The Virtual Manager: Cutting Edge Solutions to Attracting, Engaging, and Managing Remote Workers March 12, 2014

Transcription

1 The Virtual Manager: Cutting Edge Solutions to Attracting, Engaging, and Managing Remote Workers March 12, 2014 Kevin Sheridan, New York Times Best Selling Author, Keynote Speaker, and Chief Engagement Officer, Kevin Sheridan, LLC

2 Agenda Our Climb to the Summit of Virtual Management The Changing World of Work. Why Virtual Work? The Myriad Benefits for both Employer and Employee. Proper Selection: The Right Hire. The Key Drivers of Virtual Engagement.

3 Agenda (Continued) Best Practices on Top Drivers and the Common Obstacles. Final Thoughts and Take-aways.

4 A Changing World History and Ongoing Trend Agricultural Revolution Industrial Revolution Knowledge Revolution Virtual work: A necessity to attract and retain top talent, especially millennials. From The Virtual Manager: Work is something you do, not somewhere you go. Technology is having a large impact on the trend. By 2015, 1.3 Billion or 40% of the global workforce will be virtual (HBR).

5 What is a Virtual Worker? What Is a Virtual Worker? vir tu al wor ker /n/ : An employee who performs the duties and responsibilities associated with their position from an approved worksite other Writer Sales Lawyer than the location from which the employee would otherwise work. Technician Home Health Nurse

6 Marissa Mayer February, 2013 "To become the absolute best place to work, communication and collaboration will be important, so we need to be working side-by-side. That is why it is critical that we are all present in our offices." The Nursery Next Door to her Office. Who is the real Yahoo here?

7 The Proven Benefits of Virtual Work Employers Employees Attract and retain top talent. More satisfied customers. Reduced carbon footprint. Increased productivity. Reduced absenteeism. Lower real estate and overhead costs. Greater flexibility and control. Less stress and burnout. Avoid long commutes. Greater work/life balance, wellness. Cost savings: Avoid rising gas prices, train fares, etc.

8 The Proven Benefits of Virtual Work 82% of the Fortune Best Places to Work have allowances/policies for Working From Home 81% of all Employees who have worked remotely report Higher Productivity than when they worked at a company site Virtual workers put in longer hours than their non-virtual counterparts Four more hours each week. (Gallup) OOO workers are more engaged. (Gallup 32% vs. 28%) The Lion s Share of Recruiters fervently believe that WFH Benefits make it easier to Attract and Retain top talent

9 Trust: The Secret Sauce to Effective Virtual Management Focus on Outcomes instead of Checking In/Checking Up.

10 What is Employee Engagement for the Virtual Worker? Employee Engagement yields a strong desire to be part of the value an organization creates. 1 Engaged employees feel a strong emotional and intellectual bond with their organization. 2 Engaged employees exert discretionary effort to provide better outcomes for their organization. 3 Engaged employees become co-owners of their own engagement and commit to improve.

11 Defining Employee Engagement Engaged employees are: Loyal Self-Motivated Committed to Quality Driven by their job content Optimistic Supportive of coworkers An inspiration to others; positive people Oriented to providing good customer service Work Ethic is in their DNA The Default Response

12 Work Ethic The Default Response MAX

13 Proper Selection: The Recruiter s Critical Role Hire right Apply great scrutiny. Evaluate the candidate s predisposition to be a successful Virtual Worker. Look for emotional maturity. It s Harvest time! Establish a Non-negotiable Hiring List. Use the knowledge that 43% of all new hires do not work out for one simple reason. Carefully vet through all candidates to ensure you are not repeating this same mistake. The story of Coffee Cup Dave and his replacement Meredith.

14 Before the Seat Is Filled Strong candidates are: Self-starting Self-motivated Self-disciplined Self-sufficient Skilled, Highly Adaptive Communicators Determine original magnet (Starwood Hotels Best Practice) Onboarding Onsite and at a distance Early feedback Proactively solicit feedback from new hires the first day and weekly within the first 90 days Conduct New Hire Surveys and Stay Interviews.

15 Onboarding Report Card Only 44% of employees believe their employer does a good job bringing new employees into the organization.* *Source: Modern Survey

16 Key Drivers of Employee Engagement 1. Recognition 2. Career Development 3. Direct Supervisor/Manager Leadership Abilities 4. Strategy and Mission Especially the Freedom and Autonomy to Succeed and Contribute to the Organization s Success 5. Job Content The Ability to do what I do Best 6. Senior Management s Relationship with Employees 7. Open and Effective Communication 8. Co-worker Satisfaction/Cooperation The Unsung Hero of Retention 9. Availability of Resources to Perform the Job Effectively 10. Organizational Culture Diversity Awareness and Inclusion, Corporate Social Responsibility, Work/Life Balance, etc. Determination of key drivers based on survey responses in our National Normative Database, representing over 3.3 million participants and 2,400 organizations.

17 Engagement Driver Recognition Research has shown that Recognition is the Number One Engagement Driver Best Practices: Thank you. Use a combination of formal/informal recognition and public/private recognition. Recognizing employees efforts at company meetings, ideally with Senior Leadership Involvement Encourage Coworker and Peer Recognition it s more powerful than you think. Case Study: Pandora: Avoid a one-size fits all Approach & Tweet-like Shout Outs.

18 Engagement Driver Recognition Be regular and consistent. People often say that motivation does not last. Well, neither does bathing that s why we recommend it daily. - Zig Ziglar Best Practices: The How I saw what you did. What you did is valuable to the organization because... Let s celebrate what you did.

19 The Power of Peer Recognition Titus Rocks!

20 The One Thing

21 Engagement Driver Direct Supervisor/Manager Leadership Abilities Lead by Example Be Accountable. The Importance of Trust & Genuinely Caring. Clearly communicate expectations and reduce the gap between managers and employees. The three most impactful workplace phrases. Best Practices: Conduct Regular Performance Discussions as opposed to the obligatory annual performance review. Engage employees in a dialogue about Engagement 95% of managers have not. Personalize it Who was your best boss?

22 Obstacles to Engagement for Virtual Workers Bridging the Gap Communication Generational and Cultural Differences Connectedness Best Practice: Always Reply

23 TEST Obstacles to Engagement for Virtual Workers Lack of nonverbal cues. Leveraging of communication technologies and clear, direct style.

24 TEST Obstacles to Engagement for Virtual Workers Feelings of isolation. Feelings of community and shared purpose.

25 Engaging a Remote Workforce Feed the Fun & Coworker Satisfaction

26 Source: HR Solutions, Inc.

27 Advice from Gram Kevin, one hand washes the other.

28 Avoid a Lopsided Approach to Engagement

29 Job Content: The Work Itself Job Content vs. Job Discontent Accommodation. During performance reviews or one-on-ones, Inflexibility. ask employees if they think their skills are Specialization. being correctly utilized in their current Lack role. of training. Variety. Ask if employees think they could contribute Monotony. in ways that have not yet been seen by Autonomy. the organization. Dependence. Nurture Me, Myself, and I.

30 More Advice from Gram Keep Moving!

31 Proactive COMMUNICATION Best Practice Tips Hey, what is getting in your way? What roadblocks are you facing right now? Is there anything that is holding you back from achieving the outcomes you want to achieve in your job? How can I help? What is going right in your job and how can I help feed you more of that?

32 Remote Meeting Management Best Practice Tips Create significantly better meeting agendas Be sensitive to time zones when scheduling the meeting Clearly define the topic/s that are going to be discussed Explain why the topic is important enough that it deserves to be on the agenda Articulate what you hope will be accomplished during the meeting Include only the right people in the remote meeting Expect and demand that the meeting start on time

33 Do my coworkers view me as a member of the team? Outcome: Trust Will my employer remember me when the time for promotions comes? If the economy dips, will I be the first employee laid off? Does my manager recognize the key contributions I make?

34 The Delicate Balance Between Autonomy and Accountability Accountability is ensuring that people are successfully completing the things we want them to do, yet are given the freedom to succeed. It is not enough that the remote employee focus on the right activity, but rather complete the activity with a high degree of success.

35 Final Thoughts

36 Final Thoughts Virtual work is everywhere. Engagement is the key. Leverage the key drivers. Use a tailored approach.

37 Final Thoughts/Key Take-aways Organizations don t reach the Engagement Summit for Virtual Workers because Management is not leveraging the other 50% of the Solution. The past: Management owns the entire responsibility for Employee Engagement. The Future: Virtual Employees are empowered to Engage themselves. Encouragement of regular Job Reflection for oneself and others.

38 Questions/Comments? Web Site: Copyright 2013 Kevin Sheridan LLC

39 Closing Advice from Gram

40 Want More Engagement? Book signing begins now