MANAGE & LEAD
Phone and Internet logs can be periodically monitored to
identify the amount of non-work activity if any. Timestamps
on emails and other communication can reveal if
employees are adhering to the policy. Remember to focus
on outcomes, not merely time spent. When associates
know what is expected of them and perform, you can be
less concerned about what they were doing every minute of
every day.
Keep in mind that you may have remote workers in a
different state than where the agency is located. Thus, you
may have to comply with additional laws and regulations
for the state of residence versus the agency’s physical
location. Remote employees are still subject to the
provisions of the workers’ compensation laws of the state
in which they work, and this can be difficult in terms of
jurisdiction.
COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE
A great deal of unofficial learning occurs in an office
environment when employees interact with peers and
others, listen to conversations, bounce ideas off each
other, and generally have greater access to information.
Remote employees will be cut off from this organic flow
of information, so you will have to make even more of an
effort to include them in your communication. You will
want to actively seek and provide feedback to remote
employees, touching base with them daily to ensure
they feel engaged and supported. You might assign a
“buddy” whose responsibility is to regularly reach out to
the remote employee to see how they are handling the
negative aspects of not being physically present with their
co-workers. You can even create a virtual “water cooler”
where remote employees can pop in and have formal
and informal conversations with colleagues by using the
available technology.
employee they are dealing with is a remote worker, and
that’s a sure sign that you have managed the process well.
Remote work is undoubtedly not a new concept. We know
of many agencies who have successfully used remote
workers for various functions for more than a decade,
long before the COVID-19 pandemic. What has been
fascinating and perplexing, is the amount of resistance
to the idea, especially among relatively young managers
and owners. Without the freedom and flexibility of remote
work offers, it will be challenging to solve our current talent
crisis. There will not be a sufficient supply of talented,
passionate, and enthusiastic team members all within an
easy commute. And at the end of the day, service to our
customers does not require us to convene in a particular
location each day, but rather to deliver great experiences
to them, regardless of where they emanate.
Cheryl L. Koch, MBA, CPCU, CIC, ARM, AAI, AAM, AIM, ARP, AIS, API,
ACSR, AINS, AFIS is an agency management consultant, educator
and speaker at a variety of industry events. She is the CEO of Agency
Management Resource Group located in Lincoln, California.
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Include remote employees in any social gatherings or have
them work in the office on a regular schedule, such as
one week of each month or a day or two each week. You
might think this would be difficult to manage, but it isn’t.
Your agency’s clients need not even be aware that the
Curtis Holle • President
Becky Scheele • Claims Mgr.
Bryce Peters • Underwriting Mgr.
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T: 800.562.5712 | F: 785.337.2414
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