Remote or hybrid office situations have become the norm.
According to EmploymentHero.com, 26% of US employees work remotely and 51% of businesses across the country have adopted a hybrid working environment. Employees say they have a better work-life balance when working from home at least two days a week and the launch of a hybrid work model has helped businesses increase performance by 22%.
Whether embracing a new team with technology or just wanting to brush up on how to keep your team connected; here are five (5) ways to lead a virtual team.
Encourage team bonding. A virtual team lunch or an after-work virtual happy hour dropped on the calendar is an awesome way to facilitate a little team bonding, even virtually. Even if the “meeting” is only 30 minutes, some time away to talk about something other than work is a great way for your team to connect on a more personal level; and let’s be honest, when we like who we work with, we’re more satisfied to work with them, right?
Don’t criticize in front of others. We get it, people make mistakes. As a leader, it’s important to not criticize or get outwardly frustrated with an employee in front of their peers. Frustrations happen, of course, but it’s wise to ask for a private chat about how the situation could have been handled better in these moments. This allows your employee to respond, apologize and ask questions without their colleagues around.
Conduct check-ins frequently. Having a monthly check-in outside of your regular meetings to discuss projects is a great way to be able to give praise, discuss career growth and next steps, ask how the employee is doing and talk about bigger things that just that every-growing to-do list
Let go of control. When not in-office, it’s easy to wonder if your employees are doing work or just watching Netflix. A great quote to remember is “Hire the right people for the job, then trust them implicitly.” If you’ve found the right person for the job, let them do their thing; no micromanaging or pinging them every hour needed.
Over-communicate, especially with change. Changes come. Of course they do. In these seasons, it’s important to share the “why”, “how” and “when” with your team and allow them to ask questions and feel their feelings. Asking them for feedback and for suggestions on change management is also a wonderful way for your employees to feel involved with the decision making process and trust that you have their best interests at heart.
At BGSF, we are always working to learn and grow a better internal leadership culture and heart, which we always emulate to our clients and field talent. For more information on BGSF and our roles, please visit BGSF.com.
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