EVP and Chief People & Communications Officer for Mr. Cooper Group overseeing all facets of human resources and corporate communications.
getty
The coronavirus pandemic forced organizations to rethink the modern office and everyday work life. Now, HR leaders must update their playbooks to serve the best interests of teams and the business as the workplace is reshaped.
As an essential business, my company had the option to remain in the office. However, because the health and safety of our team members was our priority, nearly our entire company transitioned to work from home in less than a week. I’m incredibly proud of our team for making it possible.
With very little time to acclimate to this new normal, we were met with record customer call volumes, evolving guidance on best practices and new government programs — and to top it off, our team, like everyone, has been grappling with the ongoing stress of the pandemic. These past few months have been a steep learning curve, but we have reimagined the way we work together to ensure our strong culture resonates outside of the physical workspace.
As we determine what returning to the office will look like, we have decided to be a follower, not a leader. There is simply too much at stake to rush and make decisions, so for the time being, I am focused on making remote work as productive and rewarding as I can for our team. We expect remote work to be a part of our culture moving forward, and we’re shaping our plans accordingly.
Looking back at what has worked over the last few months, these three tips have proven successful to actively engage team members and maintain a strong company culture.
1. Do not lose sight of the importance of communication.
Even though remote work is “working” for now, communication is essential to culture and productivity for the long haul. With remote work here to stay, it’s vital that leaders rethink the communication framework that was previously successful. Frequency and consistency are critical.
Consequently, I’ve encouraged my team to communicate three times more frequently than usual. It may seem repetitive, but saying things over and over again ensures that your message comes through. When you feel worn out from repeating, that’s the critical moment when your message resonates with your audience. Over-communicating minimizes the potential that your team members will fill the void with their own interpretation or assume the worst.
For that reason, the frequency of leadership meetings should also increase, and the number of people taking part should broaden to help ensure important messages cascade across the company. Since the start of the pandemic in March, our meetings have shifted from monthly to weekly as the urgency surrounding the pandemic demands more regular updates. I also encourage implementing weekly internal campaigns and regularly asking for input and participation from team members.
2. Prioritize remote manager training.
While leadership is responsible for laying the groundwork for clear communication, this is most commonly activated by your managers. Managers must be adaptable and empathetic and must hold teams accountable while working remotely. It is the managers who will be the driving force, day in and day out, behind maintaining a healthy and productive workforce. However, leading a remote team requires a different type of leadership style, and even your most accomplished managers will likely have limited experience handling this transition.
HR leaders can help by equipping managers with more education on how to effectively oversee remote teams. Implement digital learning tools — we used one called Degreed — that offer virtual training and resources, such as articles and podcasts, to help leaders and team members deepen their knowledge and expand their skills remotely on their own schedules. In addition to training that’s specific to managing in a remote work environment, managers should also be provided educational resources on dealing with emotional issues that may arise in their personal lives or in their team members’ lives as a result of this crisis.
For managers, being transparent, finding new ways to engage with team members and continuing to provide career development opportunities for their teams will remain vital parts of day-to-day work, which is why it’s essential to have access to the right resources.
3. Gather regular feedback from your teams.
Part of being a good manager and leader is also gathering feedback from team members and consistently applying that feedback in an actionable way. Offering your team the opportunity to speak openly and anonymously will provide you with a sense of how your staff is truly feeling about their situations.
Focus groups allow individuals to talk openly about how they are experiencing remote work and enable leaders to identify trends or issues to overcome. For those who may not be comfortable speaking about their unique challenges, I recommend the use of regular pulse surveys to track the thoughts and experiences of your teams to learn where additional support can be provided
Once feedback has been gathered, leaders must hold themselves accountable and take action based on those findings. When issues are discovered, determine the best course of action to resolve them. If one person is voicing an issue, chances are many more are feeling the same way.
This year has brought a new set of challenges for all of us, and it’s important to act with empathy and drive change together. Those who actively listen, clearly communicate and continue to emphasize learning will emerge into the new normal with positive momentum on their side.
Forbes Human Resources Council is an invitation-only organization for HR executives across all industries. Do I qualify?
