12 Working from Home Leadership Tips
As companies focus on social distancing, the PMPA has suggestions for providing good leadership while employees are working at home.
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- Communicate, communicate, communicate
- Remote workers need more than one channel to reach leadership.
- Leadership needs to make themselves available. (Even if a question can’t be answered right away, the worker should know the communication was received.)
- Tone is difficult to decipher in emails and texts — don’t assume tone. Make a voice/video call if there is concern.
- Empathy is needed. Leadership should understand the capabilities and disposition of their workers. Some workers may not be comfortable working remotely.
- If work from home is necessary because of a health crisis, remember that fear is real and each worker may react differently.
- Leaders provide structure. Without cues from the work environment, performers can have difficulties with priorities. Create milemarkers, gates, and hard stops.
- Remain available. This is worth repeating. Working separately doesn’t mean working alone.
- Presume good will, and let your team know that that is expected of them too. All of us are challenged by a new working “normal.” Be generous and share grace.
- Be the model for desired behaviors and attitude. Now is probably not the time to show dominance of keyboard sarcasm.
- The current situation is not within leadership’s control, but how the day is approached is within control. Guide the team to approach the day the same way.
- Express appreciation. The worker cannot see the smile when their work is received. Be sure to express verbally/in the written word that their work is appreciated.
- Respect. Respect is a desired goal. Respect for the team. Respect for their work. Respect for the customers. Respect for everyone’s best efforts.
- Strive for perfect, but appreciate that the best effort is being made. Working from home can create a different type of stress. The very best, respectfully executed effort should be appreciated.
Better Together. Precision Machined Products Association. PMPA.org
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