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4 Hacks For Managing Your Team Virtually

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Managing your team virtually|4 Hacks For Managing Your Team VirtuallyManaging a team was hard enough before 2020.

With modern culture forcing many to work from home, management styles have changed. With meetings and catch-up sessions taking place via computer.

If you are a manager, this was hard to adapt to in the beginning, and as it goes on, it can be tough to think of ways to keep your team motivated.

How can you ensure that your team stays on target and continues to produce? Below are some key strategies to help you and your team to thrive.

1. Allow flexible working

Remote working has allowed many businesses to expand. You may now be responsible for managing workers from around the globe.

This is great for the business. Though it can make working in synch tricky. When you are heading to bed, your staff located in different countries may be waking up.
This is where offering flexible working can help. Look to accommodate different time zones. While also allowing your team to strike a better work/life balance. Try not to take anyone out of their natural work rhythm by forcing them to comply with your time zone, as work output will drop. This is also where a virtual office setup can help. By having tasks displayed on a webpage, they can be accessed with ease from around the globe. So, your international team can work even when you are sleeping.

2. Make the office virtual

This can be tricky in the short term. In the long term, it simplifies the working environment.

Aim to sign up your workers to a group email address. Invest in online meeting software that allows you to also send out invites. You will also need to set up a virtual mailbox. Many location-based offices regularly receive mail. So, you will need to update your business associates about your e-post box.

If you aren’t sure where to start, look at sites like theworkstation.co.uk for advice.

3. Progress reports

Many people don’t want to micromanage their teams, but with the lack of a physical workplace, what other options are there?

To keep an eye on your team, ask for progress reports. Weekly if you have a deadline coming up.

It is worth having daily meetings. For a more in-depth progress report, it is worth doing so every week. Make progress reports a part of the week and have them towards the end. Like on a Friday or Thursday.

This will help you to keep track of where your team is relating to productivity. While also providing a set structure for them to work to.

4. Organize 1-on-1 meetings

A working group is essential to the overall function of the workplace. However, among all the meetings and tasks, individuals can get lost.

Aim to host monthly meetings with each member of your team. This will allow them and you the space to better assess them. Without the stress of doing so in front of the rest of the team.

This will also allow you to look at their capabilities, and, of course, enquire into more personal issues, such as their health. If necessary, you can add or deduct tasks from them to make them more comfortable.

How To Make The Most Of Working From Home

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article |Working from home|How To Make The Most Of Working From HomeDuring the peak of the covid-19 pandemic, working from home began the normality as opposed to the exception. While this was not without its challenges, it also proved to be very beneficial in making workplaces more accessible and even impacted employee satisfaction and productivity. Positive feedback and results mean that many workplaces are set to continue to offer remote work – or hybrid working – into the future.

As a result, whether you are a company owner or an entry-level employee, it’s important that you can make the most out of working from home. This extends beyond productivity levels, as you should also ensure that you are taking proper care of your mental health and maintaining a good work/life balance.

With that in mind, here are some top tips that you can use to make the most out of working from home.

  • Upgrade your home office. When working from was temporary, it was perfectly fine to set up your station on your dining room table or even within your living room. However, these places do not work in the long term due to the fact that your mind will view these spaces as social places, which can impact your productivity and impact your ability to successfully work from home. While you do not need a separate room, you do need to set up a workstation of some kind and use office design trends to your advantage.
  • Invest in the right tools. When upgrading your office, you should also be prepared to invest in some new furniture – or ask your employer to cover the costs of this equipment. For example, you could invest in a sit stand desk. Not only can this help you get your job done – but it’s also beneficial for your health due to the fact that it reduces the amount of time you spend sitting each day and can even burn calories.
  • Find ways to regain your focus. Over time, it becomes more and more tempting to give in to the many distractions within your home when you should be working. For example, you may try to carry out some chores in between work calls and meetings. Thankfully, there are various ways in which you can achieve this goal. For starters, you could invest in noise-cancelling headphones so that you are not distracted by what is going on around you.
  • Know when to clock out. Before the pandemic, one of the biggest concerns that employers voiced regarding remote working was the idea that employees would not work as hard from home. However, this is often not the case – with many reporting that they worked much longer hours as soon as they transitioned to working from home. This is due to the fact that they wanted to prove that they were productive to their employer. However, if you want to avoid burnout, it’s vital that you stick to your scheduled working hours. Set an alarm on your phone to remind you when your day is closer to being over, so you can finish up what you are doing and return to the task in the morning.

Key Office Trends in the New Normal

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StrategyDriven Editorial Perspective Article |New Normal|Key Office Trends in the New NormalBefore the COVID-19 pandemic, companies were used to having employees commute to work every day and spending all day long within office premises. The coming of the pandemic toppled many age-old workplace institutions and norms as companies shifted to remote working. Businesses and employees had to adapt to new ways of working as the old norms vanished, ushering in a new age of novel technologies like Zoom.

Before the pandemic, only 12 percent of American workers were working remotely full-time. This figure is even higher than the six percent in the UK. Even with the vaccines’ distribution spurring some optimism of returning to normal business, experts have indicated that traditional office life and the pre-pandemic working station may no longer be attainable.

Flexible Working Solution

The working environment and culture, how we know it is changing every day, and many people are still figuring out the perfect set up. Remote working has seen workers set up serviced offices in their homes, while others share space with the rest of the family. Employees at major tech companies like Google and Twitter are already working from home as long as they wish, with an option of switching to remote working permanently.

In addition to protecting their employees, companies will have to rethink the office space and arrangement to maintain comfort and flexibility. Companies will also have to contend with some employees juggling between remote working and commuting to the office.

Wellbeing and Human-Centric Design

Another significant shift in the new normal will be creating office designs emphasizing employee safety and empowerment. The pandemic has shown the value of minding others’ health and wellbeing, and companies will be paying attention to this as they reset the office.

The post-pandemic office design will consider things like handwashing facilities, built-in social distancing, flow management, readily available PPEs, and hand sanitizer points. This will not only protect employees but will also boost employees’ confidence and alleviate anxieties.

The use of Technology

Office design will prioritize smart buildings that collect and share information on when and how to use different spaces. This is very important in the context of social distancing, contact tracing, and space rationalization.

Companies are installing touchless technologies and thermal imaging systems to safeguard employees from the transmission and allow easy movements around within the office premises. There are also desk booking apps that ensure only one person touches an individual desk each day.

Connectivity and Community

The new normal will see an upraise of design models that emphasize hospitality and leisure. There is a focus on amenities and communal experience to attract and retain the best talents. The pandemic highlighted the importance of interpersonal relationships and how interactions are essential both at work and in personal life.

Reassessing Company Values

The pandemic has forced companies to rethink and reassess their values and principles. The lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic will cause companies to execute necessary internal shifts to adapt to the new normal.