Remote and hybrid work schedules continue to be very popular with both employees and potential new hires. However, one thing can quickly derail team member motivation and job satisfaction: micromanagement. We looked at some of the symptoms of micromanagement and a few of its causes in our previous article. But what are some effective ways of handling it? Leaders may be throwing up their hands when it comes to managing remote/hybrid teams and feel like they need to be monitored continuously. It’s challenging when people are scattered and you don’t have the luxury of face-to-face interaction.
Here’s a look at 5 ways to avoid crossing the line from supervision into micromanagement with remote and hybrid workers:
- Work on trusting your workers: This may be the golden rule for managing remote workers. Let your team members work through challenges and set up a schedule for check-ins with each team member to have a regular method for interacting with them.
- Be flexible: Give people the opportunity to work when, where and how they can be most productive.
- Empower your team members: Make sure team members clearly understand what is expected of them and communicate how their activities are vital to meeting your organization’s goals. Finally, provide team members with the resources they need to get the job done.
- Focus on outcomes: Don’t obsess over the time your team spends getting the job done or how they do it. What matters is that they get results on the agreed-upon schedule.
- Do not blame: Blame is one of the fastest ways of demoralizing your teams’ self-esteem and a sure-fire way to ruin trust. Instead, focus on the lessons learned from failures and let your team come up with the solutions to do better next time.
Finally, ask how your team will benefit from your engagement, not how you will benefit from engaging with your team. And remember that leaders who make an effort not to micromanage their remote workers will have more successful teams in the end.
The future is remote/hybrid work within the federal government promises to be ever-changing in the months (and years) to come. One thing we’ve learned is to expect the unexpected. Whatever changes or challenges that come down the line, Leah M Joppy and Associates is ready to help. Whether it’s management issues like we discussed above or ways to help remote/hybrid teams be more engaged and productive, we can work with your organization to provide solutions with real results.