5 Ways to Ensure Your Association Management Team Excels in a Remote Environment

In March of 2020, thousands of workers were told to “work-from-home” due to a worldwide pandemic. COVID-19 forced many companies into a new remote environment that many had not been a part of before. Now a year later, “working-from-home” is more common than ever. 

At Legal Associations Management, our success came with a lot of trial and error, however, these 5 things helped our team succeed in a remote environment:

1. Never stop communicating

When working in a remote environment, unfortunately, you do not have the luxury of popping into someone’s office to speak about the project your team is working on or bounce around ideas about new opportunities. However, with some sort of internal communication system, such as Microsoft Teams, you can quickly chat with anyone in your company. This allows for quick questions and messages to be sent to any person or group of people. Microsoft Teams also has the ability to video or voice chat, making it easily accessible to video or voice conference with your team on a daily basis. For less urgent communication or project delivery, email is suitable for any longer-term communication built around a specific project or topic. The more forms of communication you provide your team with, the easier it will be to ensure that all employees are communicating often and effectively in their remote environment.

2. Create a Calendar

As a team, create a calendar that all employees can refer to. This helps employees stay organized and on-task, setting them up for productive workdays. When all assignments are written out, with a title and description of each task, with a due date, it allows them to plan for when they need to begin and complete each task. Organization is the key to successful time management. By creating a calendar, it allows the team to set weekly goals, individually or as a group and ensures that they are completed on time and in an efficient manner.

3. Encourage Distraction-free Workspaces

Whether your remote environment space is a room in your home or your favorite coffee shop, make sure your environment is free from distractions. If you work from home, create a space that feels like an office space so that you are not preoccupied with normal distractions from home life. If you are working in your favorite coffee shop, wear headphones or pick a back corner, away from the hustle and bustle that comes along with being in a public space. The fewer distractions around, the better a person can maintain focus and stay on task.

4. Daily Logs/Check-ins

Because of the remote environment, managers are no longer able to physically see their employees working. To ensure that all employees are doing what needs to be done, establish a daily log and check-in for each employee. A daily log allows for employees to write out the accomplishments they have made and shows the manager they are staying productive within their workday. Daily check-ins, whether they are one-on-one or among a group, in the morning or at the end of the day, are great ways to set priorities for upcoming workdays and creates a sense of normalcy. These “check-ups” encourage more productivity and hold each employee accountable for the work that they need to finish. 

5. Provide Employees with the Tools They Need

No matter the circumstances, you always want to set your employees up for success. When working in a remote environment, this means making sure that each employee has all of the necessary equipment in order to do their job. For example providing a laptop, desktop, or tablet to employees that do not already have one or ensuring they have an internet connection easily accessible to them. Providing your employees with the tools necessary to do their jobs is a vital part of setting them up for a successful remote environment experience.

As working from home is expected to continue, you can use these techniques to ensure that your company stays at the forefront of this change and continues to have success with remote environments.