When your staff work from home, it isn’t always easy to know how everyone is getting on. Are they getting the support they need? Do they know what’s expected of them? Here are some ways that you can help remote employees work effectively and feel part of the team.
Managing Staff Working from Home — At a Glance
- Communication: Put in place regular 1:1s and team check-ins
- Expectations: Set clear working hours and response times
- Trust: Avoid constant monitoring and measure performance by outcomes
- Well-being: Encourage regular breaks, comfortable workstations, and access to support
This post on managing WFA employees is part of the managing remote teams effectively hub.
How Can Managers Communicate Effectively With Remote Staff?
Managers communicate most effectively with remote staff by scheduling regular check-ins, using the right mix of communication tools, and staying visible without overwhelming people.
Clear, consistent contact helps prevent isolation and misunderstandings when team members work in different locations.
Lack of communication can lead to an employee feeling isolated and disconnected from the rest of the team, which is one of the most common virtual team management challenges for managers working remotely. In addition, a manager might not realize if and when a member of staff needs support.
Over time, consistent and open communication helps build psychological safety, so employees feel more comfortable raising concerns or asking for support, an area many managers develop through leadership experience and training.
What Technology and IT Support Do Remote Teams Need?
Remote teams need reliable technology, basic IT support, and clear guidance on secure systems to work productively from home. Without this foundation, frustration, delays, and security risks quickly increase.
Some remote employees use their own laptops or desktop computers rather than the equipment you provide as a company, so make sure that these employees are using reputable antivirus and system maintenance tools that you approve.
This helps protect work files and maintain a basic level of security when employees work remotely.
Tip: One of the easiest things you can do to support staff in terms of technology and IT is to provide a work-from-home or work-from-anywhere document.
In this document, use screenshots to show your team how to achieve the IT tasks they might not know how to do. Also, include direct links to software and other useful resources to help employees work more efficiently.
How Do You Build Trust and Motivation in Remote Teams?
Trust and motivation in remote teams are built by focusing on outcomes, recognizing good work, and giving employees autonomy over how they manage their tasks. When managers avoid micromanagement, people are more likely to stay engaged and productive.
You will find that some employees really thrive and are much more productive when they are empowered and trusted.
It is also worth rewarding staff for a job well done. Praise, recognition, and small rewards can make a significant difference when motivating remote employees, particularly when managers cannot rely on in-person encouragement.
Ensuring you give praise where it’s due, though, is often enough to make staff feel valued.
HR teams and L&D professionals can turn these guidelines into practical manager workshops using our Managing Remote and Virtual Teams training materials. The editable slides, trainer notes, and activities are designed for delivering your own in-house training sessions.
What Expectations Should Be Set for Working from Home?
Managers should be clear about working hours, availability, response times, and boundaries when staff work from home. Setting expectations early helps avoid confusion, overwork, and tension between team members.
This has to do with your employees’ work-life balance.
As a manager, you also need to let your staff know if there are certain times of the day when they need to be available for work.
Of course, you still need to allow your staff time for breaks and not burden them with unreasonable demands to avoid burnout.
For employees working from other countries, managers also need to consider time-zone differences.
Working from anywhere (WFA) is becoming more common. When employees have secure access to company systems and meet agreed expectations, managers can apply many of the same principles used for hybrid teams.
Consider that allowing WFA may reduce office costs, and you will often have a happier employee who will value the company even more if flexibility is provided.
How Can Managers Support Health When Staff Work From Home?
The best way for a manager to support a remote employee’s health is by encouraging regular breaks, reasonable workloads, and healthy daily routines.
Without clear signals from managers, employees may struggle to switch off or take time away from their screens.
Workplace health, in other words, is still important even if the workplace is their own home!
One solution can be to provide your staff with group training via online teaching. Ready-to-use training materials are available in the Well-being & Mental Health at Work Training Pack.
What Mental Health Support Should Be Available to Remote Staff?
Remote staff should know where they can get mental health support, whether that’s through the company itself or an outside service.
As a manager, you also need to know how to raise concerns and where to direct employees if support is needed.
Not every company can afford to have its own counselor, but there are still ways to help staff, such as offering mental health awareness training or pointing them toward outside support.
It’s also worth checking that staff who work from home know about any employee assistance program (EAP) your company has and how they can use it.
How Do You Maintain Team Connection in Remote Teams?
Team connection in remote environments depends on making a deliberate effort, not chance. As a manager, you can help by creating informal opportunities for interaction and encouraging participation without forcing social activity.
As an employer, you should still try to create a social aspect to the work environment for your staff, even if it’s online.
So, even if employees do not take the initiative, you might want to start organizing virtual social events and encourage staff to take part. This can be very positive in terms of team morale.
Managing staff working from home, in other words, is more than just the work itself. Think about the individuals themselves and how you can support their social needs as a member of staff.
What Are Employer Responsibilities for Home Workstations?
Employers should provide staff with guidance on setting up a safe and comfortable home workstation. The exact legal responsibilities vary depending on where the employee works.
A simple self-assessment checklist can help employees identify possible problems with their workspace.
Provide staff with clear guidance on best practices for their home office setup. For example, some organizations share practical posture advice.
For further guidance, employees can use the OSHA computer workstation checklist to check their home office setup.
Why Do Companies Need a Working From Home Policy?
A working from home policy helps organizations set consistent expectations and clarify what support is available.
It also gives managers and employees a clear reference point when questions or issues arise.
A working-from-home policy can include things such as:
- Working patterns
- Communication
- Instructions on setting up a safe work-from-home environment and an ergonomic workstation
- Links to support health and well-being
- Sick leave policy and overtime policy (in relation to working from home)
- Procedures on dealing with security issues (such as how to keep your computer secure)
- How to report personal injury and damage to the company’s property
How Can Managers Spot Early Signs of Distress Remotely?
Managers can spot early signs of distress remotely by paying attention to changes in behavior, communication, or engagement.
Subtle signals, such as withdrawal during meetings or missed messages, can indicate that someone may be struggling.
For example, if you see that team members are withdrawn during virtual meetings, or if they do not reply to emails, it may be a sign that something is wrong. Then again, it might be that everything is perfectly fine with them.
So, if these types of behavior happen once or twice, there may be nothing to worry about, but if they become regular issues, it may be worth having a one-on-one virtual meeting with your team member to find out more and see if they need any help.
Some team members may be proactive in seeking help, but others may not be, so try to keep an eye out for any sign of distress.
Make sure also to give information about the support available. There is no point in providing support if employees do not know it is there.
So, make sure to advertise and communicate as clearly and as widely as possible what support options are available for staff.
FAQs
Can this guidance be used for manager training?
Yes. Many HR teams and trainers use these principles as the foundation for in-house manager development around remote and hybrid working.
Is this relevant for hybrid teams as well as fully remote teams?
Yes. The guidance applies to fully remote, hybrid, and flexible working arrangements where managers support staff outside a traditional office.
