Workplace culture has undeniably experienced massive changes. For example, stay-at-home orders necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic created a new challenge for managers and HR to supervise and manage employees working from home.

Recent studies have shown that many employees found it challenging to adjust to the new normal. In addition, many managers, especially those new to management, found it challenging to navigate supervising remote employees and it's often a case of 'learning on the job.'

Ensuring employees are productive and engaging while working from home can only be achieved by a delicate balance of effective monitoring and trust. The ability to establish proper strategies to reduce factors that may impact remote workers' productivity is crucial. It's also important to recognize that employees may develop feelings of isolation that could severely affect productivity and that the remote working environment can be potentially stressful for employees.

Watch Out for Signs of Anxiety in Your Employees

Adapting to working from home has not been easy for many workers. For some, the isolation that comes with remote work has taken a significant toll on their mental health. With open conversations and careful observations, you can see the problems or challenges facing an employee.

Once you can identify these problems, you should show empathy - let them how much you would like to help out and the support systems in place. Correct support and acknowledgment of the employee's feelings are essential. Finally, ensure you maintain a pattern of regular conversations with your employees about the situation while assuring them that they could always reach out to you.

Ensure Your Employees are Well Equipped

Making sure employees are engaged and productive while working from home can be pretty challenging for managers. However, the job can be made easier by equipping employees with the right tools they require to thrive while working from home.

Remote work tools entail much more than just a phone and laptop. From adequate internet connection, high-quality webcams, and microphones to access to Slack and Zoom, the virtual working environment should have all the necessary tools to be effective.

Bear in mind that some individuals might not adjust to their new working environment as fast as you may want. Therefore, ensure you give them time to adapt and also offer guidance and support through the process.

Define Your Communication Strategy

Allowing for constant communication with your team is one way of ensuring that your employees are working at maximum efficiency - Slack is the ideal option for facilitating this. Have a conversation with your employees about your communication style and how often you expect updates on their projects.

Many employees work best with specific instructions, so once you can establish a standard communication medium for all employees, it becomes easier to monitor and keep tabs on work progress. For example, while some managers prefer daily email updates, others might want updates only when a task is completed, or a milestone achieved - there is no right or wrong. It is essential to let employees know your communication style to understand how best to work with you.

Trust is Key

The virtual working environment requires that employees have some measure of independence while doing their job. Unlike supervising a team in the office where you could easily catch up with your team, the remote working space is different.

You have to trust your employees to be able to work independently and produce results. Intensive supervision and endless checkups may not be suitable for the morale of some staff who - leading to feelings of mistrust or that you don't believe they can get the job done.

Allow your employees to develop the skills of working independently without the fear of always being on edge. Give your team a sense of belief in themselves by making them accountable for their actions and inactions. In situations where an employee fails to meet deadlines or perform, then you can increase supervision.

There isn't always a one size fits all approach, so you may have to modify your management strategy to match the circumstances of individual employees. Some people will have more experience with remote working than others; relatively inexperienced employees and those finding it difficult to adjust to remote work should be the focus of your attention.

Set Deadlines on Tasks and Projects

Setting deadlines for tasks and projects is one way of keeping employees focused on the goal without micromanaging them. Offer manageable deadlines and always ensure your team members know what is expected of them at all times so that they do not lose sight of the goal ahead.

Let employees know your expectations at all times, and make sure your guidelines and instructions are clear while assigning projects and tasks to employees. Even with seasoned professionals, there is a chance that your instructions might get misconstrued, and for this reason, it is essential to check in on the progress of the work of your team members.

Once a task is completed, always give feedback. Giving feedback to your team is a surefire way of guaranteeing everyone understands the project's success and gives valuable insight into which areas require improvement.

Make it Fun

Supervising remote employees shouldn't be all about work, and the remote work setting can be incredibly isolating, which can harm mental health. Unlike a physical office where team members can easily socialize, remote work setting limits such camaraderie. You can introduce other activities to encourage team bonding; organize a virtual lunch, virtual Friday drinks, or a virtual quiz.

Final Thoughts

The Covid-19 pandemic has necessitated a new way of doing things, and, for many, work has moved to a virtual environment. However, the challenges that come with remote work are real and can drastically affect worker's productivity. Tailoring management style to individuals and offering them trust will help you get the best out of your team members as they work from home.

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