Creating guidelines for people to follow will assist in keeping a company’s flexible working program manageable and ensure business continuity with as little disruption as possible. Remember that this is a unique time to test and realise the benefits of flexible working for your business and people.
Guidelines for employees:
Stick to a plan
- Understand what is required of you every day. Take the initiative to ask questions and clarify expectations with your team and manager.
- Actively plan your activities for the day. Working from home means that you will need to self-manage your time and work. To be the most effective, consider what time/s of the day you work best and schedule more difficult tasks to coincide with the times when you work best.
- Reflect. At the end of each day, take some time to reflect on what did and did not work and make any necessary adjustments for the following day.
Communicate
- Use all digital tools available to connect and collaborate. Video conferencing allows for virtual face-to-face interactions and screen sharing, so utilise this functionality to work with others.
- Ensure that your colleagues and manager are able to contact you during business hours. As a team, determine whether this is via chat, phone or email. Make sure that you also continue to communicate with external stakeholders (eg. clients).
- Regularly check in with your team. Make sure that you are actively reaching out to your colleagues and manager to share your progress and provide updates.
Team support is key
- Reach out. If you need help or support, ask your colleagues or manager for assistance. Also, check up on your peers to see if they need help; work together and support each other to achieve the desired outcomes.
- Maintain positive team morale. Although it will be harder to connect and socialise, try to preserve team cohesion by continuing to have casual banter with your colleagues. Virtual lunch or coffee breaks together can be an effective way to keep camaraderie high.
- Be patient. Remember that this is a new way of working for many people and it may take some time for them to adjust. Also, be patient with your clients and other external stakeholders – the whole world is running slower than usual and we all need to stick together.
Guidelines for managers:
The expectation of managers
- Communicate with your employees and set clear expectations. Adjust and create new operating rhythms with your team and focus on work outputs when measuring their performance.
- Consider the different personalities and needs of your people. Some may need more assistance at this time and it is up to you to support them.
- Be available to your employees and provide guidance. They may need you to be more resilient and open at this time.
- Plan purposeful connections with all team members. Continue to monitor team dynamics and morale and make sure that you are bringing the team together (albeit virtually) on a regular basis.
- Consider work/life balance. Don’t expect your team to be available 24/7. Determine what your team’s work hours are so that you don’t blur lines between home and work life for you or your employees.
