How To Manage Teams in Times Of Coronavirus?
The Coronavirus has made Teleworking a reality for many companies that have not yet implemented it effectively. Although we know that, according to data from our Best Workplaces 2020 study, 81% of employees are encouraged to balance their professional and personal lives, managing teams from a distance and teleworking effectively can be a challenge for many companies.
At our office we often talk to our clients about the famous phrase “Culture eats the business strategy for breakfast”: if we do not take care of our culture, no matter how much we propose a winning strategy, cultural brakes will pose an internal threat to achieving the stated objectives. Therefore, at this time it is essential to generate a culture of Trust.
We give you some keys on how to generate and transfer this Trust to your collaborators and not paralyze business activity:
1. Evolve our culture:
It is necessary to change the mentality of presenteeism towards a Culture of Trust, where all our behaviors reflect trust towards our collaborators. Our teams in these uncertain times need us as managers to value the work they are doing from home and trust in their ability to do things well. Autonomy is one of the factors that employees of the Best Workplaces value most. According to a study, 89% of employees perceive that their superiors trust them to do a good job without having to monitor them.
2. Secure the necessary resources:
It is important that the person has the necessary tools to carry out their work remotely. Adequate computer equipment, Internet access, and a server with remote access or cloud storage. Also have a phone or programs that allow you to make calls, video calls, and share the screen. Today there are numerous collaborative work tools and programs that allow sharing and editing documents in a shared way. 88% of the collaborators of the Best Workplaces think that the company offers them the necessary resources to carry out their work.
3. Promote communication:
Currently we have a wide variety of digital communication tools. Measure which is the most effective on your team and manage the information. Let’s analyze our communication management: it is important to continue to maintain frequent communication, with scheduled team meetings in which the situation and the progress of the projects are reported and people can share news and raise questions, in addition to reserving spaces to be able to give individual feedback to each collaborator.
4. Develop talent:
Digital tools allow us to develop our teams wherever they are. Now is when we must stop to reflect on our own leadership model and analyze our points and areas for improvement. How many times have we said I don’t have time to measure how I manage and evaluate my team? There are tools that allow us to measure the level of trust I have with my team and the way it is managed: it is a good time to invest time in them.
5. Emotional intelligence in leaders:
The support and trust that we give to our teams through telework are important. Recommend to your collaborators to maintain a series of routines as if you were working in an office (having a certain schedule, a specific space to telework, daily meetings at the same time …). It fosters camaraderie and informal relationships and reserves a space beyond work for day-to-day conversations. It establishes moments for listening from empathy, in such a way that all people feel comfortable from their circumstances and their needs.
6. Innovation:
“I have no time” we used to of listening there types of words, don’t we ?. Let’s take advantage of these moments to reflect with the team and promote innovation and new ways of working. New ways of working and getting out of the routine generate new ways of thinking.
7. Acknowledgments and thanks:
Many companies already have recognition systems in place that seek to drive behaviors focused on strategy and culture. The remuneration system has evolved into a shared system where employees can recognize and thank different positions within the company. Have you analyzed what behaviors you are reinforcing and if you have involved the team in these cross-cutting projects?
8. Talent Assessment:
Engaging the entire company in a talent evaluation system through 360º Feedback promotes a culture of transparent and effective communication. Evaluate the perception of your teams about the reality of your company. In the Best Workplaces, 74% perceive that superiors do a good job assigning functions and coordinating people.
Let’s make this time of uncertainty a time of innovation through Inspirational Leadership for our teams.
Now come to the employee side and know how they can be more effective in teleworking
1. Do you have your own corner to telework?
If you do not already have an office or a corner of your home dedicated to work, it is time to create it. Get organized as much as possible so there is an area where you can stay focused and uninterrupted.
2. Establish a behavior of respect and co-responsibility
Depending on the environment in which you live (alone, accompanied, with or without children or dependents) it is important to establish shifts and rules so that it is understood that the responsibility of staying at home and continuing to fulfill your obligations Work is important and different from a day of vacation or a weekend. While you might enjoy playing wooricasino, that needs to be in your own time.
3. Prioritize and focus during the first hours
The previous section tends to become more flexible as the day progresses, so we recommend that you carry out the pending tasks that require greater concentration and time first thing in the morning and leave those that require less management or are simpler at the end of the day, fostering camaraderie and unity with your colleagues remotely.
4. Respect the work schedule
It is a priority to take into account the work schedule, avoiding temptations such as lengthening food or sleeping hours … This allows you to be productive and disconnect at the usual hours without altering the work or personal rhythm to which we are accustomed.
5. The professional part of the staff differs
As in your day-to-day, differentiate personal duties from work and each one performs in the time allotted for it, mixing making personal calls or household chores (for example) between two meetings makes each of In these situations, productivity is much lower, increasing the list of incomplete or half-done tasks.
Digvijay Rajdaan is Sr. interior designer at Design By Lavassa. He is an award-winning interior designer of residential and commercial spaces. He strives to design unique interiors that will have a positive impact on his clients’ lives.