During a job interview, I asked a candidate why she quit her job at a well-known German company so quickly after a short time.
The young lady replied: because she had to work from home from day one due to coronavirus. Her line manager was hardly available for training. When asked questions, he merely shrugged his shoulders when it came to making clear announcements about a project. Other colleagues didn't really know what was going on either. She hardly knew the others in the team. Obviously, her line manager was not fully aware of the necessary requirements for managing a team in a home office.
Working from home in an electroplating plant?
I am aware that this is difficult or even impossible in the production area of an electroplating plant. A home office workplace can work if work processes are digitized and automated. Then employees can also work from home on a daily basis. For example, this is certainly possible for handling telephone appointments, order processing, accounting, invoicing, meetings, sales and marketing.
"I can keep the (annoying) people off my back for a bit", some of you may be thinking ...
Please forget this very quickly: Quite the opposite! As a manager, in addition to good planning and clear communication, you need much more sensitivity to manage your team well in the home office. Because that means rolling up your sleeves and making more of an effort to weld your employees together as a team in the home office and retain them.
How can a team be managed in a home office?
Areas of responsibility and rules of the game need to be clarified precisely - everyone needs to know their way around - otherwise valuable information will be lost and everyone in the team will be unsettled and demotivated.
The following questions need to be clarified and defined in advance:
- Are the technical requirements in place?
- Does everyone know how home office works?
- Have all employees been trained in the use of online tools?
- What are the contractual arrangements between the employees and the company?
- Is the employee's workplace clearly defined and set up?
- What are the regulations for accidents at work in the home office?
- Are the working conditions clearly regulated?
- Does everyone have a fast internet connection?
- Which tasks are to be completed by whom and by when?
- How and where is documentation systematically and uniformly documented?
- On what (regular) dates do face-to-face and online meetings take place?
- What information is available to whom?
- Is it clear to everyone that company data must be protected and how?
- How are the results of meetings documented?
- When should the manager be involved?
- How long do employees need to be available?
- Which communication channels are used?
- How can personal contact between colleagues work well?
- When are presence days planned in the company?
- Is time planned for team exchanges? This is also possible via Zoom and teams.
- Are meetings planned for informal exchanges? Is there a department café or a meeting lounge to celebrate successes or toast a birthday with a glass of champagne?
And now I'll ask a very personal question that every manager should ask themselves when it comes to working from home: how do you as a boss deal with the loss of control when you don't have your employees in sight all the time?
The challenge for a manager is to communicate clearly and make clear announcements - short, crisp and unambiguous. And to define the rules for working from home and demand compliance.
Regular feedback is essential for survival. And reflection: what works, where adjustments need to be made.
Conclusion:
The introduction of home office is a win-win situation for both sides, employers and employees alike. The key to success is crystal-clear rules, defined agreements and the technical requirements, including adequate training. As a manager, you give your team a "home". It's all too easy for the boundaries between private and professional life to become blurred, so it's good if someone intervenes to regulate things. You keep priorities in order. You calm and settle conflicts within the team. Your main task as a manager is to maintain an overview when your employees are working from home.
Would you like to discuss this topic over a business coffee?
My free offer to you:
Q+A session via Zoom with a cup of coffee or teaon Friday, 28.10.2022 / 13:00 - 14:00 to exchange experiences with your questions and my answers. All topics from your everyday management life are welcome.
Registration via my homepage
ABOUT THE PERSON
Manuela Schmied-Wolfsbauer completed her Master's degree in Social Management at the Danube University Krems and has been entrusted with various management tasks since her 20s. Before becoming a self-employed management coach, she worked for UTIKAL Automation GmbH & Co KG as an authorized signatory and commercial manager.
