Teleworking Employees in Washington, Virginia and Arlington
Teleworking Employees in Washington, Virginia and Arlington
Are you feeling lost managing teleworking employees in Washington, Virginia and Arlington?
In 2016, it is estimated that there will be more people “teleworking” or working from home than ever before in the United States. The reason for this is clear, new advances in technology have made it extremely easy for managers to communicate with employees who are located offsite. The new economic climate (not to mention the length of commutes) has made teleworking become a more affordable option for business operators who are hoping to cut costs.
Obviously, from the employee’s perspective there are some clear advantages to working away from the office. You have more flexibility in your schedule and can work at your own pace. Teleworking for employees who have families this can be very appealing. When this is the case, the manager must make sure that there is some organization about how the relationship will be managed and keep communication clear.
Occasionally teleworking and working offsite is not the employee’s choice. In certain industries this arrangement becomes necessary because of the job’s demands. If the employee is reluctantly working away from the office, there may be some interpersonal issues that come up. A good manager needs to be prepared for this and understand that the situation is not ideal for the team member.
Like in every office work environment the teleworking environment is also unique. In order to deal with the challenge of managing teleworking, staff and managers need to be intuitive about the relationships and extra attentive to how they communicate.
Clear communication is obviously the key! How to communicate clearly when you are not seeing your staff every day?
– Weekly scheduled meetings that are consistently at the same time may help
– Using online apps that allow you to streamline workflow are very useful
– Holding regular “team meet ups” or group chats can help to simulate a team environment
– Setting clear deadlines and requesting regular updates on progress is very important
If you are still unclear about how to manage your staff in a teleworking scenario then it may be advantageous to provide your managers with some additional training. At Proven Training Solutions we have a program called: Successfully Managing Offsite and Remote Employees. This training program covers all of the important and technical aspects of dealing with employees who are working outside of the office.
- By Bill Walsh
- July 28, 2020
- Teleworking Employees
- No Comments