In response to the uncertainties presented by COVID-19, many Companies and Universities have asked their employees to work remotely.
There are specific steps that Employers can take without significant effort to improve the engagement and productivity of their remote employees, even when there is little time to prepare as is with the outbreak of COVID-19.
Below are some essential Tips to Manage Remote Working successfully.

As a remote leader, you likely do not get a chance to spend a lot of time interacting with your employees. While it is possible to learn what drives your employees over time, you can learn a wealth of information about your employees’ drives, needs, and natural work style. It will help you understand how they like to work and be rewarded. For example, if you know someone has a low degree of extraversion, it might be OK to contact them infrequently. On the other hand, if an employee has high extraversion, you might want to spend more time interacting with them—even over a zoom or skype video call.

One of the top reason’s employees enjoy remote work is they can fit work into their lifestyle and people have a lot of different lifestyles! Whether they have morning children duties, like to work out, or serve as a caregiver for a family member, working from home can offer flexibility that allows them to live their life while still making a living.

Do not judge your employee based on their adherence to a 9-to-5 schedule. Instead, evaluate remote performance on what they can produce—not how they produce it.

You must trust in your employees to be productive. Each one of your employees has a different rhythm and workflow. Do not micromanage them. A huge key to the success of remote workers is trust—trust that your employees are doing their job, even if their workflow is not the same as yours. (Of course, if an employee has abused that trust, a different conversation must take place.) This means not using frequent little check-in tricks to see if they are working or not. These types of “gotchas” destroy

One of the most essential steps a Manager can take is to structure ways for employees to interact socially while working remotely. To keep employees engaged, it is important to build in frequent weekly or daily meetings, including one-on-ones, check-ins (But, not to overdo these check ins!), and more. Encourage your remote workers to also have one-on-ones with each other. This will help keep them “in the know,” as well as build rapport.

It is amazing how well technology can keep employees connected and engaged. Social tools like Slack, Facebook Workplace, and Microsoft Teams allow for everyday instant interactions and communication. Encourage your employees to use Zoom or Skye for video calls to either connect as a team or on a one-on-one basis.

Find the technology that will work for you. Not only does it increase collaboration and connectedness, but there are opportunities to build cohesiveness and fun.

It is important to set and communicate clear expectations about how you will judge their performance and any practices, guidelines, or updates you, as a Manager, need to see. If you find yourself managing remote workers, encourage them to keep a schedule and respect those boundaries. Set an ideal timing of communication for your remote workers. For example, use a videoconferencing for a morning check – in.

Also, if you can let your employees know the best way and time to reach you during the workday (e.g., “I tend to be available in the morning time, but if there is an emergency , send me a text.”)

We all know there are many uncertainties regarding COVID- 19. Therefore, it is important for Employers to acknowledge stress, listen to employees’ concerns, and empathise with their struggles, and ask them how they are doing. Even a simple question such as “How is this remote work situation working out for you so far?”. With support, employees are more likely to take up the challenge with a sense of purpose and focus.

“The real key to successfully manage your remote workers is to create trust” Ultimately, many of these tips are about creating trust between you and your remote employees. Know who they are and let them flourish in their own way, but keep them connected, communicating, and aligned.

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