The remote work revolution is officially underway. Over the last several years, the rise of cloud computing has made it possible for people to work from anywhere they can access an internet connection, evolving our expectations about work and management in the process.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that nearly a quarter (23%) of U.S. workers now work remotely at least part of the time, and flexible work arrangements have become an increasingly common benefit for attracting top talent. As employees and candidates begin to expect more flexibility, companies are grappling with developing best practices to support the distributed workforce — and one area where this has been greatly impacted is the crucial manager-employee relationship.
At Ultimate Software, we’ve embraced remote work as part of our commitment to supporting the success and happiness of our people — no matter where they work. With 40% of our people working virtually, we’ve long navigated the challenges (and rewards) of keeping our people engaged and thriving, even when they’re thousands of miles from our company headquarters.
Still, we are approaching a tipping point in remote work. To better understand the impact this shift is having on the modern workplace and its employees — including how it’s affecting management approaches — we recently conducted a nationwide survey of 1,000 U.S. workers at companies with a mix of remote and in-office employees. We uncovered a number of interesting points, but one in particular stood out: Remote workers are thriving, and they’re here to stay. Now is the time for managers to better understand and begin adapting to this dynamic.
Whether your organization is thinking of implementing a remote work policy for the first time or considering expanding an existing policy, here are three key factors to keep in mind when managing your distributed team.
Keep Virtual Lines Of Communication Open
Ask any successful manager about the most important factor in driving the growth and development of their direct reports, and they will likely agree that it is delivering consistent, constructive feedback. It’s often assumed that remote employees feel "out of sight, out of mind” to their teams and colleagues, but, in fact, our survey found that managers are giving about the same amount of feedback to direct reports who work remotely as they do to those who work in-office: 75% of managers told us they offer feedback at least once per week to in-office employees, while 73% do the same for remote employees.
Interestingly, some in-office managers actually have more trouble delivering feedback in person. For managers of both in-office and remote employees, technology can be a helpful tool to work better with direct reports, better understand direct reports’ feelings and deliver regular, anonymized feedback.
Address Productivity Concerns, But Don’t Micromanage
One of the biggest concerns managers of remote employees report is monitoring their employees’ productivity, though remote workers themselves overwhelmingly feel more productive on any given day. This disconnect is a troubling one, and it speaks to a misunderstanding between managers and the remote employees they oversee. With a remote employee you can’t physically see, managers may unnecessarily feel the need to micromanage their direct reports, which can actually slow work down and create tension.
Technology can also play a role in tackling this challenge — collaborative communication tools can serve as a low-pressure way for remote workers to give quick updates on project progress, helping to put their managers at ease. Videoconferencing for meetings can also help, giving remote workers a chance to feel like they’re in the room for important conversations.
On a more personal level, managers should make sure they’re establishing trust and a one-on-one connection with their employees — remote or local. To help build a trusting and transparent relationship from the start, managers and project leads should always clearly lay out their expectations around ongoing communication and project deadlines before starting a remote work arrangement.
Watch Out For Burnout
In our always-on work culture, burnout risk is a problem for all employees. However, these issues can be particularly present for the remote workforce. More remote workers than in-office employees tend to work beyond their set hours on a weekly basis.
One potential reason for these longer hours is the productivity perceptions discussed above — remote workers may feel more pressure to work longer because of the perception that they’re not as productive as their in-office peers. Managers should check in often with remote employees about their well-being — and their workload — to ensure they aren’t taking on too much at any given time.
Final Thoughts
Remote work is one of the best new business practices to go mainstream. Offering remote work arrangements can lead to stronger talent pipelines and happier employees who stay in their jobs longer. If we can evolve our management styles to support remote workers, we can ensure all employees are successful at work, regardless of where they are in the world.
