R E M O T E W O R K E R S
Few things will
motivate your
team members
more than having
a flexible boss
who trusts them
to manage their
days effectively.
remotely, doing so requires being more
intentional. And while technology cer-tainly
helps to facilitate communication
while working remotely, it’s only useful
if you’re willing to set aside a few min-utes
for video chat “face time” with one
or more of your teammates.
While it can be easy to feel like you
may be intruding or imposing on oth-ers,
you’re really not. And, by check-ing
in more frequently, you’ll eventu-ally
become more comfortable and con-vey
a message that regular interactions
should continue to take place.
2. Have fun
Making an effort to socialize and have
fun with your team is critically impor-tant
to establishing stronger inter-office
relationships. For example, my team
and I get together on video chat every
other week over lunch for about 30
www.wr meadows . c o m
to 45 minutes. We catch up with one
another, take a break from our work
and talk about a favourite book we’ve
read or a movie we’ve recently seen.
Ultimately, engaging your team-mates
and facilitating a bit of fun helps
promotes a sense of belonging and com-munity
– something that’s incredibly
important during these uncertain times.
In addition, AEM recently held an
all-staff online meeting where we asked
everyone to wear a crazy hat and we
randomly selected individuals to share
their favourite quarantine memory. This
30-minute meeting exclusively focused
on fun and sharing personal stories. It
was a great way to connect on a per-sonal
level without having any business
on the agenda, and feedback has been
very positive.
3. Be flexible and human
The “traditional” workday is traditional
no more, and flexibility is everything
these days. As a leader, you need to
know that your team members have
a lot going on in their lives right now.
Some may not be able to work the typi-cal
8 a.m. to 4 p.m. schedule, and they
need to know they can stop and address
certain situations as they arise at home.
Few things will motivate your team
members more than having a flex-ible
boss who trusts them to manage
their days effectively. Let them take
care of their personal business, as they
will likely go out of their way to re-engage
later in the evening or early the
next morning.
4. Reinforce the value of team roles
With how everything has unfolded over
the course of the past few months, it’s
no secret that priorities within organi-zations
are constantly changing with
time. Organizational pivots are stress-ful
experiences, and they can cause
quite a bit of anxiety and uncertainty
among employees.
If you’re a leader, one of your top
priorities right now should be main-taining
communications with the mem-bers
of your team. Let them know if
their roles are changing and be sure to
convey how their positions fit into the
organization’s “bigger picture.” They’ll
appreciate the fact that they are con-tinuing
to add value, even if comes in
a different form than it did in the past.
5. Provide opportunities
for leadership
There’s no better time than right now
to encourage your team members to
step up, expand their skill sets and take
advantage of available training oppor-tunities.
Let your employees be lead-ers
and allow them to come forward
and let you know how they want to
get involved.
As an established leader, you need
to be flexible. Lead with empathy and
understanding and be sure to set your
employees up to be motivated and
productive by ensuring they have the
support, tools and resources they need
to become leaders themselves and –
ultimately – bring greater value to
your organization. n
Experience Counts!
High Performance Cold-Patch - Cold-Pour Crack Filler
Asphalt Maintenance Equipment - Hot-Pour Crack Sealant
Tack Oil - Concrete Curing Compounds
Concrete Restoration Products
Waterproofing Membranes
Phone: (780) 400-1772
21 Streambank Avenue
Sherwood Park, Alberta T8H 1N1 Authorized Distributors for:
Deery American - Marathon/Titan
Cascade Asphalt Sealer / Ennis Paint
Providing advanced building materials since 1926.
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