Managing Remote Staff: Capitalize on Work-from-Home Productivity (Business Series) - Softcover

Grensing-Pophal SPHR, Lin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1770403310 ISBN 13: 9781770403314

Publisher: Self-Counsel Press, 2020

Synopsis

Managing Remote Staff: Capitalize on Work-from-Home Productivity offers small businesses -- and managers in businesses of any size -- practical advice, strategies and case studies for managing employees who are out of sight, but NOT out of mind. Managing remote workers is nothing new, but its prevalence has been impacted significantly by COVID-19. Many small businesses and managers are struggling to adapt to the new challenges they face while maintaining productivity, staff engagement, customer satisfaction and a healthy bottom line. This book addresses the myths, misconceptions, pros and cons of remote work for both employers and employees and offers guidance on the attributes of successful remote workers, establishing policies and procedures for remote work, training (employees and managers) and effective management practices with an emphasis on communication.

About this title

About the Author

Lin Grensing-Pophal, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is a business journalist with a background in corporate communications and human resource management. She has many years of experience working remotely for a wide range of clients located around the globe and has managed remote workers herself. Pophal founded Strategic Communications, LLC, in 2008, a virtual marketing and communication consulting firm. She writes and speaks frequently on HR-related topics and is especially passionate about employee communication, effective management practices and developing employees as brand ambassadors. Pophal's initial interest in telecommuting, or remote work, was spurred by her experiences working as corporate communications director for an investor-owned utility going through a merger. Unable to physically relocate to remain in her role, she began researching the prevalence of remote work, learning that while it was happening to a small degree, there were still many barriers, myths and misconceptions keeping the practice from gaining widespread appeal. That was in 1996. Since then, the idea of managing remote workers has grown, fueled by the widespread availability of technology and, most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

On March 13, 2020, President Trump declared a national emergency in the US as those infected with coronavirus around the world neared 100,000. On March 15, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommended gatherings of no more than 50 people in the United States, according to The New York Times. Around this time, in quick succession, a number of heretofore inconceivable events occurred: • Major League Baseball announced the delay of opening season on March 12; the PGA Tour announced its shutdown the same day. • Walt Disney World closed on Sunday night, March 15. • US state/territory stay-at-home orders start on March 15 with Puerto Rico being the first to shut down, followed by California on March 19; by April 3, at least 46 states and Washington, D.C., had ordered nonessential businesses to close. • By March 17, nearly every state had shut down schools for the remainder of the 2019–2020 school season. • From childcare centers to institutions of advanced education, students suddenly found themselves working remotely and many parents of K-12 students found themselves stepping into roles as teachers’ assistants. • South by Southwest (SXSW) had taken action even earlier, cancelling its extremely popular and highly attended annual cultural, arts, and music gathering, which was expected to attract more than 400,000 people on March 6. Suddenly, the world as we knew it had changed dramatically. As businesses of all types and sizes scrambled to serve customers and clients in any way possible, many sent employees home to work. Even the many stalwart businesses that had long declared that working from home just wasn’t an option or couldn’t work, found themselves scrambling to find ways to make it work in an environment where the only other alternative was not to operate at all. It’s not an ideal situation, of course, and the virus itself creates or adds to an environment that is not entirely reflective of the positive potential for boosted productivity to the stress and anxiety that is widespread. A Society for Human Management (SHRM) survey exploring the impact of the pandemic on mental health found that 41% of workers said they felt burnout during the pandemic. Nearly one in four, or 23%, felt down, depressed, or hopeless “often.” In addition, the research found that certain workers were more at risk of mental health impacts than others ― women, younger workers, and those living with a vulnerable person felt these impacts most strongly. Despite being thrust into a new normal, many businesses and their displaced staff members quickly acclimated to the new normal of remote work. Necessity is, as they say, the mother of invention. It has been fascinating and instructive to watch as various types of organizations have adjusted or totally overhauled their business models to remain viable. Ashley Sterling, director of operations at The Loop Marketing, in Chicago, says that the biggest adjustment for her has been “the challenge to create a consistent schedule with personal and work life.” It’s easy, she says, to fall into a “I’ll just answer a few emails” rhythm, which can quickly and unexpectedly lead to a work week that spans 50 hours or more. Sterling says that, even after the pandemic, her company will still offer the ability to work remotely and perhaps more than they did before the quarantine. Still, she says, “we all recognize the importance of meeting face-to-face to ensure proper communication.” Two industries that were significantly impacted were education and healthcare. With both K-12 and higher education institutions suddenly closed and having to connect with students, instructors, and parents, the remote instruction options that some had already dabbled with suddenly became mainstream proving that, yes, students can be educated remotely. The situation was similar in healthcare. Telemedicine has been available for some time and many organizations had been offering telehealth services in some form ― most notable in behavioral health where demand is high (and getting higher) and providers are in short supply. The delivery of remote services, of course, requires remote workers. As a long-time advocate of remote work ― otherwise known as telecommuting ― I’ve watched with interest as many businesses and business owners who said it couldn’t be done have discovered that it could, and must, if they wish to remain viable. Amid the uncertainty CNBC predicted a number of changes that could become the norm as the country recovers from the coronavirus pandemic. Among them: • Working in an office could become a status symbol. • Most meetings could be replaced by email and instant messaging (IM). • It could be the end of business travel as we know it. • Office buildings could become “elaborate conference centers.” • Standard “9-to-5” office hours could become a thing of the past. • Home-office stipends could become a common perk. Already, many media outlets are predicting that remote work will continue even after the coronavirus abates. A Gartner CFO survey, for instance, indicates that 74% of those surveyed will shift some employees to remote work permanently. By May, 2020, some large tech firms, such as Twitter and Facebook, had already informed their employees that they could “work from home forever.” In May a SmartBrief Workforce reader poll asked this question: “If your employer allowed you to request to work from home (full time or part time), would you?” An astonishing 85% said “yes.” When asked if they would be able to continue working from home once their companies reopen, they said: • Yes, we can continue working remotely full time, if we choose (34.86%). • Yes, but with limits (32.37%). • No, the nature of my work requires me to be on site (14.52%). • No, my employer feels people work better when they’re in an office (18.25%). It’s a new normal with businesses, employers, managers, and employees finding that not only is remote work possible, in many, but not all cases, it’s preferable. In the following chapters we’ll explore the history of remote work, previously and commonly referred to as telecommuting, and its pros, cons, possibilities, and potential pitfalls. I will offer advice and best practice examples on how to capitalize on the benefits and minimize the potential drawbacks of managing a remote workforce. Published On: 2020-06-03

Edition details

• Publisher: Self-Counsel Press
• Publication date: 2020
• ISBN 10: 1770403310
• ISBN 13: 9781770403314
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 152