It may not be widely known that heading into this pandemic about a quarter of the workforce in the Unites States already worked from home – at least a portion of the time. So, it is safe to say we can glean a few valuable tips from managers already exhibiting these best practices.
And while it is always preferable to establish clear remote-work policies and training in advance, in times of crisis or other rapidly changing circumstances, this level of preparation may not be feasible. Fortunately, there are specific, research-based steps that managers can take without great effort to improve the engagement and productivity of remote employees, even when there is little time to prepare. Guess, what? The time is now!
Common Challenges
To start, managers need to understand factors that can make remote work especially demanding. Otherwise high-performing employees may experience declines in job performance and engagement when they begin working remotely, especially in the absence of preparation and training.
That said, the majority of many well intentioned organizations are made up of already actively or passively disengaged employees. So, imagine how working remotely impacts their level of engagement, performance, and connection to the mission?
As much as remote work can be fraught with challenges, there are also relatively quick and inexpensive things that managers can do to ease the transition.