I promise I will never again send a link to a “great article” – by itself!

I found a great article from the Harvard Business Review on managing remote employees effectively. I know what you’re going to say – “I don’t have time to read ‘yet another article’ on what I should do.” I’m with you. I’m getting a bit overwhelmed by the sheer amount of resources that I’m getting. I don’t have time to read even half of them.

So I’m going to apply something I studied during my dissertation on audio learning – an advance organizer ​(Ausubel, 1960)​. Basically, this is a summary of the main bullets placed at the top of a longer pedagogical piece. It allows a learner to do two things. First, the learner can quickly determine if the piece is relevant to them. Second, it scaffolds the information allowing a learner to better organize the material in a meaningful way, thus increasing retention and comprehension.

So here are my takeaways from the HBR article:

1. Productivity – while managers generally believe that employees are less productive at a distance, the literature indicates otherwise.
2. Distractions at home – while dedicated workspace and childcare during work hours are recommended, in the current situation, these may not be possible. Managers should understand this and adjust expectations.
3. Daily Check-Ins – yet another source extolling the value of daily check-ins, either one-on-one or groupwide.
4. Video vs. Text – video is better when you need to gauge a person’s reaction – text is better when simpler, less formal, and/or time-sensitive communication is desired.
5. Setting clear expectations – define a routine cadence of meetings, and “rules of engagement” for contacting you and other team members. For example, I prefer MS Teams chat to email. I prefer MS Teams audio/video calling for detailed discussions. I set my “status” in MS Teams, and if I’m available, you can call.
6. Morale and Culture – the message you convey to your team sets the tone. If your tone is stressed and helpless, this will have a “trickle-down” effect on employees.