Trends across have indicated that with different working models adopted by companies during the pandemic, remote work continues to be a viable option. To ensure that the work model is effective and efficient, leaders must focus on a few aspects.
Remote work, which includes work from home or work from anywhere, will continue to be an integral part of workplaces. It has many pros like expanding the talent pool beyond geographical boundaries, work-life integration, etc. However, it is a challenge for leaders looking to inspire and build teams.
Here are a few measures to optimize the benefits:
Robust onboarding program: As an employee’s onboarding happens from the confines of a home, leaders have to help the new team member make a seamless entry throughout the different stages. It is important to follow up with them from the first day till the process is complete. These include sending welcome notes, collecting their feedback, and assigning a remote work buddy for them to fall back on in case of doubts or queries. Transparency is the key to complete buy-in. Transparency begins right from the interview process.
Encourage socialization: Without face-to-face interaction, many tend to function in isolation. Encourage the team to learn about others and plan events to facilitate socialization. Interactions beyond work and team meetings are healthy for the team to understand the co-worker as a team colleague and a person. Remember that human beings are social creatures, and socializing is fundamental for team-building programs.
Focus on communication: It is more than just an exchange of emails or phone calls. There are a lot of layers in communication. Imagine that your newly-hired team member is working out of a tier 2 city in India? How would you ensure that they integrate at the earliest? Consider the resources they might want to understand everything related to work and work culture. Do not bombard with mails or be too brief in your communication with the team. Also, be mindful about the virtual body language, understanding that the person may or may not be from the same background as you.
Invest in culture: Goals and targets are important for every team. But in the larger picture of success, you also need another component called culture. When you invest in culture, you create a sense of belongingness for all employees to feel included. Culture is also dictated by the mutual trust between the different members, the degree of engagement, and then making them feel valued.
Be flexible: It is of utmost importance as much as you need to look at the outcomes. Assure that the team members can begin work according to their schedules, as long as the time frame for their tasks is cut out and specified. Today, flexible work has become a necessity rather than a luxury. As much as the employee should be up for the added accountability of working effectively when no one is watching, workplaces need processes that support a dynamic environment.
There are no set rules for making remote working a success. However, driving the initiatives through the lens of inclusion and equity can make it work to create productive teams and effective collaboration.
