Today more than ever before, offices are shifting to a level, enabling employees to working from home all day. Almost 20 % of employees work full-time from anywhere and 55 % at least once a week working from home since last year. However, this is new to many employers and it can be difficult to manage and engage employees when they are not in the office with you. Fortunately, we’ve put together some rules for you on how to manage employees.
Give Clearly Defined Tasks
It can be difficult to know who exactly is working on what tasks when everyone is in different locations. As a manager, it is important to give your employees clearly defined tasks and at the same time collaboration. Nobody wants to sit at home wondering what to do on a particular day. We recommend using a task manager to maximize your team’s work and keep everyone up to date.
Communicate Consistently
When it comes to suddenly working apart, teams need to learn how to communicate properly while business is in swing. You can’t go to someone else’s desk for a quick chat. And when people are not around each other, there are more opportunities for misunderstanding. Communication is one of the essential keys to successful home offices, but also one of the most difficult aspects of getting the right results. Consistent communication ensures that every employee is up to date with current and future goals as well as goals that have already been achieved. We recommend finding out which communication is good for your employees and adapting it to their preferences.
Follow Up Frequently
In this case, follow up does not mean continuously harassing your employees about their productivity. Instead, take the time to ask in person how things are going from time to time. It’s important to remember that you’re not just managing employees. You manage people. A short conversation of half an hour or less can make a big contribution to a person’s well-being, especially if contact with other people is difficult. And a happy employee is a productive employee!
Giving Recognition
When employees do something well, it’s important to tell them so too. Not only do they give praise personally, but also highlight good work in your weekly staff meetings. Who doesn’t like the feeling of being recognized and valued for an achievement, even if it is small? It is encouraging for the employee and gives them an incentive to continue their great work.
