In 2020, the world went into a lockdown, yet found a way back to normal. This has happened across every industry which is why remote working was established. To this day, due to its convenience, remote working is still thriving. However, there are various challenges that workers, especially leaders have to go through every day.
What are the Challenges of Remote Working?
- Communication - Communication becomes a great problem while remote working especially for those who are in the leadership position. The lack of in-person interaction can make it harder to communicate properly, at the same create a boundary in building trust and support.
- Time Zone Differences - Since remote working was started, companies have been able to work with employees from all over the world, increasing inclusiveness in their work culture. However, managing a remote team with different time zones can be a little challenging. Something as simple as setting a meeting time suddenly requires extra effort, time, and flexibility.
- Productivity Tracking - Since remote working does not require employees to be physically present at the office, tracking productivity becomes even harder. Measuring the number of tasks to be done from a list to more remote-friendly measurements is not something every leader is an expert at.
- Company Culture - Remote working means a lack of in-person interaction. We all know company culture plays a major role in creating a fun, supporting, and rewarding work environment. At the same time, maintaining a positive work culture helps businesses hire and retain workers which gets a little difficult to manage in remote working.
Apart from this, remote working also brings out a lack of team cohesiveness in the picture. So with this many challenges and hardships in front of them, how can a leader perfectly manage his leadership in remote working? Let’s find that out.
-
Elevating Communication Skills
Sharpening your overall communication starts with practicing active listening. This will help leaders avoid the temptation to multitask during an online meeting or conversation. At the same time, the team members will feel like the leader is prioritizing them if they are given complete attention. Additionally, make sure you are not skipping opportunities for face-to-face communications, even if it means hoping on a video call for a meeting.
-
Regular Feedback
Your remote team needs more than just a list from where they can cross out the work. They also need to hear reviews about their performances or some points which could have been better. This can be easily solved by giving regular feedback through email, messages, or conversations. However, remember to always shine brighter on the good points so that they can overshadow the negative ones and your team will leave feeling accomplished over anything.
-
Measuring Productivity Differently
Productivity is traditionally measured by how much time the workers are spending on their desks or how many tasks they have completed. This can impact negatively, especially when the team is remote working. The new mindset should be quality over quality, so measure your team with the quality of work they are putting out instead of just numbers. Remote leaders also need to see the whole picture which requires understanding the importance of usual work over busy work.
-
Setting Clear Expectations
Setting clear expectations for your employees to achieve success in any business, but, it comes especially important when the team is remote working. When workers understand completely what is expected from them they will focus their efforts better, and stay on track to achieve whatever their target is. By setting clear expectations, leaders will be able to push their employees to meet performance goals as well as organizational goals.
In remote working, leaders would also need to have empathy and focus on building trust while trusting their employees at the same time.
