Working remotely during Covid-19

With many employees working at home, it is important that employers not only keep in touch with those staff but also manage them effectively from a distance. Whilst they are working, they may be anxious about what is happening, struggling with being isolated from their work colleagues, and worrying about the uncertainty for the future. Obviously clients’ needs will differ, but we hope the below guidance is helpful for managing remote working. 

1.     Communication

·         Lead by example – tell them how you are dealing with remote working, your wellbeing.

·         Daily check-ins even just for a quick ‘chat’. This may be a virtual coffee or tea, a quick video chat, end of the week recap and sharing of status of work and discussion of the following week’s plan (see 2. Clarity about work).

·         Informal virtual socials to help with inclusion and promote wellbeing -   may include virtual quiz nights, drinks after work (not during working hours!), other work social clubs such as bridge can also be carried-out with the use of technology.

2.     Clarity about work

·         Setting standards and expectations required in light of changed ways of working and, maybe, changed focus of the organisation.

·         Regular virtual 121 check-ins via email, ‘phone, text, Zoom, for example. Regularity will differ depending on the requirements of the business and the individual employee’s needs. Some may require more 121s than others and this needs to be judged by the manager.

·         Regular team catch-ups – will depend on the work/project but we would recommend at least weekly. Again, could be group email, teams meeting software, Zoom, Skype.

·         Encourage feedback and questions from employees to support trust and check understanding of requirements.

3.     Employees’ wellbeing

·         Be vigilant about remote workers. Are they coping working on their own? If not, what can you do to help? Offer an ‘open door’ policy to contact you if they wish to discuss needs. Do you have an employee assistance programme (EAP) that offers a helpline? Ensure all remote workers are aware of the options and use the regular 121 check-ins.

·         Encourage employees to be healthy- eating healthily and taking regular exercise – both a challenge in this period of lockdown. Where you have in-house fitness sessions, move these on-line and offer them to all remote workers at one time of the day – think Jo Wicks PE for kids – a huge success! This may include yoga, pilates, keep-fit, for example.

·         General wellbeing – remote workers may benefit from some on-line resilience coaching. This may look at vision, composure, reasoning, health, tenacity and collaboration.

4.     Online training

·         Any new starters on-boarding & induction may have to be moved on-line and completed virtually. Good communication is a key factor (see 1 above).

·         Ensure they have access to on-line or e-learning training for use of new technology e.g. video-conferencing, webinars, podcasts, Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams, Slack, – ensure your remote workers have the skills to use these.

We hope this is useful. If you require further assistance with managing remote working, please get in touch so that we can help you develop and put a robust plan in place.

Communication with staff during Covid-19

During these difficult and unprecedented times, it is important that employers keep in touch with staff whether they are working from home, have been furloughed, or are on sickness absence. They will be anxious about what is happening and may be struggling with being isolated, uncertainty for the future, and have financial worries.

Therefore, it is important that you keep them informed and maintain contact to support them through this period. Obviously clients’ needs will differ, but we hope the below guidance is helpful.

1.    Regular 121 check-ins by ‘phone, Skype, Zoom, texting, for example.

2.    Video-conferencing for 121s or teams.

3.    Hold virtual team meetings or catch-ups. This will keep the team dynamics working during this period.

4.    Regular updates about what is happening. The facts about work, where the business is going can be shared. You don’t want rumours to start spreading so this is a good way to halt those. This may need sensitivity and should always be factual.

5.    To keep the camaradarie going, other interactions may be a good idea. For example, a team quiz night, a team WhatApp group.

6.    For an employee on sickness absence, communication should be regular and in line with others. However, their underlying condition should be considered when deciding on the best form of communication – you should be thoughtful, sensitive and this may require a ‘softer’ communication, but they should feel supported and should not be left out.

7.    You need to keep track of the work being done by those who are working from home ie they are not furloughed. This can be difficult as you are managing at a distance, but good communication and use of the above channels should be considered. Trust is at the heart of this so it is important to have clear conversations about expectations.

8.    You may have new starters to the business who suddenly find they are working in isolation in a new company. Think about how you can give them a good induction (on-line learning, video conferencing) and put some of the above communication methods in place. They will be feeling anxious – a new job, a difficult set of working conditions, new colleagues.

9.    Give guidance to line managers about your expectations of communication during this time. They should be consistent and fair in their approach.

10.  Some of your staff may be having to home-school and care for their children and, for example, they may have to be flexible in their hours to ensure care of their child. See point 7 about keeping track of work.                                                   

We hope this is useful. Obviously clients’ needs will differ, but we hope the above guidance is helpful. If you require further assistance, please get in touch.

Philippa Webster: 07710990058 philippa@interpersonnelonline.com                                              

We are delighted, and honoured, to announce that we have been asked to submit an article for 'The Parliamentary Review'. This prestigious publication is to 'raise standards by showcasing best practice to the UK's leading policymakers and executives' and showcase excellence in our field.

 The article, alongside others, will be published in the autumn.

The CIPD's March 2019 issue of 'People Management' includes a piece on the £45,000 award to Michele Proctor for unfair dismissal by the Haxby Group Practice in Yorkshire. In short, Proctor suffered from arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome. Having worked at the practice from 1994 she resigned in 2017. She had asked for the installation of a voice recognition service to lessen her typing time. Proctor took periods of sickness due to pain in her hands. The company took two years to install the appropriate software.

Read the article in full at https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/news/articles/disabled-employee-awarded-45000-failure-install-voice-recognition-software

It is a reminder to employers to act reasonably with regards to disability and, of course, to be aware of their duty under the Equality Act to risk assess the situation and reasonably adjust where this is deemed the right correct action.