How to best support your remote employees

Working at home or otherwise remotely is no longer considered the anomaly it might once have been. Between 2015 and 2020, the number of Americans working from home grew by a whopping 44%, according to Global Workplace Analytics. Yet in the midst of 2020's second quarter, working from home became a temporary necessity for all businesses able to operate entirely remotely, to help minimize the spread of coronavirus. The Census Bureau's most recent American Community Survey estimated that slightly more than 5% of U.S. residents worked from home; during the worldwide social-distancing period, Harris Poll data found that it was at least 50%.

When the crisis dies down, however, remote work will still be a major aspect of modern corporate operations around the globe; it's only likely to become more common in the years ahead. Managers must understand that the vast majority of their work-from-home staff is working just as hard (and perhaps harder) than they did in the office while simultaneously juggling various domestic responsibilities, and offer as much support as possible.

The onus is always on employees to get their jobs done and contribute to the business no matter where they are, but well-deployed managerial assistance can make doing that so much easier, deepening the bond between employees and company leaders. Here are some ways you can make this process easier for all involved:

Making yourself available
Whether they're new to the work-from-home practice or have been doing it since they joined your organization, employees need a grounding presence from their supervisor. Harvard Business Review suggested a few ways of going about this: Scheduling times early in the day when every member of your team conferences in and voices any questions or concerns can help address issues quickly that might otherwise linger (and perhaps create solutions you might not think of yourself). Make these into a routine to normalize the communication.

On the flip side, boundaries are also important. Some remote workers will want regular communication from you – perhaps more than average – while others prefer a more hands-off approach. In individual conversations with team members, figure out what everyone's preferred level of contact and means of communication is. Come to a compromise based on their reliability and level of performance.

Providing reliable tools
If your company was able to go remote in the first place, you can't assume all employees have the same technology. Staff who don't have personal computers must be allowed to take home a machine capable of handling all tasks expected of them. But hardware is just one aspect: According to Forbes, it's also critical to provide the right applications for reliable long-distance conferencing, file-sharing, sales, content creation and other essential operations. 

Walking the tightrope of business demands and flexibility
The most important thing about working remotely on a company-wide basis is that operations continue, even at a slightly reduced clip. Productivity standards, which are wise to set for telecommuting employees in any circumstance, become doubly vital at urgent times. Insperity noted that these can apply across the organization or differ from team to team – whatever's most effective given the circumstances. At the same time, when productivity requirements aren't met due to unpredictable and unavoidable circumstances, flexibility and leniency are essential. Mistakes and blown deadlines won't be catastrophic as long as they remain exceptions and don't become the rule. 

Be sympathetic to parents and caretakers
A survey conducted by Gallup found that only 48% of people working at home in the U.S. considered themselves "well-prepared" to handle their current professional responsibilities. If you were to ask that question of preparedness solely of the employees who are working at or near full-time hours while also handling the duties of parenthood, for children whose schools are closed, chances are high that your final tally would be fewer than "just under half." The same applies to those who help take care of elder parents or relatives.

Being a work-from-home parent, caretaker or some combination thereof is stressful in any circumstance, and it certainly still will be when COVID-19 is no longer an acute danger. Managers must help employees work around these struggles as best they can. For example, you can collaborate with staff to determine times of day with little to no outside obligations, directing their workflow and due dates to these periods while being flexible about others. The Muse recommended building a routine around the times of least stress. Along similar lines, supervisors should expect parents' children to wander into video conferences or shout from somewhere across the house. Take it in stride. You can even gamify it by making an office pool about whose kid is most likely to interrupt the next meeting.