Oh, hey! Welcome to the Community.
Stay-at-home orders and social distancing have changed the way we all work. Even if you’re still in your office, you’re on video conferencing calls multiple times a day to connect with staff and colleagues, and, as a result, likely experiencing a new phenomenon called Zoom fatigue. In an industry that is based on engagement, connection, and observation, it has been an adjustment to move to a virtual world. It seems like supervision has been a constant source of stress for many of my colleagues. How can you successfully supervise staff in their reformed roles when you’re trying to figure out this virtual world?
I’ve asked a lot of SA professionals about their strategies for remote supervision. Most shrug their shoulders at the questions or say that they’re learning as they go. As veterans of remote supervision, I asked Chad Elliott (CEO), Derek Hemmes (CIO), and John Bender (VP, Sales & Client Success) a couple of questions as they all supervise staff members who work remotely in multiple time zones. Beth Elliott, Section Head at Health Canada, kindly offered her perspective as someone who is adjusting to remote work for the first time and supervising staff who will only be virtual for an undefined period of time.
Four questions were asked, and, coincidentally, four themes emerged as methods for success in remote supervision.
- Communicate and Connect Regularly
- Be Transparent
- Hold Staff Accountable
- Frequency and Form of Engagement
You are likely not surprised by the four themes; however, how you interpret the themes may look different in-person versus online. For example, you may meet with a staff member in person once a week, but virtually, you may discover that more frequent, shorter meetings are more effective. This is especially true in an environment when information is changing so quickly. To learn more specifics about the four themes, keep reading!
(Please note that the responses below have been edited for length and to avoid repetition.)
What are the challenges of supervising remotely?
Beth Elliott:
Scheduling time to have discussions with staff for smaller items that you would have walked over to talk to them about is a challenge. It’s good for relationship-building and morale to have face-to-face, informal interactions with staff; small matters are being discussed over email more often when working remotely.
[In the office], we often pull up chairs to a single computer screen or printed spreadsheet to look at together, which is the most efficient way to work, explain things, and mentor new staff. Teaching and mentoring new staff remotely is more challenging and less personal when tackling this remotely.
Derek Hemmes:
Promoting good communication within the team can be challenging. Written communication (Slack) is great, but sometimes, verbal communication gets a lot more done. Zoom helps, but it’s still not as good as face-to-face.
When people work remotely, it’s easy for them to get tunnel vision on their specific tasks and lose a bit of perspective on the team goals.
John Bender:
Providing an environment where your team feels connected and not on an “island” by themselves is a challenge. Working remotely, especially if it is for the first time, can feel extremely isolating as you lose the normal connections you have with people when working in an office.
As a supervisor, you do not have the same ability for quick check-ins or informal drop-ins with staff like you do in a typical office environment. This change can make your team feel isolated from you and not cared for.
Chad Elliott:
The biggest challenge is the mindset of individuals when making the transition to working remotely. Typically, I find people will focus on what is different and what they don’t have as opposed to seeing how similar working remotely is compared to working within their own work station with an office setting.
Similar to supervising a team in person, effective communication within the group can be challenging, especially when trying to engage those who are quieter and less connected or when conflict arises.
What strategies do you utilize to be successful as a supervisor?
Chad
Encourage social gatherings over Zoom during lunch, end of week, etc. to help facilitate further connections, game times, getting to know colleagues better, and non-work-related discussions.
Not being distracted during meetings is a strategy I use. Actively listening, being empathetic, and showing emotions during work interactions is just as acceptable online as you’d expect to see in person. It’s ok to be vulnerable, and I try to lead by example by asking for feedback, sharing/showing my feelings, and being available as well as accountable to my team.
During meetings, I will call on people to share if they have not contributed or had a chance to contribute to the discussion. If/when conflict arises, I respond publicly and will then follow-up individually to ensure they are ok and that we’re on the same page so that we can learn and prevent it from happening in the future.
Beth
Communication, communication, communication. I joked that I may actually be overcommunicating until we get into our new teleworking routine.
Formal (weekly group meetings), individual/one-on-one meetings (once since teleworking), as well as informal communication (daily jokes).
Passing on key information in a timely fashion relating to teleworking, IT, accessing physical files or equipment in the office, etc. has also been key to ensure people feel, and in fact, are informed.
John
Some staff live alone and are also feeling isolated. I’m trying to connect them with their colleagues by pairing staff for peer-reviews, setting up some colleague-led training, and responding in a positive way to their ideas to stay connected to each other and motivated by their work/files during this time. If staff are feeling connected and motivated, my job as a manager is much easier!
We utilize Slack for real-time chat and team interactions. Creating groups and channels around shared topics can help bring the team together as well as provide an avenue for answering questions and supporting one another.
As a supervisor, I look to make sure I interact daily with the team- both to acknowledge and provide support in their struggles and also praise and encouragement for a job well done. It helps show they are not alone in their work.
Derek
Start each day off with a 10-30 minute kick-off meeting to bring the team up to speed on what everyone is working on, what challenges people are having, to make sure everyone is communicating with the right people throughout the day, and make sure the team knows the goals.
Pay attention to when it feels like people are stuck or frustrated, and ask them how you can help. Give props, too, when good work is done.
Identify things people seem passionate about, and if they align with the team goals, encourage them.
How do you hold your staff accountable?
Derek
Talk about team goals each morning.
Have each team member give a status update each morning.
Technology: Create a space that allows everyone to see progress, and offer a transparent place to see what everyone is working on (for the full team).
John
Each staff member is different, but overall a remote environment requires a lot of trust both from the supervisor and the supervisee. Working remotely provides flexibility, but at the end of the day, the output and what you accomplish speaks for itself. Each team member has goals that are set and agreed to with the supervisor, and those are reviewed during 1:1s to hold them accountable on a regular basis.
Interacting frequently through our different communication tools and showing you are present and involved in their work also provides a level of accountability for staff as they see you engaged with their direct work.
Beth
The same way as I would in the office; get a sense of their weekly priorities and, unless circumstances require more flexible deadlines, hold them to the same timelines and weekly work output as they would have had in the office.
Also holding them accountable to each other by setting up more mentoring and peer-review partnerships.
Chad
As I would in person: clear, transparent, and honest communication. Setting ground rules and holding people accountable if they’ve crossed the line.
Set mutually agreeable expectations and goals, and regularly discuss progress in relation to those goals while keeping people in line and meeting expectations.
Review established action items regularly during meetings.
What has been the most difficult challenge you’ve had to overcome in supervising staff remotely, and how did you overcome that challenge?
John
I think the challenges are actually similar to things you encounter in an office environment, only heightened due to the remote nature and different styles of communication. Differing opinions on team direction and interpersonal issues between team members are all things that you will encounter. These can be exacerbated in the remote environment where team members don’t have as much visibility into what others are doing and may interact with one another less or only digitally. Working with staff on these issues by holding regular update meetings to make sure the team is on the same page and understanding the overall team goals is important. Ultimately, everyone will not be 100% happy all the time, but I look to build a culture of respect where even if you don’t agree, you can respect a decision that has been made. We are all working toward a shared goal, and that is the most important message to communicate.
Chad
Share how similar working remotely is to working from a personal work station within an office setting. When appropriate, provide analogies sharing these similarities, and encourage staff to think about similarities and how it relates to their experience. I also share strategies that I used to make a successful transition to working remotely (work and personal life).
Beth
Any challenges with some staff are not unique to the remote working environment. Accountable, productive, high-performing staff when working from the office are showing the same qualities when teleworking. On the flip side, less productive staff with poorer work quality demonstrate these qualities both in and out of the office. The challenge is with some of the new staff, who require mentoring and more regular check-ins, and it’s nice to do this in a hands-on, face-to-face fashion (see above*).
Derek
Disagreements on the team can drag out due to lack of face-to-face meetings. Instead of having those debates play out over days and days in written posts, we’ve tried to implement a “discussion” flag so those conversations can be flagged and brought into a group meeting for discussion. This strategy has proven successful at times, but can definitely be improved. We’re still working on it.
Be kind and give yourself time
It’s a time of transition and a stressful time for many, so expect some bumps along the road. Remember to be kind to yourself. Remote supervision is not easy, and like anything that is new, it takes time to get into your routine and find your stride. Give yourself space to take chances, try something new, make mistakes, and laugh at yourself.
Welcome to the community. We’re glad you’re here.
