11 Tips to Make the Most of Remote & Hybrid Workers’ In-Office Time
Managing remote or hybrid workers would be difficult enough in any event. But since the COVID pandemic began, a lot of workers have gotten used to working remotely, and many of them aren’t happy about needing to come into the office – it disrupts their routine or their child care, and it’s time away from doing the “real work.”
The two keys to keeping them happy are to:
Bring them in only when you really need to.
Make sure that what they’re doing while in the office is stuff they could only do in person.
Here are some tips on how to do that:
Tip #1: Define Important Circumstances
Make a list of circumstances in which you think it is important for your direct employees to come to the office – and formulate a justification for each circumstance. This practice helps you in two ways: 1) It helps keep your list of reasons manageable and reasonable, and 2) it provides you with a justification in case your employees push back on coming in.
Tip #2: Create Value in Office Visits
Avoid having people come in just for the sake of coming in every so often – unless they indicate that they want to do that. And when they come in, make sure that their every visit includes something that makes coming in worthwhile for them, whether it’s meeting a mentor, a deep conversation about their career goals and aspirations, or something else that will make the employee think, “Yeah, that trip was worth it.”
Tip #3: Customize Office Experience
Find out what circumstances and reasons make coming to the office more attractive for each of your direct reports. For example, some people like schmoozing; some don’t. For the schmoozers, make sure they have the opportunity to do so. For the non-schmoozers, find out what they do like and make sure it’s an important part of their time in office.
Tip #4: Foster Team Cohesion
Whenever possible, get as many people into the office at the same time as possible, consistent with Points 1 and 2 above. It helps remind remote and hybrid workers that although they might work on an island, they’re part of a team.
Tip #5: Address Employee Concerns
Investigate the reasons why your direct reports don’t want to come to the office; the reason might be something you can and should do something about. If, for example, an employee dislikes coming in because a co-worker subjects her to microaggressions, you not only can put a stop to that, you have a duty to do so.
Tip #6: Remove Obstacles to Office Attendance
Find out whether any obstacles exist to employees coming in – lack of parking, say – and try to eliminate them. Do some employees have long commutes? Pay their mileage, or even put their commute time on the company clock.
Tip #7: Streamline Meetings
Keep meetings to the essential and keep them short and on-topic. Before every meeting, ask yourself: Could this meeting be a Zoom? Or an email?
Tip #8: Prepare Agendas for Every Meeting
Prepare agendas before every group meeting and send them out in advance, so that people know what to expect and can prepare. (You should do this whether a meeting is in person or on Zoom.)
Tip #9: Hold Team Members Accountable
Capture and distribute a list of the action steps that each meeting attendee will be addressing, so that everyone knows what’s supposed to happen next. (Again, you should do this whether a meeting is in person or virtual.)
Tip #10: Optimize Remote Task Assignment
When you assign tasks, try to choose and structure them so that as much of them can be performed remotely as possible. Don’t create unnecessary reasons for people to have to come to the office.
Tip #11: Show Appreciation for In-Office Attendance
When remote workers do come in, thank them for that. It’s a little thing, but it acknowledges that coming in may be something they dislike or find inconvenient.
Employees who believe that you are using their in-office time wisely and sparingly are more likely to be satisfied, engaged, and productive than employees who do not. And satisfied, engaged employees are less likely to go looking elsewhere for professional fulfillment, thus saving your organization the cost of recruiting, hiring, and training a replacement.
In a nutshell, being considerate with your employees’ in-person time isn’t just a nice thing to do. It can benefit your bottom line.
