Webinar Takeaways Series : Tips for Managing Remote Working

In this series of blogs our Skills Connector Ian Watkiss has turned roving reporter. He has been attending many of the free online webinars and has condensed his findings into these easy to digest bullet point takeaways.

Webinars are a great way to continue learning during these unusual circumstances. If you want to catch up on what's available check out our News & Events page ... or follow this blog series to see the Skills Hub practicing what they preach and upskilling online!

Tips for Managing Remote Working

A Webinar from Truro & Penwith College

Things for Managers to Consider

• Work intensity is likely to go up with remote working so managers should consider means to mitigate burnout.  This can be done to begin with by assisting individuals with understanding the importance of taking breaks and making resources and equipment available for ergonomics and creating the best working environment possible for that individual at home.   
  
   
• Expectations – it can be helpful to work with teams to develop a ‘Charter of Expectations’.  Remote working, particularly when suddenly enforced comes with the potential for anxieties around what is expected.  Also, monitoring of staff comes with connotations for mistrust whilst it is very difficult to micromanage remotely anyway.  Therefore, it’s important to think about the impact of work done rather than the process.  A Charter of Expectations could cover things such as:
  • mutual understanding that ‘thinking time’ is also work
  • that it is ok to prioritise concentration, which means responsiveness and visibility can be moderated to suit objectives (email checking twice daily rather than continually)
  • Individuals will get to target in different ways
    
     
• Importance of trust and communication - Be mindful not just of the written contract of employment but also the psychological contract of employment.  If this breaks down, then perceived feelings of injustice can lead to attitude change and thinking differently.  A breakdown can also lead to feeling differently, feeling betrayed and expressing anger.  Understanding theories such as transaction analysis can help with this and may be a useful tool to have in the management toolbox. 
  
   
• Guidance is not one-size-fits-all; guidance around managing remote working can appear contradictory if not guided by the needs of each individual i.e. flexibility vs setting boundaries, the suggestion that it can be more comfortable at home but also to ensure ergonomics are paid attention to and that the right environment at home can mean less interruptions but we also must be mindful of work intensity and burnout.  Leadership & Management skills will be required to help navigate how these might affect individuals in the team differently. 
  
   
• Check in with everyone – no news is not always good news!  Just because someone has not made themselves visible doesn’t mean that they are always happily plodding away without issues.  Agreed regularity of contact could form part of the Charter of Expectations. 

Things for Individuals to Consider

• Adopt a ‘take control’ mindset, moving away from the ‘done to’ mindset natural at first when something is imposed on us.
  
   
• Commute time spent wisely – this is ‘time gained’ that if planned effectively could bolster wellbeing.  So, consider this time as an additional resource for exercise, quality time with family or even sleep. 
  
   
• Experiment with most effective working places and times of day; before settling into a routine ensure that working times and environments tick as many of your own boxes to remain energised and effective.
  
   
• Think about how boundaries might be set which could improve work-life balance regarding work and family.  Done well this could make for better relationship and more productivity.
  
   
• Delineation – understanding that we need to switch between ‘work-mode’ and ‘home-mode’ whilst not having our accustomed change of physical environment (office to home) and without the usual rituals and routines.  Using commute time creatively can help with this, plus little tricks such as dressing differently during working hours and packing everything away at an allotted time aid this break.   

A recording of this webinar is available online. Truro & Penwith College are running a series of webinars. If you would like to attend one live or hear more recordings you can find the full list and sign up here HERE.