Working from home isn’t new. For many Americans and team members around the world, there’s a new reality, however; working from home for good.
In Europe, countries like Spain, the United Kingdom, and France have restarted lockdowns that drastically curtail businesses and in-person operations, a move that will extend at least until the beginning of December. While lockdowns have eased in the US, the skyrocketing case numbers indicate there’s a chance we could see similar moves in many states. Michigan, for example, has now moved all its seven regions to Phase Four, which means that all workers who can work from home must until conditions change.
That means what we’re doing now is likely what we’ll be doing for months to come. Instead of addressing your remote workforce as a stop gap, it’s time to really think of this as a long-term move. As leaders, we need to set examples and offer guidance to our teams that will empower them to succeed not just now, but over the next several months of challenges, isolation, and uncertainty.
Set Boundaries. As much lip service as we give work-life balance, leaders fail their employees in two ways. First, create a strategy for company work hours and spend time creating expectations on communicating with co-workers throughout the day. Don’t leave rules or expectations up to interpretation; write down, share, and remind workers of how and when they are responsible for being in touch. Second, leaders don’t practice what they preach. You need to follow the rules just like everyone else, and take pride in being able to work hard and life your life, too.
Create Structure. It’s become an important factor in any successful effort to work from home. Many of us rely on some routine or schedule to function effectively and stay productive. Just as we love to walk into the office on time and ready to get to it, we also need to have a strict start time and end time. While many companies allow some flexibility on when their employees start and end, as that your team keeps those hours consistent so co-wokers know how and when to get in touch. If you start your day at 8 am and end at 5 pm, you can train your team to rely on communication through those hours, but not after. This helps everyone find a clean end to their day.
Reach Out. Don’t let your team turn into islands. Not only can regular check-ins provide both leaders and team members with an opportunity to share ideas and updates, it also provides a semblance of the human contact we all need. Over time, you’ll learn which workers really need this check-in, and which may not need it as often. Leaders need to be human first; be professional, be relatable, and be yourself.
One of the toughest things about working from home is the monotony. The danger for companies often isn’t lower productivity or teams shirking work. Instead, it’s the line between life and work, home and office blur too much, draining energy and motivation.
If you need help creating systems, and keeping your leaders engaged, let’s talk.