaster, PA’s best staffing agencies. Apply online for any of our open job listings or contact us today.
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