Communicating Expectations and Staying Productive When Working Remotely
By Brenda Duran
Published in Public Relations Society of America “Strategies & Tactics” Issue April 2024
It’s hard to believe that four years have passed since we first faced a pandemic that shut down the world in a matter of days. Offices quickly transitioned from places where we spent our days in cubicles Monday through Friday, to workspaces that we set up at home so we could conduct business remotely via Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
In the public sector, where I am employed, remote work was unheard of before the pandemic. Working from home was not an option for most public-sector employees. Providing public services remotely from your house was not considered a viable alternative to working from the office.
Four years later, it’s clear that the way we work, in both the private and public sectors, will never be the same. The pandemic has proven to be the catalyst for one of the most impactful cultural shifts in both the public and private sectors. Most employers have adopted hybrid-work models and maintained remote work as an option. The hybrid approach allows for more flexibility and has contributed to overall employee satisfaction, studies have found.
How can we make sure that remote teams stay motivated and engaged in their work? Here are four ideas to try, whether you manage teams in the private or public sector.
It’s hard to believe that four years have passed since we first faced a pandemic that shut down the world in a matter of days. Offices quickly transitioned from places where we spent our days in cubicles Monday through Friday, to workspaces that we set up at home so we could conduct business remotely via Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
In the public sector, where I am employed, remote work was unheard of before the pandemic. Working from home was not an option for most public-sector employees. Providing public services remotely from your house was not considered a viable alternative to working from the office.
Four years later, it’s clear that the way we work, in both the private and public sectors, will never be the same. The pandemic has proven to be the catalyst for one of the most impactful cultural shifts in both the public and private sectors. Most employers have adopted hybrid-work models and maintained remote work as an option. The hybrid approach allows for more flexibility and has contributed to overall employee satisfaction, studies have found.
In August 2020, about six months into the pandemic, Harvard Business Review published a study on the productivity of knowledge workers. These employees use their own judgment at work, so their output can’t be tracked like that of workers who perform physical tasks. But because knowledge workers, including those in communications, can withhold effort by not fully engaging their brains in their work (often without anyone noticing), it’s difficult to assess their productivity.
By comparing knowledge workers in 2020 to those from a previous study in 2013, Harvard Business Review found that the lockdown had positive effects on their productivity, at least in the short term. Knowledge workers during the pandemic said they focused more on the work that really mattered. They spent 12% less time in large meetings and 9% more time interacting with customers and external partners. During the lockdowns, they viewed their work as more worthwhile.
But remote work also raised concerns about the longer-term effectiveness, creativity and personal resilience of knowledge workers, the study found.
How can we make sure that remote teams stay motivated and engaged in their work? Here are four ideas to try, whether you manage teams in the private or public sector.
1. Set expectations through clear communications.
Communicators can help develop guidelines for what organizations expect of their employees in the hybrid workplace. We can help management establish accessible communication channels and teach employees how to use them.
In the public sector, many workers now use Microsoft Teams to chat about projects or hold virtual meetings. We must clearly communicate our organization’s expectations for employees who work remotely.
The new culture of remote work also requires managers to communicate that they can be reached through these digital platforms. Managers should let employees know they’re available to help them realize the full potential of these tools, which teams can use when working on projects or conducting meetings.
To get started, familiarize yourself with these new communications technologies and then hold a training session for your staff. You might also conduct a virtual forum, where employees can ask questions and be reminded of management’s expectations for the remote workplace.
2. Check in with remote employees.
Before the era of remote work, walking over to someone’s office to check in was the norm. Today, in remote work environments, we must make it a point to still check in with employees, sometimes virtually. Managers can ask for progress reports and learn about the challenges employees are facing. Check-ins are good opportunities to discuss pending tasks, identify next steps and get everyone on the same page.
Show that you’re proactively making time for these conversations to happen. By scheduling check-ins on a weekly or even daily basis, we can help peers and employees stay engaged in their work. Let people know that even when working remotely, you still aim to create a collaborative environment where ideas can be discussed.
3. Create a virtual hub of information.
When was the last time you logged on to your organization’s intranet? Are you ensuring that your staff is plugged into your organization’s social media sites and following you? Working in a remote environment is a good time to assess company intranets and see how they can become hubs of information that remote staff can access at any time. As communicators, we might refresh our company intranets so people can find forms, receive alerts and view important upcoming events.
We can also find new ways to connect with employees through social media. LinkedIn has made it easy for organizations to establish their own page, where employees can connect with managers and see new job postings and special announcements.
Social media pages are a great way to keep your organization engaged online. Employees can easily create and share content with colleagues while also expanding their own professional networks.
4. Offer professional development opportunities online.
Organizations can provide their employees with a plethora of online training opportunities and professional development resources — from anywhere in the world. Courses that help employees grow their careers also keep them engaged in their work.
What’s more, employees bring the knowledge they gain from training courses back to the organization and share it with their teams. Online training resources also help employees collaborate online and engage with one another about what they are learning.
Think about what kinds of online opportunities will help your staff enhance their skills and stay motivated while working remotely, so we can all continue to flourish in our evolving workspaces.
