On the 23rd of March, the UK Prime Minister announced a strict lockdown regime for the whole of the country to follow. This left many people unable to attend work, fortunately, some of us are incredibly lucky to be able to carry on our work at home. However, working from home and not being able to leave your house only for essential trips to get food or medication can pose quite the challenge.

People will undoubtedly find it difficult to stay motivated, productive and mentally positive during such a difficult and uncertain time in all of our lives. With help from experienced managers in a huge variety of industries - who I have quoted at the end of the article. We have put together a guide to help you work effectively, productively and happily for the weeks or months to come. We really hope that it helps and if you do have anything you would like us to add just send us a message.

Keep clear and constant communications to guide your staff and help them feel calm and in control

Advice on how to manage your team remotely

People’s minds struggle in times of uncertainty and change, which is why strong communications are the key to keeping your staff calm, collected and productive. In fact, humans are hardwired to hate uncertainty. A study has shown that uncertainty is even more stressful than knowing something bad is definitely going to happen.

With this in mind, it’s important to give your staff regular updates of the company’s performance during this difficult period. These updates could include what is going well for your company, what has been challenging, how you are facing the challenges and what you predict to happen within the next few weeks. Even if you are only looking a week ahead, it still makes things more certain for your staff. Being transparent is so important at a time like this.

The majority of management professionals we spoke to mentioned how digital tools were so important for communicating with their staff. When you have to manage your team remotely they suggested using:

Skype
Zoom
WhatsApp
Slack
Sharing screens
Making phone calls
Using Facetime on your phone
Having a helpline which your staff can ring if they are struggling

Keeping structure in their day

Keep structure in day when managing team remotely

Having no routine is more draining and mentally exhausting then it is to have a planned, structured day. This is because each day you wake up uncertain of what you’re going to be doing and what you’re going to get done. This can leave you feeling anxious, overwhelmed and restless. It can also leave you feeling like a failure because you flit between tasks not actually finishing any of them and therefore not really sure what you actually achieved for the day. A daily routine is crucial when you manage your team remotely.

Discover their tips below to create structure in your team’s week:

Daily or twice daily calls

Our professionals suggest having daily or twice daily calls to catch up with your team and find out what they’ve done. If you set these at a set time each day it gives your employees something to work towards. e.g. I know I have to get this task done to report back to my manager at 10 am tomorrow.

Weekly video calls

People miss human interactions when they’re not in the office. Set up a video call for everyone on Zoom which happens at the same time every week.

Talk about priorities and expectations

For a lot of companies, the present moment is a period which is quieter than usual for them. Because of this, employees can find themselves at home getting on with tasks that they usually don’t have time to do. But, rather than getting your employees to mindlessly work on any tasks that spring to mind. Make it clear what tasks are top priority so they can structure their days around the most important work.

If you set expectations of when you would like things done (of course, still being mindful of being more flexible due to homeschooling and other family members being at home with them). It allows them to have deadlines to work towards which has a positive impact on their mental state. Giving them a goal to achieve is the key to making them feel happy and productive whilst working from home….This leads us to our next point

Now’s the time to perfect everything

You know all those jobs which need doing but you never have the time to get done? Now’s the time to actually complete them.

This could be organising things, cleaning things, completing admin, improving your processes, improving copy on your site, anything which will help your business run better in the future.

Getting to know your team better than ever before

For remote working to be effective it’s essential that you are aware of how your team likes to work.

Some people may prefer more calls throughout the week to update you on their progress, whereas other employees may prefer to use a task board such as Trello so you can see exactly what they’re doing without having to continuously talk. Some may need more help and support as they struggle working alone, and others may need minimal guidance because they work better from home. It all depends on the individual and it’s up to you to find out.

Ask for feedback

A great tip someone mentioned was to ask your employees for feedback on how you are managing them and how they think would be the best way to manage them going forward. This way you can tweak and refine your management style to ensure you keep them happy and motivated.

Get your staff talking and acting on things aside from work

Lady doing exercise whilst she works from home

Some tips that were mentioned a lot were initiatives to help employees outside of work too. Working remotely is great for working and concentration if you are not around lots of people, but it can make people feel isolated and lonely. Help your employees stay connected and engaged with a few tips which managers have highlighted below:

Set up games for employees to play at lunch e.g bingo or a quiz, everyone can phone in for an hour.
Set up exercise groups to keep people motivated at home. These could give everyone goals to reach e.g. Complete a 30 minute run at lunchtime, or update them on the latest fitness videos which everyone is doing. Create conversations around what people are doing to stay fit and active and encourage tips and motivations.
Ask people random questions at the beginning of each day e.g. what’s your best joke? What did you have for dinner last night? Do you have any TV recommendations for everyone this evening?
Have a 30-day work from home challenge. This could be a calendar where you set tasks which employees can complete every day. E.g. bake something new, try a new exerciser video, learn a new language, start reading a new book, do 100 squats, teach your pet a trick.
Giving your staff ideas to keep them entertained can’t be a bad thing?

Focus on the now

One of our contributors kindly enlightened us with a quote from Jon Kabat-Zinn's, Full Catastrophe Living book. It said "The only way we have of influencing the future is to own the present, however we find it. If we inhabit this moment with full awareness the next moment will be very different because of our very presence in this one. Then we just might find imaginative ways to fully live the life that is actually ours to live.”

The point is that none of us know what is around the corner. This is an unpredictable time and unchartered waters for every single one of us. If you are having a good day and things in your business are going well let your staff know. Take each day as it comes because you can’t control the future.

When employes talk about working from home at the moment, we hear a lot of people saying “I am enjoying it at the moment, but I know in a week or two I won’t be and i’ll feel lonely.” If you are enjoying it now why think about how you may or may not feel in the future. Those are negative thoughts and words which aren’t helpful. Try to reiterate this attitude and way of thinking to your staff to help keep them positive and mentally healthy.

All the amazing contributors who helped to write this article:

Abbie Lahiffe.jpeg — **Abbie Lahiffe**

Head of HR at The Book People

My biggest advice is communication, understanding and team spirit. This is a tough time for everyone and without clear and continued communication our colleagues and businesses are going to be affected more negatively. Everyone has their own individual struggles at the moment and no one’s situation is more or less severe than anyone else’s. In unprecedented times like these people come up with great ideas on how they can support each other and their businesses, no idea is a bad idea and sometimes it’s the simple things that make the most difference. Some ideas on continued communication and motivation are: Daily / bi-daily Skype calls for business and team updates. Lunch hour games, can you set up groups on WhatsApp, PlayStation, email threads where people can play games and keep in contact? - this will be especially important for people who live alone. Can you set up exercise groups to motivate people to move while at home? Does your business have support helplines for people to ring if they have any concerns? Have you asked your teams for feedback on how they think is best to continue managing them? Any small businesses that need any form of HR advice or support please contact me and I will be happy to help. Stay safe!

sally o'connell.jpeg — Sally O’Connell

UK Steam Technology Training Centre Manager

I agree that communication is the main link but perhaps we also need to understand that some of the team need more communication and support than others, so how well you already know your team and how they work will be key in this. I have been using some tips you posted yesterday and have started the #random channel to keep up regular office chat going as I think this is important. As a manager I feel I need to keep the team motivated so will use Good morning, positivity posts to help this along. We are also using MS Teams and this has only recently been introduce but I think will enable us to work really effectively when apart from each other.

russel sanchez.jpeg — Russel Sanchez

Contracts and Compliance Manager at Marlin Green

Effective Communication and the means to be able to do so via reliable technology (Emails/Calls/Video Conferencing/Shared Screens etc) becomes paramount. There is nothing like collaboration and camaraderie within a productive working environment, though.

javed bobat.jpeg — Javed Bobat

Founder and Recruiter for Fide careers

If this was 2 years ago, I would have found things really difficult. My working style and mindset was not conducive to working from home. The important thing is to use the technology available as a force for good, both in your own wellbeing (through apps etc), supporting others in and out of work (call, skype, WhatsApp, facetime) as well as staying connected with your team through the likes of MS teams amongst other solutions. If you're thinking of reading a book, read one called Lost Connections. Very relevant to what we are going thru right now

david zinger .jpeg — David Zinger

Coach, educator, speaker and consultant on employee engagement

This morning I was rereading Jon Kabat-Zinn's, Full Catastrophe Living. It feels like so many of us are being thrust into the full catastrophe. Here is a little present from the introduction to the second edition:
"The only way we have of influencing the future is to own the present, however we find it. If we inhabit this moment with full awareness the next moment will be very different because of our very presence in this one. Then we just might find imaginative ways to fully live the life that is actually ours to live.
Can we experience joy and satisfaction as well as suffering? What about being more at home in our own skin within the maelstrom? What about tasting ease of well-being, even genuine happiness? This is what is at stake here. This is the gift of the present moment, held in awareness, non-judgmentally, with a little kindness."

michael klemmer .jpeg — Michael Klemmer

Director of Logistics and Procurement Training Operations at US army

There should be little difference between remote and normal work in an office. If you've already laid out clear expectations and your team is task/purpose driven, then it shouldn't matter where they are "physically" located. My team is capable of remote work because of the systems that I have built already. We just maintain communication through phone, text, and email. Works well for us.

kyla rose sims.jpeg — Kyla Rose Sims

Content Manager and Strategist at Bananatag

Honestly, I feel really lucky that WFH hasn't changed our team dynamic at Bananatag much. We've always been close and communicated pretty well. We've definitely ramped up the number of check-ins we have per day. What has been great is the intentional support we are all giving each other. For example, one thing that has helped us still feel emotionally close is everyone answering a question at the beginning of each meeting like: what is one thing you wished you hoarded more of? where do you wish you were self-isolated right now? or everyone has to tell a stupid joke. We've also implemented a 30-day WFH challenge that keeps us focused and is full of good wellness initiatives. We run open 'water-cooler' channels on Google hangouts so anyone can stop by and say hi, or just work quietly with someone there. We've been playing games together at lunch. And of course, for our colleagues that are home taking care of kids or are sick themselves, we're really supportive and happy to see babies waving on camera, or complete empathy and understanding when someone's got to deal with a crying kid. It's sort of intimate to be honest! It's shown how human we all are and helped us stay really close.

Terry Heath .jpeg — Terry Heath

Head of Operations at Maverrick

𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚 - establishing open 2-way communication channels is vital to the success of staff working remotely 𝙀𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚 - Senior staff need to take the lead in encouraging & motivating staff who are now working remotely. Senior staff need to become the 'cheerleaders'. 𝙍𝙚𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙 - Recognise and reward openly the successes and wins of your team working remotely. This motivates others and brings a sense of community 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 - constantly revisit your processes and tweak them as things develop and change. Keep processes simple and easy to access for all levels of staff

kevin hunter .jpeg — Kevin Hunter

Marketing Manager BDO UK LLP

Obviously priorities will vary across roles but beyond ensuring that everything is in place to mitigate the current environment, there may be an opportunity to spend time completing work which is important but isn't time critical e.g. data cleaning and analysis. Many will still not have time to do this but others will find that they have had some space open up in their diaries due to the cancellation of meetings, events, campaigns etc. By completing these types of tasks, you most likely be in a better position to hit the ground running when a new 'norm' is established.

jessica leigh .jpeg — Jessica Leigh

Director of Operations at Elenteny Imports

I agree - communication and positive energy are key. I manage two teams and it’s been difficult to get into a working from home groove as we’re such an office-centric workplace. I have now set up daily calls first thing in the morning with both teams to check in and sense-check what lies ahead for the team so everyone knows what tasks to tackle and be on the same page. In addition to the daily call, we’re also now doing a weekly video call - love seeing everyone’s faces!! We also have team online chat channels which have been so helpful. Our industry (wine) is full of uncertainty at the moment so keeping positive and being transparent about what steps we’re taking to ensure the safety of our business is also important. Hope this helps!!

luke hazell.jpeg — Luke Hazell

Sales Manager/Print Specialist at Chroma

Keeping positive, planning for the future and staying in contact via video call and team chats! It is crucial we all work together and push on. Working apart but communicating more than ever :-)