BETA
This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here

More From Forbes

Edit Story

15 Ways Managers Can Help Workers Navigate Remote Work

When the in-office experience is moved into a remote work environment, the same structures and processes in place don't necessarily translate as well as expected. In-person, hybrid and fully remote work all require different things, so it's vital that leaders have a plan in place to support the various needs of these different work environments.

The first step is to determine how managers can best go about developing a workplace culture that supports each employee. To help them get started, a panel of Forbes Business Council members share specific actions managers can take to help workers better navigate remote work.

1. Provide Resources To Support All Work

It's important to remember that remote work and office-based work have unique differences. With hybrid environments, it's important for employers and managers to keep that in mind and make sure that employees working in both situations are equipped and have the resources needed to effectively work with everyone in the company regardless of their work location. - Timothy Dick, VOIPO

2. Set Clear Expectations

Setting expectations can help avoid a lot of frustrations and misalignment from the onset. Managers should work with their teams to identify communication standards, create workflows and schedules and set goals for each individual. Don't let your team flounder, and don't assume they'll figure it out. Set them up for success. - Deyman Doolittle, ShipSigma


Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?


3. Revamp Onboarding Processes

One of the more challenging aspects of navigating remote work for new employees is feeling lost or unaccompanied in their onboarding. By creating useful guidebooks with all of the how-tos and guidelines, employees can feel more welcomed. Having a buddy system in place where new remote staff are paired with someone more senior can help them integrate into the team more quickly. - Johan Hajji, UpperKey

4. Stay Engaged With Team Members

Feeling lonely or a lack of connection is common when working remotely, so it’s important for managers to stay engaged with team members. Be sure to schedule regular one-on-one and team meetings to get input, provide feedback and offer coaching, but don’t make every touch point about work. Inquire about well-being and make it a priority to know each employee personally. - Cheryl Fields Tyler, Blue Beyond Consulting

5. Determine What Will Work Well For Each Individual

Remote work requires a manager to engage with people on an individual level, not try to lump people together as one group. Each person will have individual needs and preferences and will work best in their own way. Managers have to embrace the diversity of their teams to the fullest extent. Talk to your people about how they work best and then manage accordingly. - Michael Bach, CCDI Consulting

6. Create Space For Different Conversations

We have weekly training about everything from our company processes and using new productivity tools to teaching best practices. Keeping an open conversation online can be very helpful. In our Slack, we have a general conversations channel and a watercooler channel to discuss various topics. While we keep it organized, there's also a place for any and every conversation. - Ronjini Joshua, The Silver Telegram

7. Create Virtual Information Guides

Create a single point of truth for all work-related information. In the office, you can easily get the latest updates while having small talk at the watercooler. Remote work adds friction here, as there is no such place for those kinds of short syncs. That is why it is so important to make sure every subject has just one online page with relevant information and just one person who is responsible for that. - Sergej Derzap, Amasty

8. Schedule Daily Huddles And Meetings

Remote work has to include real connections. It's not as easy to swing by and chat with a colleague, but there are great ways to make sure the team feels connected. Start with daily huddles so everyone can see each other. Also, consider having impromptu coffee dates and lunch meetings or using Slack or another messaging tool to stay connected both personally and professionally. - Gina Boedeker, The Boedeker Group

9. Invest In Your Team

Any manager who has remote or virtual employees would do well to invest in them through leadership development courses, exercises and programs. By teaching even your lowest ranking team members to be leaders, they will then begin to lead themselves. This will keep them on time, on task and focused on your purpose, especially when they are at home or abroad and can’t be babysat by the “watercooler.” - Carson Porter, REV Agency Syndicate

10. Prioritize Health And Team Building

Physical and mental health matters. Teams are taking on a great deal personally, whether they say it or not. Creating an experience that fosters team building through Zoom or community exercise via remote sessions helps. Creating a clear objective for hard deadlines while allowing flexibility to fulfill both work and personal health goals will produce a good ROI. - Paul L. Gunn, KUOG Corporation

11. Encourage In-Person Activities When Possible

Remote workers in a local area can gather for lunch to get the human interaction that’s healthy for team collaboration and for mental health. Also, encourage teams to discuss the importance of in-person activities. Ask them to craft ideas that can be initiated by their team and share best practices that are learned with others. Lastly, try a Zoom lunch or coffee break with no business agenda. - Mark Templeton, Workspot

12. Be Flexible

As a leader, it's important to understand that your team members are individuals with their own needs and expectations. You never really know what your team is dealing with or going through at any given time. There will inevitably be a misalignment when it comes to expectations. - Tyler Martin, ThinkTyler Business Coaching & Consulting

13. Trust Your Team

The one most meaningful thing that managers can do is to trust their team to work without micromanagement. The trust was there when you hired your team, so trust that they will do what is needed when you're not next to their cubicle. Most importantly, if the trust is not there any longer, it's time to have a conversation regarding whether that team member is still a good fit for the organization. - Alex Argianas, Arginias & Associates

14. Perform Regular Internal Audits

We do website audits to monitor productivity. We also have virtual weekly meetings as well as screen shares to help remote employees with problems that are more difficult to address remotely. - Tammy Sons, Tn Nursery

15. Redefine What Success Looks Like

First, stop trying to measure remote-first employees' success against the metrics for in-person, in-office work. Then, develop a culture of autonomy, trust and responsibility. Set clear expectations, hire and retain top performers and then get out of their way. At the end of the day, the challenges are around clarity, trust and accountability. Culture, not proximity, will address performance issues. - Tyler Christiansen, Funnel

Check out my website