Managing people remotely

Athena has always been a work-from-home company. 100% virtual, from Day 1.

 

 

But what does it take to manage your staff from home? There’s a lot that has come out in the last week or two on tips for working from home. But how do you manage your team, while sitting at your dining room table?

 

 

Our tips:

 

• Have regularly scheduled check-ins.
• Use video. Face to face check-ins are best.
• Have an agenda for the call, even if it’s just to say, “On each of our calls, we’re going to cover X and then Y.”
• Be prepared for your “check in” time with them. What will you be discussing? Treat it like a meeting. Take notes. (Depending on the culture of your company, you may want to construct a more formal or more casual check-in meeting. Doing the dishes while talking with your staff likely doesn’t set the precedent you want.)
• While “checking in” on projects and work, don’t forget to check in on the human being. People are impacted by the times we find ourselves living in. Allowing them to simply be in communication makes a difference in their mental well being, and thus their productivity.

 

Given the unusual times we find ourselves in, if managing people remotely is new or uncomfortable for you, and you would like to get some input from our CEO on your particular situation, she is happy to speak with you.