Best Practices for Managing a Remote Workforce

By: Kim Ward, GreatAmerica – With the looming threat of coronavirus, or COVID-19, companies and employees are being forced to make important decisions about how they will temporarily conduct business while dealing with the complexities of this issue. Most companies are committing to social distancing and a telecommuting model for their organizations to help flatten the curve and prevent the spread of this infection. Just like you, we at the Learning Outsource Group are also adapting our operations and services to continue to support the needs of our most important partners, our clients.

If you have team members who are or will be working from home, we wanted to share some recommendations and best practices that we ourselves, as well as our clientele, have found helpful to enhancing engagement, productivity, communication, and overall job satisfaction of newly remote employees.

Provide a Vision of Hope, Value and Recognition

There’s no doubt we are in a time of transition and unpredictable circumstances. That’s why it is so important to lead with a message of confidence and hope. Hope mitigates uncertainty. Let employees know that even though they might not be working in the office, their mission and responsibilities remain extremely valued and important. Help them focus on the service and value they provide their customers and be sure you recognize employees who are performing well. Provide support, structure, and encouragement to those who are adjusting to a new workstyle, during these difficult times. A little extra recognition, reward, or motivation, can provide something positive for employees to focus on over the obstacles they may be encountering.