Support for Sudden Onset Remote Work (and beyond)

 
Remote work blog.png

Here’s a synthesis of how we’re working with clients and what I know from experts about what works – how to engage employees and help the organization thrive -- in our brave new remote work world. 

First: What’s always been true is still true, just more so.

  1. We’re all different yet the same.

We’re all human. We’re social animals. We seek safety, recognition, and meaning. We want to be helpful.

And we come in many flavors, we humans. Introvert, extrovert, all sorts of personality styles. Some styles are readily suited to more solitary work settings and some need to work at working at a distance. Here’s a take on introvert/extrovert/ambivert remote work types.

2. It’s nearly impossible to over-communicate.

Once is never enough, but it’s especially true in dynamically changing and unfamiliar times.

3. It’s all about clear expectations, transparency and trust.

And now all three are being put to the test, requiring more and different effort on the part of leaders, managers and every worker. Here’s a look at how trust builds differently in virtual teams.

The more you’re able to do these things below, as a manager, HR professional, communications professional, the easier the transition and better outcomes for everyone.

Rearticulate expectations/don’t assume

How work is getting done, by whom and when are all shifting, as both work and personal priorities are getting shuffled. Now is a time to be explicit about what’s required and realistic in terms of response times, availability and deadlines. Don’t assume your boss understands your reality, and don’t assume your team can read your mind. Make agreements, individual and team. Monitor progress and issues, explicitly. (Again, this is always a good practice, but needs more frequent attention now.)

Overcommunicate

All levels of the organization and internal functions need to work together on this one. Remember, repetition is good. Repetition is good.

·      Story and messaging – keep it simple, using clear and human language (watch the corporate speak). Balance the unfolding need-to-know with reassuring updates about progress and what isn’t changing.

·      Be proactive – this might be a great time to institute a weekly video message from your CEO or other leader, even if there’s not a lot new to say. Reiterate what matters and stay visible.

·      Your internal comms team are the champs in keeping information flowing, in the right places at the right time, using all available channels (intranet, MS Teams, apps like Dynamic Signal, and more.) Staff up if needed, at least temporarily, and get that tool or platform you’ve been putting off. Now is the time.

·      Self-service – create a place to post all updates, protocols and policies, resources, both company-specific and local/state/federal. Publicize the heck out of it and point people to it repeatedly.

Listen and Ask

How is the organization absorbing sudden new ways? Where are we struggling, and what new ideas are surfacing? How do we know? Just ask.

-       Do a pulse survey check-ins – monitor the stress level, find out what the obstacles are and what’s making work and life easier with short, easy surveys. Find out what parts of the organization need more help than others and what you can learn to do more of.

-       Make a daily habit – “how are you doing?” asked with genuine interest goes a long way to making people feel connected and helps spot needs early.

Create community

Miss the on-site serendipity of seeing people in real life? Of course we do!

-       Light up existing social channels (Teams, Slack, Yammer, etc.) or get a new one going. Make sure there’s some community management monitoring and sparking engagement.

-       In team meetings, include time for socializing, digital café style; shift some of those birthday cupcakes to online sessions.

Update (clean up?) your meeting habits

Most organizations have cultural habits about meetings if not explicit meetings guidelines. Now is the time to refine and reiterate what good looks like, what expectations are, and adjust for the virtual world. Here’s a useful remote meetings guide from the folks at Slack.

 

Support managers

Time for Learning & Development teams to shine with new toolkits and training sessions to support managers with a whole new set of people management challenges. Excellent resources and training are available from the experts at Bridging Distance.

  

Inject some fun

·      Loads of great ideas are surfacing on this one. Sharing pics of four legged friends, babies, home office set-ups, midday walks outside, “wear a hat at our Zoom meeting”...

·      Create a question of the day (or week) through a simple polling feature or social post

·      For some less conventional “advice” check out these work-from-home productivity hacks.

 

Encourage wellbeing and self-care

With many competing responsibilities and work/homelife blurring more than ever, help your people take care of themselves, with resources and reminders and rituals. The Kripalu yoga retreat center in western Massachusetts has assembled an impressive collection of ideas and activities for body, mind and spirit.

 

Say thank you

Feeling appreciated is a primary human need and a proven engagement driver. And it’s free and can anyone can do it.

Employee recognition programs and platforms help scale gratitude-sharing efforts, but little micro-expressions of gratitude are easier and can be delivered more frequently. “Just saying ‘thank you,’ acknowledging a kindness, or engaging in a helpful act are all ways of expressing gratitude,” says Robert Emmons, author of The Little Book of Gratitude: Creating a Life of Happiness and Wellbeing by Giving Thanks

  

Notice the new hacks and habits and innovations you want to keep!

A crisis like this is not all downside; we are creative and resilient beings with tremendous adaptive capacity. So, along with the necessary and sometimes unwanted adjustments to remote work, keep track of the great new ideas arising that have lasting value and plan to support them longer term. This could be new tools, new policies, new ways to connect and socialize virtually, new ways for leaders to be visible and present.

 

Let us know how we can help you get going or do more on any of these practices. And thank you. 

Additional resources

Bridging Distance – free Remote Work webinar series, workshops, virtual workplace assessments and more

Dynamic Signal –resources for execs and communicators from a leading employee communication and engagement platform

IABC – comprehensive COVID-19 related resources for communications professionals (and anyone)

SHRM – for HR professionals navigating policies, practices

 

 

 

Search

Social

Categories

 
Culture, Leadership, CommunicationJanet SwayslandCOVID-19, Remote workComment