From March 13 to April 20, the number of Americans working remotely doubled. Gallup reports that most of those people want it to stay that way – and since remote employees are often happier and more productive, employers may let them. It’s not easy for a company to maintain great culture in a majority remote environment. If you’re making the transition to a mostly or entirely remote workforce, here are four principles to keep in mind:
1. Keep your IT infrastructure simple. Logitech CIO Massimo Rapparini wrote in Forbes how six of his top 10 tips for an effective remote workforce are based around having the right technology and technology support. Without this infrastructure,
- Communication falls apart
- Internal efficiency is reduced
- Contract fulfillment is at risk
- Your contract bids may be rejected
2. Rapparini also recommended clear overall company policies. This aligns with Parabilis CEO Bruce Lyman’s recent message in Washington Technology to empower staff through clarity and decentralized command. Clear policies
- Ensure mission knowledge, focus, and parameters
- Provide guidance for effective communication
- Allow every employee to focus on what they do best
- Can be adjusted as circumstances require
- Create better internal work flow and client engagement
3. Be intentional about your leadership. As recently noted by Entrepreneur Magazine contributor and Business Professor Lindred Greer, this incorporates the “hard” side of business – company goals, policies, and procedures – and the “soft” side of business, such as taking care of employees’ personal needs so staff knows they are valued and cared for. Intentional leadership can only be accomplished through knowledge and thinking ahead. Start with asking your staff what they need now and what they will need to succeed in the future.
4. You can’t have a company culture without a company. Make sure that your government clients can work with your remote staff. No matter what kind of contract you have, it’s important to keep the lines of communication open. However, you should consider how secure your communications methods are before deploying solutions to your workforce. For most contractors, especially DoD contractors subject to impending CMMC requirements, all digital communications should be secure – from e-mails to video conferencing. And make sure your staff is trained on the systems you and your clients use. Nothing is more embarrassing than flubbing basic communications technology on a first call…and nothing will open you up to legal action and a lost contract faster than sending secure information insecurely.