One-on-one communication with telecommuters Tutorial

Unlock the secrets to effective remote management with our video, 'one-on-one communication with telecommuters.' Discover four essential tips to enhance motivation and productivity: prioritize regular communication, structure meaningful 1-on-1 meetings, humanize interactions, and attentively address your team’s needs. Dive in to cultivate a thriving remote work culture!

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redefining the manager managed relationship.

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How can we maintain optimal communication,

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boost telecommuters' motivation and ensure their productivity?

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1 to 1 discussions between the manager and the telecommuter is a key element.

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Here are 4 tips to make these

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individual discussions a performance and motivation booster.

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Communicate a lot and on a regular basis.

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organise more structured one to ones.

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humanise communications,

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and be attentive to the needs of the telecommuter.

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Tip one communicate a.

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And on a regular basis.

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This will help compensate for communication lapses resulting

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from the distance and the feeling of isolation.

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It is often recommended to overcommunicate or hyper communicate.

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In short,

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communicate more than you think is necessary and

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even more than the telecommuter thinks is necessary.

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The project may require a call every 3 days,

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but the human requires a call every day.

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Communication should indeed not only occur

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because the project or work requires it.

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Therefore,

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make time for smaller regular exchanges.

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A message on the chat,

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a call or a video call.

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I recommend.

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actions at least once a day,

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especially if your collaborator is telecommuting full time.

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If not,

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once every other day,

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get in touch,

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even if you think you have nothing to say,

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except hello,

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how are you?

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Is everything OK?

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Lack of daily communication will result in a mass of small

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unspoken and unaddressed problems leading to a drop in morale.

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The telecommuter will feel less important,

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less valued,

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more excluded,

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and more disengaged,

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even if not consciously.

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Why not establish a coffee ritual which could also be communal at a specific time.

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I also advise that you clearly communicate the time for these exchanges.

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Make it clear if you have just 3 minutes for

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a coffee or 15 minutes for an actual discussion,

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the employee will be more likely to express themselves

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if they know that they have over 3 minutes available to them.

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If you have more than 5 minutes,

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prepare your questions to get him or her to express their views and show

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them that you are genuinely interested in them and not only their results.

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How are you doing is a good start,

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but it can be short.

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We will give examples of questions in the 4th tip of this video.

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Should you tell your employee that they can call you whenever they want?

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Make sure to update your availability on chat,

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Skype,

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Slack,

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or Teams so that they know that you are really available.

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Also agree together at what.

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They can be reached.

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The second tip for 1 to 1 discussions is to

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organise more structured and certainly longer 1 to 1 sessions.

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I recommend at least 1 full hour per week.

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Never cancel these one on one meetings,

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even if you think you don't have anything new to discuss.

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As a matter of fact,

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even if the employee agrees to cancel,

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this breakdown in the link will have consequences loneliness,

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frustration,

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even disengagement.

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Should the slot be no longer available,

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reschedule the appointment as soon as possible.

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Make it an important and sacred moment.

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During these discussions,

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get a feel for their successes and difficulties and their morale.

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Ask many prepared questions.

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Don't stop at the yes or no answers.

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Dig deeper.

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Try to better understand the other person and get to know them better.

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If you can imagine a film of their week's activity,

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it will be as if you had been there in the same location.

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I've coached managers who admitted to me

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that they were really not sure what their

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telecommuters were doing on their telecommuting days,

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and some of these managers didn't dare to ask their employees for details,

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for fear is coming across as a cop.

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You should therefore skilfully take an interest in

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the other person and understand their work.

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Talking about your own week and that of the team,

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as well as providing updates on the projects you or your team have moved forward

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on during the week will help your employees talk about their work as well.

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It will no longer be a question of the.

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questioning the work of their staff,

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but of team members sharing the week's progress with

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each other on an adult to adult basis.

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Discuss team strategy,

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issues,

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vision,

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and everything that's going on internally.

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Define their smart goals together,

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specific,

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measurable,

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agreed on,

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realistic and time-bound.

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Take stock of the goals achieved

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and give feedback,

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lots of feedback,

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week after week.

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Review and validate priorities and schedules together.

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Establish together

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how to report

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both in writing and orally.

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Tip 3,

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humanise your communications.

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Use video calling as much as possible to compensate for message lost.

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Zoom,

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Skype,

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Hangouts.

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Remember

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that 55% of communication is visual,

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38% is voice related.

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Email and chat also have their advantages,

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but nothing replaces video.

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Video will allow you both to minimise natural

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slip ups in interpreting and reading thoughts.

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You will be able to see on your correspondent's face

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that he or she is tired,

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demotivated,

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or worried,

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and thus question him or her to validate or invalidate your interpretation.

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Should the person fail to look at you or no longer looks at you,

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this is information that should not be passed over quietly.

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Julie,

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since we've been talking about the alpha file,

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your gaze is less present.

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Do you have any reservations or concerns about this file?

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You can learn a lot about the other person

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by watching their expression when you ask them a question

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or when you offer them a new assignment.

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However,

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avoid going off the rails in interpreting what you have seen or thought you saw.

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Ask questions to validate or invalidate your impression.

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Add some human touch in your written communications,

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your emails and chats by using gifs,

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emoticons,

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smiley and emojis.

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This will also bring more clarity about your emotions and state of mind.

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It may sound childish to you,

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but these small innocuous images have a strong impact on our subconscious.

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72% of 17 to 25 year olds admit that it is easier for them

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to express their emotions through emojis.

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A study by Flinder University has shown that we adults react to

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emojis in the same way as we do to actual facial expressions.

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So

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do not hesitate to use these emojis and other images

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to bring clarity to intentions and even humour to work.

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For example,

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reinforce your written feedback,

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such as thank you for this great work,

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Frank,

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by adding an applause or a thumbs up.

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Finally,

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humanising communication implies offering support where necessary.

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Without being a mother hen,

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you can regularly ask,

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Do you need help on this project?

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Could someone in the team help you with this file?

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The more fragile and or isolated the employee is,

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the more important it will be to work in pairs with other team members.

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Could someone in the team help you with this file?

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Tip 4 for your 1 to 1 meetings,

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be attentive to your teleworkers' needs.

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Do they have the necessary skills to work alone on this project?

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Do they need more follow up,

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mentoring,

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or training?

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Do they have the comfort and tools necessary to work from home?

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Have you noticed any small signs of their discomfort or disengagement?

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For example,

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if they tell you they are going to do something and don't do it.

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Is it a lack of organisation,

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an oversight,

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a lack of skill,

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a lack of time,

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or is it a signal of demotivation?

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Don't procrastinate the discussion

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just because it is more difficult to refocus an employee from a distance.

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Do not wait 3 days for them to come back

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to the office to understand or reframe your staff member.

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You risk forgetting or even sweeping the problem under the carpet.

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Ask the question in the heat of the moment when the problem arises,

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Anton,

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I have the impression that you are stalling on a particular file,

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or I have the impression that you

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and Claudia are having difficulties working together.

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Am I mistaken?

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I strongly encourage you as a good manager coach to prepare

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the questions you will ask your employee during each session.

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Here are a few examples.

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What do you like most about working remotely?

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What is the most challenging for you in telecommuting?

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What is your daily routine while telecommuting?

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Do you feel included in team decisions?

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How?

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The tools we use as a team,

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do they work for you as you telecommute?

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Are you having difficulties with any of the tools?

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Which of your colleagues would you like to have more interaction with?

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How would that help?

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You meet with the team 10 times a year.

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Do you think it's not enough,

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OK,

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or too much?

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How can I,

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as a manager,

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be a better ally to you as you work remotely?

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So we have seen that 1 to 1 discussions between the manager

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and the telecommuter are a key element for a successful remote management,

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and we have jointly explored 4 tips to

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turn them into motivation and performance boosters.

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Communicate a lot and regularly,

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organise more structured 1 to 1 conversations,

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humanise communications and be attentive to the needs of the teleworker.

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