Four Best Practices for Managing a Remote Workforce

/in /by

StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Remote Workforce|Four Best Practices for Managing a Remote WorkforceIf it hasn’t happened yet, it’s bound to come soon — your employee wants to transition to working remotely full-time. Maybe you’ve had to experiment with remote working in the last year like much of the world or perhaps your team members have friends or family members that have discovered how great remote work can be for quality of life and now they want their own shot at making it work.

Before you write off the idea completely, it’s important to consider the benefits of offering remote work to your employees. From helping with recruitment to reducing expenses, offering flexibility in work location can be a great alternative to a traditional office for the right employee. It takes planning, great communication, and a little creative thinking but it’s an idea worth considering.

Before you dive in to offering remote work as an option for your team, here are four best practices to consider.

Set clear expectations from the start

As with any new working arrangement, setting clear expectations is mandatory. By communicating what you expect from the beginning, you dramatically reduce the chance of conflict and disappointment later. Take the time to set clear boundaries around business hours, attendance policies for team meetings, and technology requirements (like keeping video on for calls) and in the end, both the employee and the business will benefit.

Keep remote employees engaged

It can be difficult to manage both in-person and remote team members simultaneously. Take a moment to check in with remote employees daily, either through email, virtual chat, a video call, or text and let them know they are valued. If the “out of sight, out of mind” approach is taken, employee performance and motivation can suffer and lead to unwanted turnover.

Take advantage of remote resources

Some positions are more easily adapted to remote work than others. For example, an analyst or researcher who spends a great deal of time behind a computer is more likely to adapt to a remote-working arrangement than a receptionist or assistant who answers calls and serves other team members throughout the day. However, this doesn’t mean those employees don’t deserve a shot at working from home, too! If your business requires someone to frequently answer incoming calls and yet you also want to offer a remote working arrangement, call answering makes good sense. By taking advantage of resources designed to help businesses adapt to having a remote workforce, you’re more likely to see the benefits of virtual working like having more productive employees and cutting costs on in-office expenses.

Get creative with the technology

It’s easy to fall into a rut of using Zoom or Google Hangouts to conduct yet another video conference call or relying on email to answer the latest questions about a report or project. Instead of risking employee burnout by holding every meeting via Zoom, consider getting creative in your approach. Ask everyone to take the afternoon meeting call outside and turn their cameras around so team members can virtually enjoy some new scenery. Send a fun “get to know you” poll via instant messaging on Fridays and ask team members to participate in sharing their favorite recent book or tv show. By demonstrating that technology can be used creatively, employees can see their remote-working circumstances as a valuable benefit and become more grateful in the process.

Remote working is likely here to stay so by using some of these best practices, you’re more likely to benefit from the “new normal” and might even end up enjoying it!

This Is How Effective Managers Always Get The Best From Their Employees

/in /by

StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Effective Managers|This Is How Effective Managers Always Get The Best From Their EmployeesThere are many resources that a manager must effectively maximize for the success of their business, but by far the most vital and often the most tricky is the resource that is their employees. Fortunately, you can get some insight on how effective managers deal with this aspect of business in the post below.

Behave in a clear and consistent way

Effective managers understand that they need to lead from the front. That means they need to set the tone when it comes to work-appropriate behavior and attitude. Central to this is their ability to act consistently and communicate clearly.

Clear communication is crucial because, without it, employees can become confused as to what is expected of them. Consistent behavior on the other hand is so important because it helps to define the boundaries for the team that is working under you, as well as ensures they feel safe to get on with their tasks to the best of their abilities.

Encourage teamwork

Great managers are adept at encouraging their team to work together and become a sum more than their parts. However, depending on the team you have, such an achievement requires a range of skills and strategies including active listening, being able to tap into the intrinsic motivation of others, as well as being able to step back from a project and allow your employees the agency and responsibility they need to be able to succeed.

Another vital part of encouraging effective teamwork as a manager is being receptive to the input of everyone on your team. Indeed there are so many insights to be revealed from hearing what everyone from your 2nd in command to the front line workers have to say.

Match their solution to the problem at hand

You will find reams of advice online on how managers should deal with any problems that arise. However, what separates a good manager from a great one is that they always consider the unique factors of each issue they come across. This means they never apply a stock or one-size-fits-all patch to an issue, but instead craft one that is specifically designed for the issue in hand.

Of course, there will be a time when they will need the input and advice of others to help them do this. That is why great managers always consult with their team and even seek the advice of business management experts like Colby Wegman from time to time. After all, if you can find someone that has been through a similar situation, they may be able to provide some unique insight that you may not have considered.

Praise in public and criticize in private

Finally, the best managers get so much from their teams because they tend to criticize in private and praise in public. Indeed, public praise can serve to motivate not only the individuals involved but the entire team.

Criticism on the other hand needs to always be constructive. That includes things to work on rather than being personal. Also by going through this process in private managers can help to retain the individual morale and so ensure maximum productivity.

Remote Work Is Here To Stay, Let’s Make The Most Of It

/in /by

StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Remote Work|Remote Work Is Here To Stay, Let's Make The Most Of ItWe need not discuss how the last year has had a massive impact on your business and what measures you likely put in place to secure your survival – you know that story only too well. Of course, it’s true to say that something as increasingly turbulent as the last year will have its effects, some of them bad, and perhaps a few of them good.

For those businesses who have survived, lessons have been learned from the experience. This begs the question of what practices we should keep after life returns to normal, and how we can begin to make use of a market so radically changed by the norms that have shifted.

One of these considerations is of course that of remote work, and its impact on industries far and wide. In fact, understanding this can help us more readily focus on solutions and practices that work from now into the future, what that means, and how we might retain the benefits of these conveniences from now on. Remote work is clearly here to stay in some capacity – let’s try and make the most of it.

Remote Event Planning & Delivery

Remote event planning and delivery is a natural follow up to how events have been scheduled in the past year. That said, using an event registration website, even public events such as press releases, discussions, online keynotes and more can be held and attended. This means that no matter what your strategy is, you always have a remote alternative that can be used either for convenience, to expand your online reach in an online world, or as a backup you may wish to utilize when necessary.

Communication Tools

Communication tools are worth keeping around, as is quite clear, but especially in the hyper-accessible format, we have come to expect. For instance, renewing our consolidation of team communications in apps like Slack, or making sure that remote software is installed to ensure virtual meetings can take place at short notice can really help when trying to get back on your feet, and even when trying to be more productive from now into the future. Other firms will surely not alleviate the conveniences they have been grateful to use over the last year – why should you feel obliged to?

Utilizing Devices

It’s important to consider how investing in our staff can help them be the best employees they can be. Investing in granting them devices with pre-installed security software and workflow utilities can ensure everyone is on the same page, or at least offering a support scheme to help every staff member get up to standard when working from home can prevent issues like poor webcam or microphone quality in group meetings, and so on. Remember, if you’re going to remote work, it’s best to do so in a manner that speaks to the quality and values serving as the backdrop of your staff management.

With this advice, we hope you can make the most of remote work, as it does seem like its here to stay.

5 Ways To Work Efficiently With Your Team

/in /by

StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Team Work|5 Ways To Work Efficiently With Your TeamTo run a business smoothly, you need to first take care of the well-being of your employees. It is important to create a positive environment for them so that they feel accepted, encouraged, and happy to be a part of your organization.

Leading a team that has people from diverse backgrounds can often be difficult. People with different temperaments come with diverse opinions which can often lead to miscommunication and clashes within the team. These roadblocks can create a negative impact on the productivity of the team and business.

Team efficiency depends largely on the bonding among the teammates as that makes the work process smooth and easy to handle. Creating efficiency in the team by removing any workplace friction can help you in building and encouraging a healthy team that can provide amazing work performance.

Top 5 Ways to Enhance Work Efficiency Within Your Team

A recent survey by Anatomy of Work mentions that corporate employees spend most of their work time on daily tasks and only 27% of their time in work that requires specific skill sets.

Then how would you drive efficiency within the team so that productivity doesn’t falter? Let’s find out with these top tips on team efficiency enhancement.

1. Design a precise project plan

You must have a clear and precise project plan before starting the task. Each team member must be confident about their role in the project. Finally, coordinate between the various tasks so that the project is completed well within the scheduled time.

What are the essentials of a project plan?

There are several essentials of a good project plan and they are:

  • Common project goals
  • Appropriate success metrics
  • Allocation of stakeholders and their roles
  • Budget of the project
  • Project milestones and the intermittent deliverables
  • Project schedules and timelines
  • Project communication plan

It is important to bring all the projects within one roof for your team. Invest in a real-time planning tool that is accessible by one and all. This will help you in coordinating all the project activities at one go with the help of a tool.

2. Connect with your team members regularly

Make an effort to connect with your team members regularly, as a team as well as individually. This will ensure that you care for your team members. Once you can establish a caring position within the team, the employees will automatically get motivated.

It is always better to communicate to your employees the expectation you have from them and also their roles and priorities in the project. Do explain to them the kind of quality that you are expecting from them. Make sure to also explain to them the result that you are trying to achieve as a team.

Give your employees all the freedom that they need to work in their best manner. Give them a positive environment, keep them happy and they will deliver without you having to worry about a thing.

It is a good idea to send short messages to all the team members once in while mentioning what you like about them and spread some positivity. Talk to your team members individually and find out about their career goals, immediate project interests, and anything else that they would like to share with you.

Remember, 1:1 communication can be one of the best ways to say “you matter” to an employee. They feel that they have a support system at work that will listen to them. It is imperative to say that this will boost the confidence of the employee to a sky-high level.

3. Always acknowledge and appreciate their efforts

Most employees complain that they do not feel appreciated enough. It is a well-known saying that an appreciated employee will walk the extra mile for you. Always show appreciation to your team members no matter how small a task he has accomplished.

Appreciation gives them a sense of purpose and they feel connected to the team and business. At least start with a “thank you for a job well done” line.

When you acknowledge a good job done, make sure that you mean every word that you say. Empty phrases will not please your team members for long. But when you praise the employees with an open heart, they would want to rise to the occasion even more and ensure that they do the job in an even better manner.

a) Pay attention to their ideas

Everyone has some idea about a work project and how to go about it? All the team members come with prior experience and different perspectives about how to handle a project. They might have a completely different approach to working on tasks. Encourage them to share their ideas and best practices and try and implement to see if that works for your team.

While it is rather tempting to stick to a fixed protocol that is tried and tested for success, you never know what could change unless you try new ways of working. The world is changing so fast, there is no point in holding on to a status quo. Instead, listen to your team members about what they could bring to the table. That way they feel valued and motivated to contribute to the success of the team and the organization.

One of the best ways to make use of good ideas from teammates is to design a project plan where everyone can contribute their ideas. You can also conduct retrospectives at the end of each project to understand what went well, what did not work well, and the potential action items.

4. Leverage their strengths

Not all employees are alike in personality or work. Each person comes with a set of strengths and weaknesses. Different people enjoy doing different types of work. For instance, one of your team members might enjoy doing research work related to a project while the other one might enjoy compiling varied data in an excel sheet.

Also, on any given day, an employee might have several small tasks to complete in different projects. Each of these tasks is important in its way and also urgent. They might get confused about where to start and how to prioritize the work?

  • Prioritize work: As a supervisor, it is your responsibility to divide the task according to their priorities. When you have a good plan with set objectives and goals for the project, setting up priority will not be much of a problem. When the employees have a clear vision about the project goals and their timelines, it empowers them to make decisions about the task. When you are setting goals for your team, do not forget to keep the objective attainable. Assigning a large task to be accomplished within a short time can make it overwhelming for the employees. Instead, you can break the large task into smaller chunks and delegate them among the team members according to business priorities and their skill sets.This will enhance the progress of the project and also keep the team members motivated.
  • Streamline projects and tasks: Try and allocate work that a team member excels at. If there isn’t such work within the team, find out ways in which the teammates can spend time on work that they enjoy doing. Take help of a documenting software that makes it easier to document tasks and other project details. Such activity will not only help you in streamlining your project but also enhance team efficiency.

Bring challenges in the work that you do within the team but also don’t forget to reward them when they accomplish a milestone.

5. Incorporate fun at work

Add a fun element to everyday work. It could be through different team building activities. This will add a fun element to work thereby increasing the overall efficiency within the team. Work is only enjoyable when people feel connected with the team. Only when there is open communication, mutual respect, and acceptance within the team, an employee feels comfortable to deliver at their best.

Also when the team members have too much to deliver within a short time, they often suffer from distractions and low motivation. Step in here and cut short on meeting times as they take up a lot of time and go for quick huddles to share feedback and receive updates. When workload management is systematic and well-designed, it can boost happiness at the workplace.

Conclusion

Remember, if you cannot measure how much you have done, you will never be able to improve it. Set up metrics for your team and analyze how it impacts your sales, revenue, or productivity.

Productivity can never be an accident. It is not about simple work proficiency or about perfectly managing your day. There can be several tools and tips to help you in enhancing the team efficiency, but at the end of the day, it is up to you to ensure that employees are excited about coming to work and delivering their best.

As Henry Ford said, “If everyone is moving forward together, success takes care of itself.”
Let us know in the Comments section below if you do anything different to drive efficiency within your team.

Top Automated Tools to Save Your Business Time

/in /by

StrategyDriven Managing Your People Development Article |Automated Business Tools|Top Automated Tools to Save Your Business TimeAutomation has revolutionized all sorts of industries, from manufacturing to finance. In business, it is used to save time and costs while maintaining efficiency and success. Automation tools are becoming more advanced and high-tech and helping businesses stay on top of several important tasks, thus creating value for both your company and customers.

From marketing to operations, you can use all sorts of tools to save time and money. Each tool will help simplify your business’ workflow and ensure a safer, more secure working environment. As technology continues to advance, automated tools are more and more common. This blog will list several of the top automated tools you can use at work.

Interconnection Applications

Many businesses use third-party apps and so will need application interconnectedness, which will ensure that sharing data between platforms is smooth. Interconnection between applications is key to your digital business success because it gives companies the help they need to streamline data and storage facilities between applications. There are many benefits for using software and services that help with scalability, reliability, and monitoring.

Analytics

Analytic software gives businesses tools for measuring the performance of their data and digital content. Using these types of platforms will allow reports, statistics, and visualizations to be created, which will show you the successes and pitfalls of your business. Using analytics will also allow you to track user behavior and understand which content is performing poorly.

Having access to your data analytics in this way, you can optimize your websites and digital performance; there are several software types to choose from.

File Transfer

File transfer servers are automated systems that help businesses securely move files from one place to another. Software like this can be really useful for ensuring your data is secure and encrypted and that you have total control of where it is going. You can learn about FTP servers at https://www.goanywhere.com/managed-file-transfer/file-server/ftp-server, which offers highly secure file transfer management. Using this type of automated software will save your business time because it simplifies file transfer management and meets all aspects of inbound and outbound data transfers.

E-commerce Customer Service

For businesses that specialize in e-commerce, your digital business spans multiple channels and platforms, known as omnichannel retail if the service is integrated. By offering your customers numerous touchpoints, you are widening your business’ reach; however, the more touchpoints you operate, the more integrated your customer service software needs to be. If you want a seamless buying experience, you should ensure that you have customer service software that meets all your consumers’ needs across multiple platforms.

As the world moves forward digitally, businesses must become more up-to-date with the latest automated software. Taking a step towards new systems and tools that can help with management, customer service, file transfer, and data will upgrade your digital landscape and help you run a seamless and efficient company in step with the advancing market. It’s easier to make incremental advances than leaving it a long time before upgrading. Rather than replacing a whole system, you’ll be making small changes more often.