The COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it numerous changes in the work lifestyle that companies might have to make peace with. This includes a huge shift in the work culture, wherein the in-office way of working has now changed to work from home. Since there seems to be no end to the pandemic, the work-from-home culture is the benchmark for now. This sudden shift in the work culture has made the life of managers difficult.
Both employers and employees seem to be on the ropes about how they will be working on a particular project and how they will be managing it. Since most managers are quite clueless about how to effectively manage a project remotely, below are some useful ways with which you can remotely manage a project with success-
- Finding Proper Management Tracking Software –
When managing remotely, it is important that you measure certain specified parameters such as the duration taken to complete a task, listing down certain milestones and tracking them, and measuring the attentiveness of the employees. This is a great way with which you can keep a track of your employees in one way or the other.
- Setting Proper Goals and Milestones for Every Individual Employee –
As a project manager, it is important that you realize the abilities of each and every worker on your team and manage them accordingly. The first step towards that is to recognize that you must create different goals and milestones for each one of them so that they are not overburdened or underworked. While doing that, also remember that the pandemic has had an effect on everyone’s mental health. Set the goal accordingly. Also, use your management tracking software to keep a track of the work from time to time.
- Streamline the Communication –
Communication with the whole team is the key in such times. It keeps the employees on their toes while also helping them to interact with each other. Human interaction in such times is important for everyone’s mental health. To keep productivity high with communication, try and set at least two official meetings a day. In the first meeting, it is better to keep an open platform for brainstorming, and in the second meeting which you may keep at the end of the day, take proper feedback from your team and review the work done.
- Managing Different Time Zones –
Remote working means that employees are not coming to the office and may not even be working the same shifts. They may even be located in different countries around the world, meaning that they may be located in different time zones all around the world. As an employer, you must understand this and be more accepting of the cultural habits of your employer. Use your project management software effectively in this case by inculcating the needs of your employer in the milestones you set for them.
- Keep Your Team Motivated –
Research has shown that employees who are working remotely from home are less motivated as compared to the times when they used to work in offices. This has mainly been attributed to various factors such as less interaction with their co-workers, a monotonous environment, less physical activity, and most importantly, the fear of the coronavirus. In this case, it falls on the manager to keep his/her team motivated. For that, do not forget to address their concerns regarding the fear of the economy and job losses, keep the incentives such times for good performers, praise them for their performance from time to time, and have informal talks with them.
In the end, it is important that project managers understand that they get used to this way of working. The remote working culture may also stay in place even after the COVID-19 pandemic ends as the companies are incurring fewer costs in terms of office costs. Always keep mixing and matching with your managerial tasks and keep your employees on their toes.
