How to lead your team effectively during the COVID-19 pandemic
In 2018, only 24 percent of U.S. workers worked from home on a consistent basis. But, as of last month, 67 percent of employers were taking steps to allow employees to work from home in order to cope with social distancing guidelines. And, as social distancing time frames have been lengthened across the country, employers need to reconsider their new management styles and how to motivate and engage employees who may feel ‘out of sight, out of mind.’
“Leading a team of remote employees will require a bit of a learning curve,” says Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA and employment trends expert. “This is a unique situation that is going to force managers and employers to be adaptive and creative.”
Wilson says that companies need to respond to the COVID-19 quarantine by first adapting their employee handbook and communicating new guidelines and expectations to employees.
“Meet with your department heads, supervisors and HR staff to come up with a work from home policy which can be emailed or mailed to your staff,” says Wilson. “List out expectations regarding timesheets and how work hours need to be recorded. Remind staff that they still need permission to work overtime or to shift their work schedules. For example, if you have employees who are parents that need to take into account their child’s e-learning time, be flexible about letting employees tack on an hour at the start or end of the day, if they need time off midday to manage childcare requirements.”
Wilson also says that it’s important for employees to have clear, comprehensive guidelines about how company property is to be issued, maintained, and utilized.
“If you sent home workers with laptops or tablets, be clear about how these devices need to be cared for, and whether or not they can be accessed for personal use,” says Wilson. “For example, can employees use company devices for checking personal email or doing online grocery shopping? Make it clear how company property can be used, and how any issues need to be reported, whether it’s technical concerns or whether an employee needs to buy toner, paper, etc. and how expense reports are to be submitted during quarantine.”
As far as keeping employees engaged, Wilson says that employers should not be afraid to over-communicate.
“Err on the side of over-communicating rather than under-communicating,” says Wilson. “From Zoom calls to conference calls to one-on-one calls with staff members, it’s a good idea to mix up both the method and the audience of these calls so that you’re keeping your team in close contact with each other even with social distancing in place.”
Wilson also advises that employers consider implement peer-led training sessions during this time.
“Give employees the chance to be proactive by having everyone on your team lead a meeting in which they train one another on a certain aspect of their job,” says Wilson. “It’s a fun, interactive way to get employees engaged with their duties in a different light, and it’s a good way to make use of some of the free time employees may have due to quarantine.”
For more on this topic, please contact Rob Wilson at rwilson@thewilsoncompanies.com.