Usually when we read about the concepts of workshifting, being a digital nomad, a web-worker or any other term related to working from outside of an office building, we usually view it through the lens of the employee. Articles tend to focus on how the employee benefits from the ability to work from outside of the cubicle. But, one area that’s not always covered are the hurdles that managers of remote workers face as well as strategies to help them adapt to have a mobile workforce. As the number of employees workshifting continues to grow, it is important that we consider ways in which we can better help managers.
Top Ten Strategies for Managers of Mobile Workers
- Focus on building relationships
- Streamline communictions
- Incorporate less didactic forms of communications
- Spend more time listening
- Let mobile workers define communication and reporting practices they want to follow
- Manage deliverables not activities
- Engage in more frequent and informal performance management activities
- Give complete trust until given a concrete behavioral reason to do otherwise
- Use adaptive management styles tailored to individual workers
- Leverage technology




