Training Your Managers for the Future of Work

Much like every other challenge of remote work, managing a team from afar is exponentially harder than managing a team in-person. Generally, how you uphold your first-line managers translates into the organization’s overall productivity, so giving them the necessary tools, training, and time is important in keeping your firm together.

Establish effective communication

First and foremost, your managers are leaders of communication. There’s no better way for them to know that than a company-wide example. Make an effort to provide them with different conference channel options so that they can foster their own relationships with the team without losing in-touch with you.

You may use video conferencing platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, or, for a more interactive space when you do recreational activities, Gather Town. For group and direct messaging, limit yourself to platforms that promote a healthy work-life balance for them: as much as possible, avoid using social media platforms that also clash with their personal use. Some chat apps that are much safer and more convenient with professional communication are Slack, Google Chat, and Microsoft Teams. Take note that this is also a way to secure the information that goes in and out of your company, so subscriptions, if anything, are only minimal costs compared to their benefits.

Access to other people’s ideas, answers, and insights is one of the most crucial things that used to be so convenient onsite, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t invest in curating that environment again.

Gathering your managers together once in a while would be helpful for them to know that they also have your support, all things considered. You could meet once a week online, and meet once a month or twice a year onsite, or other combinations. Doing so will make a huge difference on how they view their jobs, and how they execute leadership in each of their own teams altogether.

Maintain a company-based culture

In all things, promote your company traditions. It will take definite creativity to do that online, especially if the setup is new for yours, but it will be worth it. Did you have regular lunch meetings before? Did you do dinners? Maybe you had recreational activities outside office hours? How are your fun incentives? There are various ways to do those things remotely, with the help of video conferencing platforms and food delivery systems. But these boil down to how you try to incorporate what the company did and upheld that was so desirable and valuable for them to stay with you.

Keeping that within your pool of managers allows them to have their own, maybe better, ideas to keep their people happy and engaged, too. The workplace has to be professional, but it doesn’t have to be dull all the time. Most importantly, it doesn’t have to lose what it stands for to every manager and employee.

Be the voice of the employees

You need to remind your managers that they are the voice of the employees, come what may. After all, this is what all great leaders do. No matter how busy they get, it’s important that they understand the real job of being responsible both for each individual and for the entire team. They have to be equipped with the right training from many possible remote work problems, especially at this time, when it is much more challenging to offer support from a screen. This, among many reasons, is why you should take care of your managers well.

If these aren’t enough, you could always try to outsource different managerial training and courses that specialize in remote management, such as Remote Leadership Institute, Workplaceless, and Evolve. These are leadership training programs that will equip your managers, new and experienced, with the right skills and mindset for remote or hybrid work. Investing in these, once again, will easily outweigh the costs as these prepare them better to contribute to the growth of your company.

Now, take heart and check on your leaders.