Telecommuting is on the rise. A study by Global Workplace Analytics found that 5.7 million American employees worked from home at least half the time before the pandemic, with 69% of the United States workforce working remotely at the height of the pandemic. This was a 216% increase in regular telecommuting between 2005 and 2019, and this number is only expected to grow in the years to come. 

As a remote manager, it can be difficult to manage a team when you’re not in the same room with them. You can’t just pop over to their desk to talk about a problem or call them into your office when you need something done right away. 

This is why remote managers must confront their fears and learn how to best manage their team from a distance. In this article, we will discuss some of the fears that remote managers must confront head-on and how to best address them.

Why Do Managers Fear A Remote Work Future?

When it comes to remote work, a recent survey revealed a surprising divergence between corporate leaders and their employees: over 44% of executives said they wanted to get back to the office full-time, while only 17% of employees concurred.

The root of the problem is that many managers still view their employees through an industrial-age lens, where workers are considered cogs in a machine. This top-down, command-and-control perspective is why some bosses still see remote work as “skipping out early” or “slacking off.” 

Moreover, Remote work exposes a slew of problems and inefficiencies that managers prefer to avoid since they reflect negatively on their leadership and those they’ve employed. It takes away the ability to appear productive by looking busy at your desk, and it also reveals how many managers and executives don’t make a significant contribution to the bottom line.

Time is ripe for manager to shake off the fear they have about remote work. They need to change their perspective and see remote work for what it is: an opportunity to create a more productive, engaged, and loyal workforce. When done right, remote work can be a game-changer for any organization.

As Shane Metcalf, 15Five claims “Remote work is this incredible invitation to really get good at building inclusive cultures where there’s a wide variety of types of people, and to build a culture where everyone feels included and everyone is experiencing ongoing growth and development on a regular basis. That’s the challenge, and it’s not an easy one. But the business isn’t easy.” 

Fears Remote Managers Must Confront

As a remote manager, you must be willing to confront your fears head-on to be successful. The following are the most common fears remote managers face and how you can overcome them:

1. Remote Hiring 

Hiring remotely is a whole different ball game than hiring in-person. It’s no secret that one of the hardest parts about managing a remote team is finding the right people for the job. With so many talented individuals out there, it can be tough to know where to look or how to even start your search. 

Utilizing their own job search data from June 2019 to June 2021, Glassdoor reported a 360% increase in the number of searches for remote positions during that time frame. Even as pandemic restrictions were lifted, job seekers’ demand for remote opportunities continued to grow.

How do you find the right candidates for a remote job?

• Use strategically crafted surveys and applicant tracking systems: This will help quickly and easily identify which applicants have the skills and experience you’re looking for.
• Ask candidates to submit a video intro:  A video intro allows you to get a better sense of an applicant’s personality, which is essential for remote work.
• Do a trial run: This will give you a chance to see how they work under pressure and if they’re a good fit for the team.
• Hold virtual interviews: Virtual interviews are a great way to get to know an applicant on a personal level.
• Focus on creating a psychologically safe space for candidates: This can be done by using questions that encourage open-ended responses.

2. Onboarding Remote Employees

Even if you’ve found the perfect candidate, there’s still the daunting task of on-boarding them and getting them acclimated to your company culture and values. This can be tricky when you’re not in the same office, but it’s definitely not impossible. 

New hires that have a dismal onboarding experience sometimes feel left out and alienated in their own silos. An estimated 69% of employees have a higher likelihood to stay with an organization for three years if they go through a strong onboarding process. 

Hubspot, for example, has come up with a solid onboarding process for their remote workers. Foundations, HubSpot’s very flexible and remote-inclusive onboarding program, makes sure that all of their new employees receive the foundation they require to succeed. Although they have always had remote onboarding, beginning in March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic started, they went completely remote for the new employee onboarding experience. 

3. Talent Retention

Companies are gradually calling their staff back to work now that the post-pandemic era is on the horizon. Many firms are concerned that if their employees are not allowed to work remotely, they will quit.

According to Beqom’s 2021 Compensation and Culture Report, seventy-seven percent of employees say they would switch employment if another firm provided them the chance to work remotely after COVID-19. Seventy-six percent indicated they would quit their current employer if another company offered additional working-hour flexibility.

Image: Graphics design by Jay

To comfort this problem, managers should consider implementing a hybrid remote work model.

A 2021 study conducted by the Harvard Business School found that a hybrid remote work model is the key to talent retention. The study, which was based on data from over 1,500 professionals, found that employees who are given the opportunity to work remotely are more likely to stay with their current employer. 

According to the 2019 State of Remote Work report, remote workers are 13 percent more likely than onsite workers to continue in their current position for the following five years.

4. Communication

Communication is often cited as the number one challenge of working remotely. And it’s no wonder why. With team members in different time zones, or even just out of earshot, there can be a lot of miscommunication.

What are the challenges of remote communication?

• Overcommunication: While it’s important to communicate when working remotely, it can also be overwhelming if there is overcommunication, which can be interpreted as micromanagement.
• Lack of connection and collaboration: With workers being in different locations, it can be difficult to connect and collaborate on projects, and create a sense of team camaraderie.
• Lack of trust:  When managers can’t see their employees working, it can be difficult to trust that they are actually working.
• Miscommunication: The channels of communication are often misinterpreted when working remotely, which is why it’s important to have a clear and concise communication policy.

How do you overcome communication challenges on a remote team?

• Regular video calls or web conferences
• Instant messaging apps
• Project management tools
• Employee social media groups
• Regular company-wide emails

Becca Van Nederynen, Help Scout recommends an interesting remedy. “Remote managers need to consider things like imposter syndrome, communicating intentionally with their remote teams, finding ways to talk about productivity, and communicating in writing rather than face-to-face chats.”

5. Loss of Productivity 

When you can’t see what your team is working on, it can be easy to assume that working from home equals slacking off. It’s difficult to tell if someone is not pulling their own weight or is underutilized. 

A remote work policy can help to alleviate these fears by setting clear expectations and guidelines for employees. The policy should cover all the key performance indicators (KPI) for remote positions. 

The KPI indicators you use to assess remote employees’ productivity should be the same metrics you use to assess in-office employees’ productivity. This guarantees that, irrespective of the work dynamics of your team, clear expectations are in place.

The solution to this challenge is therefore two-fold: first, managers need to set clear expectations for their team’s remote work; and second, employees need to communicate their work and be transparent about their process.

During COVID-19, 51% of respondents in a 2020 FlexJobs survey said they were more productive working remotely, and 95% said productivity was higher or the same when working from home. And, while there are many explanations why performance improved despite the pandemic’s pressures, the following were some of the most common explanations given by respondents for their enhanced productivity:

• Fewer interruptions (68%)
• More focused time (63%)
• Quieter work environment (68%)
• More comfortable workplace (66%)
• Avoiding office politics (55%)

To overcome this fear, Greg Caplan of Remote Year advices remote managers not to fall for the misconception that remote workers are lazy or less productive. Rather, you should focus on build a thriving work relationship anchored on trust. 

Caplan opines that as a manager you don’t need the employee to be infront of you or stare over their shoulder to compel them to worr or be productive. In a remote work setting, you have to exercise some level of trust. 

Create tasks, set the goals for each tasks and make clear the deadlines. Assign the tasks with clear instructions and nudge the employees to get everything done. With time and trust, majority of your remote employees will develop a knack for getting more work done. 

6. Information Security

With people accessing systems from their homes or different locations, using their personal computers or phones to work, data security is a concern. Many managers, understandably, are concerned about the protection of their company’s information and intellectual property.

Managers can alleviate these fears by implementing steps to improve cybersecurity. These include: 

• Encrypt your data:  Use encryption to protect your data in transit by using tools like SSL or TLS.
• Implement two-factor authentication: Use two-factor authentication to add an extra layer of security to your data.
• Train your employees: Educate your employees on the importance of data security and best practices for data security and privacy.
• Create a remote work data access policy: Clearly state what is and is not allowed in terms of accessing company information from personal devices.
• Use secure remote access solutions: Use VPNs or other secure remote access solutions to protect company data.

7. Loss of Culture

In a traditional office setting, culture is built organically through day-to-day interactions and bonding experiences. But when you’re managing a remote team, those organic opportunities for building culture are few and far between. As a result, it can be easy to lose sight of your company’s culture and what makes it special.

There are a few ways to combat this:

• Frequent check-ins: Have regular one-on-one meetings or team calls to keep everyone updated on company news and events.
• Encourage social interaction: Use chat platforms or video conferencing to encourage social interaction among employees.
• Create bonding experiences: Plan virtual happy hours or social events that employees can participate in from home.
• Keep an open line of communication: Make sure employees feel comfortable coming to you with any questions or concerns.
• Use collaboration tools: Use tools like Google Hangouts or Slack to facilitate collaboration and communication.

Fear Remote Work No More -Its Benefits Outweigh The Risks

A remote work model can be a successful and rewarding experience for both the manager and the employee. However, the possibility of decreased employee productivity and an increase in communication costs are two key factors that could lead to a reluctance among managers to adopt remote work policies. However, these concerns should not be viewed as insurmountable obstacles, but rather as challenges that can be addressed through effective management strategies. 

In order to realize the many benefits of a remote work future, both employers and employees must be willing to make some changes. Managers need to become comfortable with relinquishing control over their employees’ working conditions. 

Employees, on the other hand need to be more self-motivated and disciplined when working from home. By taking advantage of technology and using effective communication strategies, remote managers can successfully lead their teams from a distance.