Working remotely has its own challenges. It is not easy to transition smoothly especially when you do it out of need for survival without so much time to prepare. The situation with the covid-19 has brought significant change to the way we work today. We work remotely and even though it brings several benefits to your business, the downsides cannot be taken lightly as well. One of the biggest problems is maintaining good relationship and excellent workforce with your team remotely.
How to support your team during remote environment
With remote work, you might find your control loosen because you are not able to see your employees directly. You cannot monitor their performance. Also, maintaining good, open communication is even more challenging. Feedback and engagement are important key factors in employee performance so you need them to establish to ensure you give the support your employees need.
Visibility between leaders and team
It is challenging to think of what kind of support you can or should give to your team during this remote environment. You have already a lot in your plates so adding one more to it can feel even more suffocating. However, being too engrossed with your own tasks can make you forget about those who are important more than you think. Visibility is important in relationships between leaders and their teams especially in virtual work environment.
Start from communication
Meanwhile, visibility is like another hurdle with remote situation. It is possible that leaders forget some of their team members because being too caught up with the situation. However, remote work should not be an excuse for you to not giving the support your team deserve. One of the most ingredients to successful recipe of good teamwork is communication. You may need to start from that.
Expand your network
To establish good communication with all your team members, you need to expand your network. Reach out to people who are not even used to be part of your daily task list. Do not be just a work reminder for your team. Be more intentional with your efforts to establish good communication. Ask questions that can make them feel easier to answer. Make them open up to you with your questions. Do not follow their answer with ramifications or judgement. It is even better if you can praise or thank them when the times fit.
Make use of virtual platform
Establish human connection even through virtual encounter. Do not neglect company culture you used to have when working at your office. Asking how are you and how was your weekend should not be a burden even during this pandemic. It is a way to check up on your team. Human connection is a is support these days because it can make your team feel less isolated.
Establish transparency
For sustainable success, establish transparency with your team. Encourage your team to ask question to you openly and give them the answer with transparency. It can give them some sense of control during this uncertainty. It can make them feel valued as part of the organization. Always empower your team to communicate comfortably and openly regardless if it is something good or bad.
