The Four Keys to Better Remote Leadership
A New York Times article reports that some companies see employees struggle with the lack of social interaction. Employees’ mental health challenges, fuelled by isolation, overwork and multiple responsibilities, can impede productivity, leading to decreased employee satisfaction. Companies such as Microsoft, Affirm, and Splunk saw a sudden rise in productivity in the first couple of months of quarantine. Still, over time, the isolation of working from home has affected productivity and job satisfaction.
As the pandemic, along with the constant flux of restrictions rages on, peoples’ need to be noticed, cared for and understood has been put under a magnifying glass.
“Treat employees like they make a difference. And they will.”
Organizations Are Under Pressure to Change
Compounding the challenges for organizations is the need to adapt to the needs of different personality types and the five distinct generations in the workplace. Additionally, women in the workplace have had additional stress to contend with as they balance housework, taking care of the kids and their parents while balancing a regular, full-time job.
In an analysis made by Oxfam and the Institute for Women’s Policy Research on the 2018 American Time Use Survey, women spend 37% more time than men on household responsibilities. Women aged 15 and older spend 5.7 hours daily doing housework and looking after kids and elders.
With the Great Resignation underway–people leaving their jobs due to shifting priorities and transitioning to being stay-at-home parents, many are making the shift to other employers solely based on how their employers treated them during the pandemic.
Sara Emhof
People DJ and Remote Culture Strategist/Coach, Sara Emhof recently highlighted the three basic needs that require our attention – trust, purpose and belonging. These are the ones that will fertilize the soil of employee engagement and satisfaction. And yet, they are being ignored.
The onus is on leaders of remote teams to create and nurture an organizational culture of trust, belonging and purpose to resuscitate, engage and retain their people.
Emhof identified four new rules to remote leadership that will effectively foster this kind of culture.
1. Say “no” to micromanagement.
Be willing to give up some of your power by allowing your employees to decide. Empower them to choose their productive hours, say “no” when responsibilities become unbearable and be flexible in approaching their tasks.
“There needs to be a conversation about employees having space and time to go invest in other places outside of work that give them that sense of belonging as well,” says Emhof.
2. Be a leader and a coach at the same time.
Indulge in deep-dive conversations with your employees that make them feel valued and trusted. Give them the space to communicate openly, and be ready to adapt to their needs.
If you need more information on coaching, check out my article here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-can-business-coach-do-you-marc-haine-success-producer/
Check out my full interview with Sara
3. Be generous with communication and recognition.
As a remote worker, “you’re not close to the center of power. So, you feel like you have to work harder to prove yourself like, “I’m doing my work, I’m valuable.” So that together leads to burnout,” explains Emhof.
Leaders need to be sensitive to the distance and isolation created with remote work. This is where small companies have an advantage. According to Emhof, “I think what’s neat about smaller companies is that they, the owners and the people in it have a lot more control over the culture. They can touch it. They can feel it. They can drive it.
4. Be creative.
Incorporating play into your daily routine and giving your team permission to play is doing our brains a favour.
Having a creative workout that you are investing in, according to Emhof, is the key to creating a fresh culture of innovation. “There’s something about creativity that also makes you resilient and flexible.”
For more on sparking creativity in your workplace, check out: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/sparking-creativity-collaboration-innovation-your-marc/
Emhof suggests that those not indulging in creative play tend to focus more on short-term planning and are missing out on the long-game benefits of creating a creativity plan.
The best person to drive this kind of culture is you, the remote leader. Take time to be self-evaluative and mindful of your actions, words and behaviours as these become the culture of your team.
Jim Goodnight says, “Treat employees like they make a difference. And they will.”
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About Sara Emhof
For over 15 years, Sara has been building cultures of trust, purpose and belonging to increase student outcomes, employee engagement, sales, and social change for over 15 years. Her own remote culture experience eroded these three factors and led her to leave an organization she loved. With a background in political facilitation, education, sales and neuroscience-based coaching, she offers measurable, brain-based team-building and training that helps companies and schools create a highly engaged culture.
If you’d like to go in this direction, connect with Sara Emhof at:
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saraemhof/
Download her free Remote Culture Resources at:
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About the Author
Marc Haine is a Service Expert and a Master of Experience. He is a sought-after speaker and trainer working with businesses that need to attract and engage their best customers. Driven by his passion for creating experiences that rock, Marc has worked with retail, casinos, hotels, associations and municipalities to help them design jaw-dropping experiences that get them noticed.
Marc knows what it takes for businesses to exceed experience expectations–The first step, each day, as you open your doors to the public, have you and your staff yell, “IT’S SHOWTIME!”
Marc is one of the world’s foremost authorities on customer journey experience touchpoints and is the author of LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION! Business Operational Excellence through the Lens of Live Theatre (Check out the new way of looking at your business HERE).
Marc is offering a free 30-minute brainstorming session with you and your team. Click Here to book a time that works for you on his online calendar
