Discipline and loyalty: how to work with remote employees

On the one hand, it is convenient for the employer and employee. On the other hand, managers often fear it is hard to adjust a fully-fledged workflow for the remote team. Here, we are talking about building the right business relationship and avoiding mistakes.

Choosing the right people

Remote work is not for everyone. Some people cannot organize themselves properly and are distracted by everyday things and, therefore they do not perform as they should. The others lack live communication with the team and management. First, to avoid misunderstandings, already at the interview stage, discuss all the requirements and deadlines and offer to complete a test task. You can also set a probationary period of 2-4 weeks which would help them to understand their ability to work remotely.

During the interview, pay attention to both their professional and personal qualities. This is essential because you are choosing someone who will be part of your team and will also shape the working process and atmosphere, so you need to choose not only a professional but also someone who matches your corporate culture. 

Authority of the leader

A good leader successfully combines loyalty and discipline. A successful balance between these allows you to build the proper workflow and create the right atmosphere.

Here are some useful tips: 

• communicate the values of the company openly and clearly – it is the basis
• set the rules and make sure that everyone in the team accepts them
• take care and support the right atmosphere on the formal and informal levels
• make regular syncs with a team to always be on the same page 
• respect the values and rules; ensure everyone in the team complies

To strengthen the authority of the leader, regularly participate in work processes.

Discipline

Here, the first and the most important thing to remember is that you do not need to monitor the employees but rather the result – if the task is done well and on time.

Evaluation

Carefully planning the workload is the key to the team’s successful performance. And it is not only about the planning itself but also about considering all the “black swans” and being aware of how to convert the possible risks into challenges and the challenges into opportunities.  

Communication