[Interview]
Telecommuting, face-to-face working, remote working, hybrid working or even full remote working. Today's managers are faced with new ways of organising work that challenge their managerial skills. Remote management and management in hybrid mode are forcing them to renew their practices in order to manage a team that alternates between face-to-face and remote work. What are the pitfalls to avoid? What are the best practices for being an effective manager? Clémence Rouart, an expert in remote management, answers our questions.
Clémence Rouart runs the course Managing teleworking staff. Attentive to the expectations of participants, she helps them to put in place new managerial practices.
"Managers and employees have already gone to great lengths to adapt to the upheavals caused by the COVID-19 crisis. We are experiencing a paradigm shift that is changing our relationship to work, to ourselves, to the team, to the company and to the workspace. It is in this sense that any manager may need support to become more effective in his or her management at a distance or in hybrid mode".she told ORSYS.
Remote management, hybrid management... what exactly is this all about?
First of all, teleworking is not necessarily telecommuting, although there can be remote management in both cases. Teleworking is understood to mean working away from the company's premises from home or in a coworking space. On the other hand, when the members of a team work on different sites of the same company, there is indeed remote working, but it is not teleworking.
Teleworking was already practised before without being named. Previously seen as the privilege of autonomous managers, it has spread to all levels of the hierarchy since the COVID-19 crisis. Many people now see it as a substantial advantage - almost an acquired one, which is difficult to question - particularly as it eliminates the need for commuting time.
What types of organisation are managers now faced with?
Today, there are three predominant configurations: the 100 % teleworking or 100 % remote, also known as full remote; the 100 % face-to-face, which still has its fans; and the hybrid mode with alternating home/work.
The hybrid mode is not without consequences for the organisation of workspaces. For example, the flex office, which means no longer having a dedicated office, is currently experiencing a meteoric rise in popularity.
Finally, even if teleworking and telecommuting are not the same thing, the difficulties encountered and the solutions to be found can be similar.
What are the main difficulties of remote management?
The difficulties evolve over time depending on the organisations put in place. Indeed, the needs of managers and their teams were not the same in March 2020 during the first confinement as they were in September 2020 during the first wave of on-site returns.
By definition, in a hybrid organisation, some employees telework either fully or partially. The rituals put in place when everyone was teleworking - for example, a one-to-one video exchange every morning - have been done away with. In fact, the manager who is back in 100 % face-to-face or hybrid mode, like some of his team, may no longer have time to devote to these exchanges.
Hybrid management raises a number of questions. Firstly, how do you recreate informality with only two days of face-to-face meetings a week? Secondly, how do you re-establish team cohesion and a shared vision? And finally, how can we make hybrid management effective?
Solving these problems requires feedback from managers and their teams. With Disrupt' Campus Nantes, I mentor students who gather and analyse feedback from employees on new ways of working within partner companies.
What best practices and tools can managers draw on?
During training Managing teleworking staffA cooperative board game enables managers to discuss all the issues they encounter when teleworking. A cooperative board game allows managers to discuss all the issues they encounter when teleworking. At the end of the game, the managers take up the various cards played and use them to build an action plan.
In addition, the manager should invite his team to think about the various events that can disrupt teleworking and to anticipate solutions. The idea is for employees to identify their own obstacles and difficulties. Are they capable of returning to the office quickly in an emergency? Do they need training? For the employee, this means carrying out a self-diagnosis of their ability to telework effectively. For the manager, it's an opportunity to assess the employee's maturity in taking advantage of teleworking.
Does this mean that teleworking is not suitable for some employees?
Yes, indeed. Some people, because of a lack of organisation or autonomy, need a structuring framework within the company. Others don't have a personal environment that allows them to work remotely (suitable equipment, quiet workspace, etc.). Still others have essentially on-site assignments. It's up to the manager to make sure. For example, during a pre-telework interview based on the employee's self-diagnosis. On the one hand, to check that the employee has fully understood and adheres to the framework set by the company. Secondly, to ensure that a sufficient proportion of the tasks can be teleworked.
What do managers need to adapt to remote or hybrid management?
In training, managers express a need for autonomy, contact, exchanges, structure, order, stimulation...
What comes up very often is the need to celebrate, in other words to relive positive things with the team. Managers also need to come to terms with the 100 % face-to-face, which had the merit of being a stable situation compared with the hybrid organisation that has become widespread. Furthermore, even if this may seem contradictory to the need for contact and exchange, they need peace and quiet. All the more so as the hybrid mode has reinforced the need for "non-stop connection". These new needs may require certain skills to be acquired or reinforced.
In your opinion, what are the essential skills needed to manage remotely?
Being able to let go is essential: managers need to get some perspective. To do this, they can include "appointments with themselves" in their diary. In other words, setting aside a moment to step back and analyse their activity. This can be a good opportunity to identify waste in a "lean" spirit.
Training options : Manager: learn to let go! – Knowing how to let go and step back – Lean and Agility for managerial leadership
Knowing how to manage your time is a basic skill for any manager. Regardless of how the work is organised. It involves prioritising tasks. And I'd go even further and say it directly to managers: before you prioritise, think about pruning! How many tasks can you really do in an hour?
Training options : Managing your time to be more efficient – Optimising time management when teleworking
Dare to give and institutionalise feedback: Non-Violent Communication is a good training option for making progress in this area. I would also urge managers to be clear in their communication. They need to ensure that their message is clearly understood. For example, in meetings, they can ask one of the team members to rephrase.
Training options : Give effective feedback, practical workshop – Reinforce your benevolence with Non-Violent Communication – Developing authentic and constructive communication
Finally, thinking management also means thinking leadership. This includes a strong capacity for empathy. You also have to inspire confidence and trust, delegate and help your team members to progress.
Training options : Developing your leadership as a manager – Delegating and empowering – Developing the skills of your employees
What are the pitfalls to avoid? And how do you go about it?
Asynchronous communication, increased reporting, unclear instructions... are all practices to be avoided wherever possible. I would urge managers to use the telephone rather than e-mail. When reporting is necessary, explain why. I also recommend clearly defining the "rules of the game" for teleworking. Better still, draw up the operating rules with your team. That way, they will be more readily accepted.
Using videoconferencing properly: first use the camera! Secondly, a video meeting should never last more than 45 minutes. I suggest allocating roles so that everyone feels involved: a guardian of the temple who reminds people of the rules at the start and makes sure they are followed, a session secretary who takes notes, a facilitator who helps with decision-making if the discussions get bogged down and a time keeper. Collaborative games can also be incorporated into the process.
Lastly, do not exceed 50 % of downlink information during remote exchanges.
What training do managers need?
Renewing management practices may require training in a number of areas.
For example, for:
- Leading a remote meeting and using videoconferencing wisely - Successful remote interviews and meetings – User teams ;
- involve employees, get to grips with collaborative tools and integrate fun activities - Practice participatory management – Klaxoon: getting to grips with the tool for running training courses or meetings.
Training Managing teleworking staff is aimed at all managers, team leaders and project managers in charge of teleworking teams or employees. Above all, participants appreciate the peer-to-peer sharing, which helps to formalise a community of practice. When the training is organised on an in-company basis, they often include in their diaries a time for discussion afterwards to take stock together of what's working and what's not working so well. Once the training is over, they already have very specific ideas about what they are going to implement in the short term:
- delegate more ;
- a workshop for teams to draw up operating rules;
- self-diagnosis of employee maturity.
