11 May Telecommuting 101: How to Trust Your Remote Employees
Having remote workers has been a growing trend as of late, one that many businesses are now following. It’s true that employees that work remotely or work from home tend to be happier and more engaged than in-house employees. However, having remote workers presents a different challenge – maintaining a quality relationship and building trust. How can you trust employees that you don’t see on a day-to-day basis?
Trust is crucial in any relationship. In fact, it’s one of the pillars! But how can you build trust within a work atmosphere when you have remote employees? Check out our tips on how to build trust remotely to help you establish a healthy work environment with your remote employees.
1. Communicate
Having open communication is one of the best ways to maintain stability within your relationships. How can one ever fix anything or make a correction if they don’t know? Plus, having open communication is an excellent way to make all parties involved feel comfortable and more at ease. By opening up, you can learn more about a person, and even yourself in the process. Communication leads to better understanding, which will improve and strengthen your relationships. Just remember to communicate when things are going right and wrong. However, if you need to talk about a needed change, or when something is wrong, make sure you always use constructive criticism.
2. Be Honest
While having open communication is imperative, make sure your communication efforts are honest in nature and leave any falseness by the wayside. Lies and manipulation are common in relationships that have a power dynamic to them, and this is not what you want to have with your remote employees. Even if you are managing your remote employees, the natural chain of command will put you in the driver seat automatically, so there is no need for a power struggle. Instead, own up to any mistakes and be honest and encourage your employees to do the same. It’s easier than you think, and this simple step can mitigate a lot of potential mishaps and misunderstandings down the road.
3. Have Trust
Yes, we know that this is the topic of the article, but having trust is one of the fundamental pillars that is a must-have for every healthy relationship. You need to have trust in your employees and yourself. You hired them! Having any sense of mistrust can cloud your judgment, can put unnecessary strain on the relationship(s), and can waste company time. Time is money after all! We know giving out your trust to others can be a difficult task, but in order to receive it, you must have trust for others and put it out there. Have trust in your training and in their abilities, and then let your employees reciprocate back to you. You want your employees to have the ability to have trust in themselves and in you, without feeling criticized or judged.
4. Have Empathy
Remember not everything is what it seems. Our concept of reality is only a tiny slice, and there are always hidden variables and aspects. Relationships can be a slippery slope, and they take time and effort to build. Keep in mind that we are all human, and we all make mistakes. We all bring something unique to the table; yet have our own sets of challenges to face. A person’s experiences help create their patterns, and sometimes these patterns are not always desirable, but they are workable. We all have our own sets of issues and problems that we need to work through, so when times become difficult in a working relationship, try to adopt the policy of non-judgement and understanding. Of course, there is a balance to this, but a little bit of understanding and empathy can go a long way.
All in all, building trust is a process that takes effort and time to grow and develop. Demonstrate integrity and be authentic in your relationships and in return, your employees will show you they are trustworthy. There’s no better way to set the stage for a positive working relationship.