by Melisa Vidal, Programs Director at Xtendo Global.
The pandemic posed an unprecedented challenge in labor history: teleworking.
In this context, this alternative has proven to be an important tool to ensure the operability of companies.
The benefits are clear for all to see:
the reduction of travel time and the possibility for employees to focus on their tasks. In addition, flexible working hours and the freedom to work outside the company’s premises have become a positive factor.
However, this freedom should not be an excuse to encourage isolation and loss of contact with colleagues.
According to the document:
“Teleworking during and after the COVID-19 pandemic”, by the International Labor Organization (ILO), only a fraction of the workforce worked from home; for example, within the European Union the incidence varied from 30% or more, countries such as Denmark and Sweden 10%, as well as the Netherlands.
In the United States the figure rises to 20%, in Japan 16% and in Argentina only 1.6%.
In this sense, the management of internships within companies must be adjusted to the situation, both to establish priorities and to manage objectives, workload, tasks and deadlines.
For this, it is essential that the entire team is managed under three fundamental pillars:
performance management, communication and digitalization, as recommended by the ILO. But first I need to talk to you about a fundamental point: trust.
Generate trust with the work team
Before carrying out the communication pillars, it is vital to transmit trust, as this guarantees that the teams will adapt to the work rhythm expected by the organization. In this way, the objectives will be met with transparency and security at the time of performing them.
It is suggested that leaders carry out monthly extracurricular support activities to generate integration spaces that also serve to align the company’s expectations.
The idea is to achieve a balance between the employee’s personality and the responsibilities to be developed during the day.
In addition, active breaks should be carried out to provide mobility to the body and oxygenation to the brain, so that the employee will feel at ease in the workplace. To improve effectiveness and productivity, many people opt for the Pomodoro methodology, which consists of dividing work into blocks of time separated by a short break, usually five minutes. The idea is to improve results.
How to focus the company’s objectives?
The pillars recommended by the ILO are steps to be taken. The first is to recognize within the organization what the priorities are, develop a skills diagnosis among employees, encourage employees to express themselves when they feel overloaded and recognize that time without connection is needed to do well the tasks to be delivered.
Now, knowing these premises, it is important to develop the three pillars to have positive results with the teams being from home:
Performance management
It is this, undoubtedly, the pillar that most organizations emphasize because it is based on the performance of the team and comply with all the strategy that is designed.
The International Labor Organization (ILO) raises as relevant that teleworking is based on dialogue, cooperation and collaborators, as indicated in the Guide mentioned above. In addition, it assures that the best method is the process denominated management of results, where the management team and collaborators establish a common method of evaluation of the productivity.
Management will include the identification of objectives, tasks, supervision and discussion about the process being carried out. The objective is to make the tasks flexible without the employee feeling pressure. In addition, it should be taken into account that:
- Be clear about the expected results; that is, be very specific about what is expected of the employee.
- Provide timely, regular and descriptive feedback to the employee.
- Give positive feedback for a job well done.
- Prioritize video calls in performance-related conversations.
2. Digitalization
This point refers to the use of technology such as cloud computing, programming tools and all those online applications or platforms that facilitate remote access and collaborative work, an example of which could be Microsoft Teams.
Digitalization is going at such an accelerated pace that it is necessary to keep employees constantly learning so that they do not feel unprotected in the face of the drastic changes that are taking place today.
To achieve the long-awaited productivity similar to that of the office, the ILO says that it is necessary to ensure access to technology and tools by the teams.
It is also important, as I have told you, to establish a continuous dialogue between everyone to detect if there are any difficulties in the use of the platforms. Also:
- Review the technological needs and resources of the employer who works from home.
- Include in the teleworking policy reimbursement modalities to support the collaborators who have the equipment, internet and communication tools for the development of the company’s objectives.
- To offer constant training on the tools to be used.
3. Communication
If one point should be clear, it is that teams that work remotely face more communication challenges than those that work face-to-face.
When employees spend a lot of time apart, the degree of professional isolation intensifies, so it is vital to maintain effective communication, with clear messages so that the flow of information is continuous.
Organizations should consider the following:
- Establish a centralized archive of all internal company changes, updates and processes.
- Communication standards where preferred response time, writing style and tone are established.
- Allowing employees to opt for tools that they find most effective and easy to use.
The importance of health
Health is important and companies must also ensure that their teams are on good terms because stress and worry, for many, intensified with the advent of the pandemic.
According to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey shown in the ILO document, nearly half of adults in the United States have been affected by mental health.
Many studies have shown that the strong period of confinement aroused anxiety, depression, stress, irritability, insomnia, anger and emotional exhaustion.
It is important for team leaders to establish active listening to determine if any of the collaborators are going through a particular situation.
Create one-to-one meetings to learn about concerns and thus offer closer and more empathetic ties.
Some companies are betting on platforms that provide emotional well-being for organizations; for example, ifeel, a holistic solution that increases motivation and talent retention by applying psychological aspects to the business world.
