Management
THE REMOTE
BY NICOLE DOMINIQUE LE MAIRE
Let's face it, the business landscape is changing.
With more and more employees connecting virtually, there are rising occurrences of employees who only ever work from home.
Though this is great for the employee, it is not always so great in helping you connect with each employee on an individual scale. After all, engagement is the key to maintaining talent.
Luckily, those that work from home generally fall into three distinct categories. By determining which category your long distance employees belong to, you can install certain plans to keep them engaged.
The first, and probably most common, is the employee who is seemingly unresponsive.
You sent them a few e-mails and never hear back from them. This, however, does not mean they are ignoring you. In fact, they are probably one of the hardest working members of the team and always outperform their peers. It is important to make them understand that you need some sort of confirmation. This will keep the communication open and you in the loop as to what they are working on.
People persons are yet another category of those that work from home.
These virtual employees love a group project, collaboration and meeting. While they work from home, the employee still requires that daily dose of interaction. If not engaged at work, they will find a discussion either at a coffee shop or somewhere else not related to business.
To take advantage of this, request their presence at meetings. They can video conference in or simply come to work for that purpose. Give them the interaction they need and you will maintain their interest in the company.
Finally, the problem solver is the most challenging of the bunch.
This is a virtual employee that obsesses over every single problem to the point it halts productivity.
They become so obsessed with the insignificant details that they fail to take on the entire problem.
Though this is definitely proof that there is engagement, it can be very stressful away from the office, as incorrect engagement is only because they are consistently missing deadlines or churning out results the team did not need.
To fix this, guide their energy. Clearly they are problem solvers, but occasionally, they need a helping hand to show them what the problem is that requires some correcting. Clarify it at least three times before sending them on their way.
The remote employee is the employee of the future.
Instead of shying away from such a challenging evolution, embrace it! Break down each employee type to better understand how to successfully engage and manage from a mobile or desktop device.
With enough diligence and imagination, solutions can be found for every type of employee that you will come across. Should you fail to do so, you run the risk of setting your company back years as talent floods over to companies with more adapted places, culture and engagement.
Nicole has gained a reputation as a highly valued leader within the female business and Human Resources Industry. She is the co-author of two books, including The Female Leader.
http://www.thefemaleleader.biz
As a result, she has gained tremendous experience guiding startups and entrepreneurs which has supplemented her MBA, MAHRM, and MCIPD and this has catapulted her to become one of the top leaders in the Human Resources industry.
46 | TRAINING MAGAZINE MIDDLE EAST Q3 2015
EMPLOYEE