Remote work has impacted us all; employees learned to function in a world without an office while juggling kids and family, and to prioritize our health and safety became a top priority.
After accepting that remote work is here to stay, leaders should exert every effort to manage their workforce to encourage retention. Employees are knowledgeable about the business, can complete tasks, and are connected.
Please keep in mind that remote work has changed the dynamics of your relationships with these team members.
Here are some tips for developing trust with remote team members.
Over-communicate
Being excluded from crucial communications is the curse of every remote worker's existence. Nevertheless, it can occur a startling number of times. Because remote employees are not in the office sometimes, they fall into the "out of sight" category regarding messages and emails.
Examine all information chains rather than taking a chance on your staff members losing faith in you. Keep virtual employees informed of all their needs. This also applies to internal meetings. Some companies require that at least one remote worker be invited to all company events.
Stop spying
Few things break trust more quickly than learning that someone is watching without your consent, yet that is what using surveillance software does. It does this by monitoring your computer and keyboard activity.
A better way of ensuring that people stay on task is by creating an environment that supports the remote worker and their unique challenges (i.e., juggling kids at home and work). Understand that they will be away from their desk at times. Be ok with that and care more if they complete their work on time, which is a better indicator of whether or not they are working.
The bottom line is that surveillance software breaks trust.
Respect their personal time
Recognize regular working hours as you would if they were in the office. They are not always available for work. If you find them unavailable at times, trust that they are dealing with a significant personal matter and will be back online soon. Focus on what they deliver.
Trust goes both ways. Use a give-and-take approach that doesn't punish remote workers for being out of the office. No matter where everyone spends their days, if they feel valued, informed, trusted, and supported, remote work can work for everyone involved.
