Managing Staff Remotely

Managing Staff Remotely

Does it feel like a loss of control?   A loss of knowing whether your staff is working or goofing off? 

Ask yourself:  Does it matter what time the work gets done, or that it gets done well?

Ask yourself:  How can I assign work that makes both me – and my staff comfortable that we both know what is expected and when?

Ask yourself:  Which team meetings really need to occur in real time and which can be handled by e-mail?  If in real time, what technology works best for our teams?

I know its different – and therefore somewhat difficult because all the things you learned about managing by walking around – by seeing and touching and talking with your staff is now almost impossible – BUT and that’s a big but – there are ways to assign tasks, hold people accountable and reward and reinforce them – all remotely.

So – take a deep breath – remember that change (and this is certainly a big change for many) causes stress – but once it is solidified it becomes a new habit.

Some things to remember:

• ·       Your staff might very well have their kids home from school – and they need to amuse them, teach them, be kind to them – and have them interrupt their work frequently.
• ·       They too are under stress – this is for many a new way to work
• ·       Some people love working from home – others are quite anxious and possibly even suffering from feeling locked up and deprived
• ·       Being on time doesn’t really matter – does it?
• ·       Well maybe it matters for on-line team meetings – but does it really matter if the work week changes from 8:00 AM to when the kids are down for a nap?

Change has stages – and you might be in the beginning or middle stages – and your staff members will vary as tow here they are…but remember the first stages are denial and anger – after a while people adjust – and adjust especially well if they can figure out how this change actually benefits them.  Finally, the new behaviors become the new normal.

So – your job as manager is to find ways to enable them (and yourself of course) to see the positive benefits in working remotely.  There are many.  For example:

• ·      

 You can avoid rush hour traffic – just walk into your second bedroom

• ·       You don’t have to listen to people on the other side of the cubicle complain
• ·       You don’t have to wear makeup or dress professionally
• ·       You can pick your hours
• ·       You can make your own breakfast and lunch in your own well-stocked kitchen
• ·       You can get up and stretch wnenever you want or need to
• ·       You can even find time to exercise when your circadian rhythms says it is the right time for you

Just to remind you:  Many years ago I attended a conference of educators being asked to consider teaching on-line.  They were all so fearful of loss of control and many – a great many – resisted the new way that was being proposed.  Yet, over the years (long before Corona Virus) on-line courses have been created and measured.  There are on-line colleges and universities that are quite successful.   This model has been replicated at the primary – elementary school levels today and although a little bit awkward for some – the model is working.

If it can work in the field of education.  It can work for you.

Just think about giving up some measure of control – but know you always do control the quality of the end product or service your staff provides.

Values - Culture and Change

Do the CEO’s values trickle down – or do they dissipate and change over time as the company grows?

If you read the story of In-N-Out Burger (and the first half of the book is worth reading) Mrs. Snyder, one of the owners,  laments the fact that they have grown so big she no longer knows anyone by their first name.

Corporate CEOs have reported similar problems – as they grow they no longer have the same level of “touch” and influence on their staff.  Layers and layers, levels and levels get in the way.

When you go from start-up where you have hand-picked your team – to departments and divisions you, the CEO, lose touch – and become far less effective in making sure the culture and values of your company stay as you wish them to be.

So, how do your values trickle down?

Having signs in the lobby espousing “our values” has limited (if any) value.

I consulted with – coached/mentored – many people who were on the management staff of one of the largest semi-conductor companies in Silicon valley.  The values of their C-Level staff included allowing constructive criticism (the opposite of the tyranny of pleasantness.)  What was meant by this was to allow people to actually discuss the merits of an idea freely.  To chew it over and come to the best decision.  In other words, discuss the idea, the plan – not attack the people – not go along to get along if you felt strongly this wasn’t the best way to do it.

Unfortunately, as it “trickled down” – some managers used the concept as an excuse to ridicule staff members.  Not what was intended!  And, of course once managers ridiculed it was license for everyone on that team to be nasty to each other.  Not the intent of the C-level executives at all.

In another case I asked the VP of HR doing an interview with me what the company values were – and he responded they didn’t have any – but if someone “crossed the line” they would get fired.  I was shocked and expressed my views that it wasn’t a good way to help employees know what was expected of them.  P.S. I didn’t get the consulting contract – he liked his ‘loose” way.

One of my favorite examples though is when a new CEO came into a government agency that had been limping along and hired me to:  “Raise the Bar – Make things Better.”  That was my mandate and that allowed me to work at every level in the organization, starting with their C level staff and moving down to department heads, and staff inside the departments.  We made major changes in the culture, the work ethic, and the values of the people in this agency.  AND – they were reinforced by team workshops that were created for a variety of reasons, such as for process improvement, or 360% evaluations (which I conducted) etc. 

What I am saying is that you can’t just pronounce you want certain values.  You need to make sure everyone understands them – as you intend them to be understood  – agrees with them – and lives them.

Unless reinforced frequently (maybe quarterly) in many cases there will be slippage – or as someone told me recently “softened/”   This is what is mean by “regression to the mean.”

Change requires solidification and reinforcement.  Especially culture/value change.  It must be discussed, role-modeled at all upper levels in the organization, reinforced, and reinforced again. 

Coming back to the example of the hamburger chain – they are now all over the country and the Snyder family (I think they still own the franchise) can’t be everywhere at once.  SO – they have district managers who are responsible for maintaining the quality and culture in all the restaurants.  If you have ever gone into one you will notice tha they are spotlessly clean and staff actually smiles.

To look at another – more extreme example – I was talking with the Senior Vice-President of Marketing for a fortune 100 software company and she told me that her prime responsibility was to “make sure everything fit properly into the landscape.”

I love that expression.  She went on to explain that they had marketing and sales people all over the world, and although there needed to be uniqueness in how they marketed to a particular culture – it all had to fit together – into the overall design fo the company.

SO:  my message:  Don’t take anything for granted.  Your values will be misunderstood, there will be slippage and your reputation and bottom line will suffer unless you make sure that they are being continually reinforced in the manner in which you intended.
 

Conflict – Communication – Change

Conflict – Communication – Change

Someone asked me what I enjoyed doing most in my consulting practice – in other words what is my “sweet spot.”

I immediately replied:  Working with groups of people to resolve conflict. 

I went on to say that I was not afraid of anger or other emotions and so it was easy for me to bring people together – whether two or two-hundred – to help them air their grievances, make decisions to resolve their differences and help them communicate effectively with each other.

Together – after they get past the anger and resentment – we can make positive changes that work for both sides of the dispute.

It is so satisfying to help create these positive changes.