Managing Remote Employees

Managing employees from a distance involves trust and confidence in your team members. In all reality, trust should be at the heart of your management strategy already but even more so should you decide to allow your employees to work remotely.

If you decide to go this route, don’t get hung up on the details. Managing your employees remotely does not involve an entirely new skillset. While you may need to put in a bit of extra effort to develop a positive relationship with them, you don’t have to micromanage their every move.

Setting expectations for your employees and clearly defining them is imperative for managing remote workers. Defining ground rules well in advance is fundamental in ensuring the project is a success from the beginning. Checking in on a regular basis also helps ensure everyone is on the same page, and gives your employees an incentive to keep on top of their work.

Another important aspect to managing employees remotely is communication. Communicating through written and visual mediums helps your employees feel like a part of the team and increases production levels. A quick Skype session, weekly email, or even a phone call or two can work wonders for keeping your project on track.

In addition to making your employees feel like a member of the team, you need to make sure they feel valued. If you don’t acknowledge their efforts and input you risk decreasing the quality of their work. Your job as a manager is to encourage your team to put their best foot forward, so give them an incentive to do so through encouragement.

Managing your employees remotely can be easier than you imagine, and you can make it even easier by following the guidelines listed above.

Mentoring Your Employees

Mentoring your employees is an ideal way to polish their skills and help them achieve the innovation they are capable of attaining. It also benefits your business. Less experienced employees can gain insight and wisdom that isn’t readily available, and your business can gain a thought leader in the making.

Mentoring can also be a touchy subject. It involves training and teaching individuals who may excel in arenas different then our own skillsets. To develop a mentorship program that produces solid results, you should approach the process with a plan. We’ve outlined a few helpful tips to jump start the process:

Make Room for Your Protégé

Give your protégé an opportunity to suggest areas where they need improvement, rather than imposing your own personal beliefs. The last thing you want to do is scare off talented people because you’re forcing your wisdom on them. Take a relaxed approach and ask for their input prior to beginning any mentorship program.

Have Them Prepare

Ask your apprentice to prepare for each session by listing what they learned from the previous session and where they have improved since. You protégé should easily identify where they have improved. If they cannot, you need to revisit your strategy with them.

Put Their Privacy First

Never ever share information about your employee with other members of the team. The only way you can achieve real results is by showing how much you value your employee and by displaying professionalism through confidentiality.

Set an Example

This goes without saying, but be conscious of your actions while mentoring your employee. If you are rude, disinterested in your clients or possess a bad attitude, your employee will follow your lead.

Discover how you can benefit your employees by offering a mentorship program. You’ll be amazed at how it can improve employee morale and your business.

Learning to Delegate Effectively

Anyone in a position of management will at one time or another struggle with delegating tasks to employees. Giving up responsibility to your team can be uncomfortable, to say the least. However, delegation is also an essential component for leadership. To take your delegation abilities up a notch, consider the following tips.

Decide What to Delegate

If you’re new to delegation, start with a small task and work your way up to more important mission critical tasks. Avoid going all in and ease yourself into the process by defining the best projects to delegate.

Find the Right People

Take a comprehensive look at the type of work that the project entails and then look at the people in your team to determine the right fit. Delegating properly involves understanding your staff, so analyze their skillset before assigning tasks to a team member.

Establish Expectations

You cannot expect a positive result without first communicating your expectations with your staff. Establish expectations for your task and don’t hold back on what those might be. Expect the best to get the best from your team.

Give Them Space

Once you’ve established your expectations, it’s time to step back and let your team handle the work. Don’t overstep your boundaries or insist on micro-managing your staff. Simply check-in when necessary and let the rest go.

Give Credit and Reward Effort

After your project is completed, give credit and reward where it’s due. This encourages a positive relationship between you and your team and paves the way for more positive delegation in the future.

Delegating tasks to the right people, establishing expectations, and properly rewarding hard work can help make you a better leader and manager. Utilize these tips to build a better business and management strategy.

5 Tips on Motivating Your Team

It can be difficult motivating your team, particularly in a busy office environment. Each individual plays a role in the success of an organization, but motivating a team member to tackle a new project or add additional work to an already hectic schedule can be a challenge.

Here are five tips on how to motivate your team so your business can thrive and grow.

1. Share company vision

Management should regularly share the company’s goals with their team. Set regular meetings, where you can list achievements and share the company’s vision with team members.

2. Develop your employees

Employees should be constantly learning and keeping up with technology and new procedures. Be sure to encourage professional and personal growth. Many businesses pay for a percentage of courses, particularly if they pertain to the business. Have show and tell lunch meetings where employees can chat about their hobbies and interests.

3. Recognize employee achievements

Employees perform better when they know the work that they do matters. Be sure to recognize employee achievements, even if it’s just a thank you at the end of the day. Many firms will honor excellent attendance with a cafe gift card. It doesn’t cost much, yet shows employees that they’re appreciated. If an employee goes out of their way to do a project or spends their own time on it, be sure to reward the employee’s contribution with a larger gift or a bonus.

4. Celebrate success

Celebrate business success with your employees. If a big contract is awarded or a sales achievement is made, bring in a lunch and a cake. Have a meeting and let employees know that the work they did was crucial in landing that big account or increasing sales. Be sure to mention the key players in the company’s success.

5. Create a good working environment

Creating a positive work environment is important to keeping employees engaged and productive. A company culture that encourages a healthy work/life balance will keep employees wanting to come into work each day, not dread it. Ask for input on how to improve the environment. Set company core values that resonate with each employee. Let them know that certain behaviors are frowned upon, and that a respectful, equal environment is promoted for all.

Adapt these five tips on how to motivate your team and it will contribute to the overall success of the company.

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