Home office works. pme coach Darina Doubravov� knows what's important.
Corona has given home office a new lease of life. For a long time, there was a great deal of skepticism in many companies. Now that working from home is the order of the day, it is becoming clear that it can work. If necessary, even without perfect planning. Long-standing beliefs are suddenly losing their foundation.
Why not save this achievement for the time after corona? Even if the situation eases, we will have to be very careful for a long time to come. Large offices occupied to the last corner are unthinkable. We must expect further short-term lockdowns if the infection figures rise again. Time to establish and refine a virtual management culture.
The most important ingredient for virtual leadership is trust that employees will work, even if they are not under constant observation. And they usually do, some even more and more efficiently than in the office. Good structures and prudent management help them to feel involved and stay motivated.
Virtual working puts some management skills to the test. Those who have previously cultivated a relationship-oriented management style find it comparatively easy. In the case of a hierarchical management culture, the changeover is major, but here too, many managers are surprised at how well it works. What is needed now is a relationship-oriented management style that focuses on results. The manager should see themselves more as a coach than a boss and be a role model when it comes to working at eye level. It can also help to ask: "What are your needs, what do you expect from me as a manager?".
When it comes to working from home, we live in a two-tier society. For some companies, it is a matter of course, while in others, managers have major reservations. �How do I ensure that my employees really work?� is a common question. Virtual leadership has a lot to do with letting go. Trust is more important than control, the results are more important than the time spent. A precise assignment of tasks and clear, short-term goals help here. They quickly show whether employees are making progress. Also important: encourage personal responsibility and give your team members as much autonomy as possible in organizing their work
In the office, communication happens by itself. People call each other on the way, pop in to see a colleague. Communication is more important than ever so that everyone doesn't work in isolation at home. A daily stand-up, i.e. a daily team meeting at the start of work, is recommended. Just 15 minutes is enough for this. Team members can share their knowledge, communicate results and let each other know if there are any difficulties or obstacles. If everyone, including the more quiet employees, gets their part, everyone makes better progress and builds up motivation.
Informal elements have a firm place in this exchange. It's not just about asking for factual information. Also ask the individual how they are doing. For bilateral agreements, personal discussions, for example by telephone, should take precedence over emails. This reduces the potential for conflict and is particularly advisable if you need to support insecure employees more closely.
People need long-term closeness, solidarity, security and cohesion. If you feel well integrated into your team, your work will be easier. Where people no longer meet at the lunch table or for a chat in the corridor, an important part of team communication is missing. Creating a structure that gives team members the opportunity for informal exchanges is also the task of managers. Especially in these uncertain times, the motto is: it is better to communicate too much than too little. During the coronavirus crisis, I have noticed that even the most objective team members feel the need to talk about personal matters. As a manager, consciously create space for this.
Working from home has a lot to do with trust. Is work really being done there? Is nothing important getting lost? Does everyone know who is responsible for what? Working from home is more than simply transferring office work to the living room. You need your own rules that need to be well communicated. This applies, for example, to when the various team members start and finish work. It concerns core times when everyone should be available, rules on how team members sign out for breaks, for example, and clear substitution rules. And finally, the response times to emails or chat messages. A well-maintained team calendar and orderly telephone lists provide the necessary overview.