Communicating with Remote Associates
Importance of Deliberate and Meaningful Communication with Remote Associates
Over the last several weeks I have reflected a lot on the past few years of my career. One of the things that has come to mind is how different it is to work "remotely". By remotely I mean either not in a corporate location or even in a location that is not part of the main office or has easy access to the main office. It seems that anytime you are away from the corporate location or the main office, things get a little more complicated. I think this is especially true if you are in a back office or support function. Even the best of communication plans and routines don't seem to fully meet the needs of these more remote offices.
Let me share just a few brief experiences, what I did then and what I would do differently.
Running a Remote Site
Background
After several years as a member of the sr. leadership team of our contact center, I took an opportunity to transfer away from the headquarters city to run a newly acquired site that was half-way across the US. We had three sites, the main site, a smaller remote site within driving distance of the main site and my new site. There were only two members of the sr. leadership team remote and all others were at the main site.
What We Did
Weekly 1:1 with my manager via phone.
Weekly leadership team and regular full management meetings. These were all conducted via phone.
Traveled at least quarterly and spent time at the main site.
Do Differently
Video conference technology was not nearly as prevalent but that would be the first thing I would do differently. The sr. leadership team meetings would be done via video conference and my 1x1's as well. The full management team meetings would have been more difficult but it would have been worth a try.
Insist on regular 1:1 calls or video conferences with each of my peers. In this case, I think those would have made the biggest difference.
Letting Contact Center Workers Work From Home
Background
As part of our contact center program, we began allowing to performers and those working the overnight shifts work remotely.
What We Did
Consistent 1:1's.
We also tracked all of our standard metrics so this wasn't really a performance concern.
Spot inspections. Occasionally we did them in person and the manager took the associate to lunch.
Do Differently
Use video technology. These were some of our top performers so it would have been worth the investment in a video setup to ensure engagement and good contact with their manager.
We also should have brought them into the office more regularly. While this may seem inconvenient, if it's planned ahead and attached to a celebration of some sort, it works out very well.
Consider not mixing remote and in-office workers.
Relocating After Years in the Main Office
Background
This one is a little different as this time I was not a member of the leadership team but was working as an individual contributor. It also was a bigger challenge because the core team I worked with the most was not my peer team. In fact, I had very little overlap between my work and that of my peers.
What I Did
Insisted on weekly 1:1's with my manager. We thought we would eventually move away from that but I never did. Often these were done via video which was great.
Volunteered to attend expanded team meetings as our team representative.
Do Differently
Find ways to be less isolated. This could mean scheduling individual or team calls outside the norm, using video when available and pushing for travel alignment.
Push for better team alignment. If you work with a specific team outside your peer team, maybe you should be aligned there. Regardless, someone needs to deliberately where individuals and functions belong so as to optimize success.
Overall Lessons
Bad Assumptions
Those working remotely don't need regular contact because they like being remote. They probably actually need more contact.
Our corporate communications plan is meeting everyone's needs. This doesn't mean you don't have one but just be aware that a video of the all associates meeting from the main office probably won't be watched by all associates. There are many ways to supplement this. Anything from rotating the location to inviting remote participants can improve effectiveness or even providing a transcript is a good supplement.
Communication Methods
The bottom line is to be deliberate in which communication method we use in any given circumstance. Take into account the individuals involved and the subject matter.
Text, email, instant messaging, phone, video and in-person all have their merits. It's up to us to understand the impact of each method on a specific situation and then deliberately decide which to use.
Summary
This is not something that is going to go away. Leaders will more frequently finding themselves interacting with individuals and teams that are not in the office next door. They could be remote associates, independent contractors or outsourcing partners. Figuring out how to communicate in each situation is an essential part of your leadership toolkit.