How Can HR Help Remote Teams Function Better?
The working world has moved to remote teams and telecommuting much faster than anyone thought. The good news is that people are making it work (mostly). The bad news is that they are making it work on an individual and team basis much better than they are company-wide. This is a great opportunity for Human Resources to help establish the infrastructure companies need to make great remote teams a way of doing business, not just be seen as a necessary evil.
At their recent conference,the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) heard from a number of speakers such as Al Gore and Steve Forbes on the challenges facing them in the modern workplace. Not that they need my help,but here are 5 areas HR can immediately help managers get things done in the dispersed, global workplace.
- Put policies in place that reflect how people really work today. Everyone acknowledges that remote working is different than showing up at the office every day, but you'd never know it from the HR policies that are in place. Just as a simple example, remote workers tend to break their day up into productive chunks. This means that they might leave in the middle of the day to run an errand, but will be answering email at 6 in the morning. Key performance metrics need to measure output of work, not activity or whether people keep "appropriate office hours". Performance reviews need to reflect these realities as well.
- Give managers clear expectations around technology use. Too many companies base their performance reviews on vague behaviors like "communicates well with their team". What the heck does that even mean? If you expect people to use tools like webmeetings, SharePoint, and social networking tools, make those expectations explicit. Measure when and how well leaders use those tools- and don't punish those who don't embrace technology, help them understand how it will help their team do their jobs better.
- Help managers get the right people in place. Creating good job descriptions, helping assess applicants for the unique challenges of remote working and recruiting quality candidates are why HR exists. The remote workplace requires a different kind of worker and a different communication style. Are they identifying the best practices and methods for finding those people? (Hint: That's why you go to conferences like SHRM).
- Decentralize training and learning. The dirty little secret of HR is that the function is largely about centralizing control for all kinds of rational reasons (budget control mostly). The modern workplace depends on people getting the learning they need just in time and in any way they need it. .HR can certainly help identify training sources and best practices. They should also be open to people taking classes online as individuals, rather than trying to find that "one size fits all" program that can take months or even years to identify and everyone stays in limbo until it's found. Managers should be given training budgets and not penalized for using it... and not rewarded for not spending that budget either. Trust but verify.
- Create compensation and retention plans that keep remote workers engaged. Employee engagement studies show that remote workers are at greater risk for being picked off by recruiters and just plain job hopping. These folks need to know that they are being considered for promotion, will be offered developmental opportunities and are part of the "family". Developing retention policies and assertively communicating them is critical.
What's working at your company? How is your HR department helping (or hindering) your efforts to create great remote teams?
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