One of the most common complaints remote workers have is they sometimes feel like “second-class citizens,” compared to the people who go to the central location every day. Whether it’s true or not, (and the people in the home office probably are prepared to argue the point) the perception of unfairness is the same as if it’s a reality. So why do remote workers feel they aren’t … [Read more...]
How Not to Micro-Manage Remote Employees (And Still Know What’s Going On)
Nobody wants to be a micro-manager. We want to trust our employees (even when they’re remote and we can’t always know what’s going on). We know they’ll do a great job, and we want to be seen as supportive but not over-bearing. It often comes as something of a shock when we’re accused of being micro-managers. The problem may well be how your hard, well-intentioned work is being … [Read more...]
Tips for Hiring Remote Team Members
by Wayne Turmel Want to hear a secret? The most stressful thing for managers isn’t making sure the work gets done, or that you’re not on Facebook when you should be on that conference call. In their heart of hearts, most managers fear hiring a new team member above all else. Finding and bringing the right person onboard is incredibly anxiety-producing. A million questions … [Read more...]
Successful Teleworking Doesn’t Happen by Accident
If nearly half of your employees were eligible to do something, would you have a policy for it? What if you wanted them to do something but they weren’t doing it? Surely there’d be a plan for that. But when it comes to teleworking, most organizations are just letting it evolve naturally, without much of a strategy in place. Recently, the US Government offered a pretty good … [Read more...]
Project Managers: How to Manage People When You’re Not the Boss
by Chuck Chapman, Content Strategy Coordinator The project manager's task is difficult. They're responsible for seeing a project through to its successful completion, managing costs, materials and a host of logistical issues. But they also have to manage teams of people, over whom (most of the time) they have little or no executive authority. That's why leadership skills … [Read more...]