Managing Remotely

February 17, 2021

There are a lot of hurdles in remote working and with partial working-from-home look set to be the norm moving forward, here are the key things managers need to focus on to manage remotely effectively.

Without a doubt, the past year has presented challenges to everyone in different ways. We have had to come to terms with a new way of life very quickly and it has continued for longer than most anticipated. One of the new challenges in the finance and professional services industry was the switch from office work to remote working in a short space of time. Would employees be as productive? Would bosses and team leaders be able to manage as effectively as before?

There were and still are a lot of hurdles in remote working and with partial working-from-home look set to be the norm moving forward, here are the key things managers need to focus on to manage remotely effectively:

1. Trust

Trust is arguably the most important element of a remote manager-employee relationship. Whilst to managers it can feel like they have lost an element of control by not having oversight of what their employees are doing or being in the same environment, it is important they trust their staff will continue to work in the same way as before. Everyone has had to adjust and if staff didn’t give a reason to worry in the office, then there shouldn’t be a reason to think this would be different when working remotely. Setting expectations for staff can be a good way to see how they are performing and if things start to slack or progress isn’t being made, then that needs to be followed up. But ultimately, trust needs to be there for both managers and their employees to feel comfortable and motivated to be as productive as possible.

2. Celebrating the positives

Celebrating the positives is crucial. Times are tough on everyone right now and it is often easier to focus on the negatives or the challenges that are out of your control, so it is key to focus on the little wins to boost morale. For example, it could be something as simple as an employee completing a task before it is due. By a manager just dropping them a little message to say ‘well done,’ it can lift someone’s spirits and make them feel a sense of achievement. Additionally, working remotely means that employees don’t have the clearest sense of how their manager is feeling about their performance, so these positive reinforcements can really help.

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive future insights & research

3. Equipment

Ensuring that staff are well equipped to work comfortably from home should be a huge priority. Going from working in a comfortable office with specialist desks, chairs and equipment to potentially working from a bed or sofa and a laptop is a huge change and long term this could have a big impact on productivity. Whilst a lot of people are fortunate to have space for a home office, some people (house shares for example) don’t have the space of facilities that they are used to. Managers should explore every option they can to ensure their employees are comfortable. As restrictions hopefully begin to ease again, are there perhaps ways people could safely come into the office to work? Is there any specialist equipment, such as a standing desk or a laptop, that could be purchased to make them more comfortable? Whilst remote working was initially out of the manager’s control, they still need to continuously update with their employees to ensure they are well equipped to work.

4. Flexibility

It is incredibly important that managers realise how challenging and stressful remote working can be for their staff. Many people have young children who are unable to go to school, so home-schooling is something that parents are having to fit into their working day, which can be challenging and result in working longer hours to catch up. Whilst this isn’t the employer’s fault, managers showing a level of understanding and flexibility really makes all the difference. Similarly, the pandemic has forced a lot of people to shield, unable to go for long walks or to essential shops. If employees fall into this category and are also working from home all day, they may start to feel isolated and their mental health could take a real dip.

It is important for managers to identify these people, or individuals who live alone, and really take proactive measures to make sure they are coping okay. Virtual tea and coffee calls where the topic of conversation is not necessarily about work can really help. However, it is important to remember managers can also be faced with these challenges too, so it is also important to remember that they need to look after their own mental health and wellbeing too! The less stressed all parties are, the better work will be produced.

5. Separating work and life

Encouraging staff to separate work from home life is really key. In normal times, a lot of office workers used the commute as an opportunity to switch off from their working day, maybe catching up on some admin or taking a couple of calls but still having some time to wind down. However, when working remotely it is easy for employees to carry on working for a couple more hours, not take a lunch break, or sit at their desk for long periods of time without interruption or distraction. This isn’t healthy long-term and ultimately can lead to a lack of productivity, so it is really key for managers to discourage this. Of course, this is okay to do sometimes – a few calls or emails answered outside of working hours or staying at your computer an extra hour to finish a task is often necessary, but it is important to not let this become the norm and for staff to have that separation.

6. Human contact

Collaborative exercises are an excellent way of improving communication and productivity. Simple human contact can really be taken for granted when working from home or remotely, so as a manager it could be a good idea to ask staff to complete some projects or tasks as a team. For example, there may be a certain activity that one employee would usually carry out alone, but it may be an idea to get another employee involved. Not only will this break up their usual day-to-day routine, but it is a great way to encourage staff to engage and communicate with each other, thus lifting morale. Everyone is probably missing seeing their colleagues every day!

Ultimately remote working is going to be a part of the future. Whilst returning to offices will at some point be an option for most, the flexibility remote working provides and the money it can save employers will most likely see a decline in full time office work within the finance and professional services industry. Remote working was relatively common before the pandemic, but in the last year has become the norm and therefore it is so important for managers to keep up good relationships with their staff long-term if they want them to be productive and perform well.

About Fram Search

Established in 2010 by Simon Roderick, a recruiter with 20 years City recruitment experience, Fram Search is a specialist financial services recruitment consultancy. We focus on permanent and interim recruitment in the UK & internationally.

We provide high quality contingent and retained recruitment to boutiques and global brands. We have long established relationships and access to deep talent pools. Fram takes a highly consultative approach, and we have a quality over quantity ethos. We are proud that our contingent fill rate is nearly three times the industry average and we augment our retained search methodology with rigorous psychometric testing. Champions of diversity & inclusion, all staff have undertaken unconscious bias training.

Please contact us on 01525 864 372 / [email protected] to learn more.