The Government’s instructions on social distancing have been very clear – employees should be allowed to work from home where possible to slow the spread of coronavirus.
Whilst many businesses already encourage remote working, there are many owners and managers who are not as comfortable with the idea, lacking confidence that work will be done productively while working from home.
Much has been written about various tools and techniques, however it’s individual’s attitudes that will have the greatest impact on successful remote working.
If employees have a clear goal to work towards and are taught the essential skills needed to lead themselves, then there should not be any negative impact on results or productivity, despite colleagues being in different locations.
Personal leadership pillars
It’s important, especially during a period of uncertainty, to instil confidence in your workforce, equipping them with 
essential qualities, such as purpose and passion, to ensure the work continues to the standards expected despite the many legitimate challenges of a new working environment.
These qualities fall under the six essential pillars of personal leadership that are crucial to developing the self-motivation and self-discipline needed to overcome challenges and deliver results.
Personal responsibility, plan, positive expectancy and persistence are the other essential elements that make up the six pillars of personal leadership. It’s through a combination of these qualities that workers will learn to lead themselves effectively in extraordinary times.
It’s this independent, self-leadership that holds the key to maintaining high levels of productivity when working from home, which is why it’s crucial to help employees develop these attitudes.
Through experience fuelled with positive expectancy, employees can crystallise their thinking and effectively focus their efforts, using this challenge to stay motivated and ensure high quality work is delivered.
Persistence will then become the vital ingredient needed to overcome procrastination and manage the avoidable distractions at home whist still giving necessary care and attention to family members who may be sharing the same space.
Clear direction
Whilst it’s important that employees are taught the skills needed to become effective personal leaders, the collective productivity of your workforce relies on their understanding of the ‘common goal’ – having clear direction; understanding what success looks like.
Goal setting is a fundamental part of personal development and essential for managing teams remotely, giving individuals clear and realistic targets to aim for, boosting self-motivation and delivering better results in work, and all other areas of life.
In the current time, clear goals are more important than ever to ensure everybody in the team is pulling in the same direction, as each person understands their role and recognises their importance in helping the entire team succeed.
During an uncertain period, one shared goal could be as simple as reminding employees that only through hard work and continued productivity, will the business be able to overcome the financial challenges brought about by the outbreak.
Personal goal setting
In order to harness the power of goal setting, individuals need to be personally invested in achieving their targets, fuelling self-motivation far greater than simply completing tasks that have been assigned to them.
This means taking the time to understand the benefits to be gained by the accomplishment of each goal, including the personal satisfaction of the progress that’s been made and the achievement of large and small victories.
For employees working from home, it’s a powerful practice to set clear and attainable goals, in line with the greater objectives, on a weekly and daily basis.
Remember, there’s a good deal of evidence to suggest a stronger commitment to our goals occurs when we write them down on paper rather than in digital format. Encourage your employees to set personal goals as well as business ones as success in one area breeds motivation in all others.
Effective time management
With strong personal leadership and an understanding of clear direction through goal setting, employees are well-prepared to practice effective time management.
Their ‘must do today’ and ‘do today if possible’ lists can be formed around the tasks and priorities that will generate the most progress towards achieving goals. This is true productivity.
Otherwise known as ‘high-payoff activities’, the most important work can be prioritised, not necessarily the latest request to arrive by email.
Each morning, staff will benefit tremendously from creating a written plan for how they’re going to spend their day, designating sections of the day for focussed project work, checking emails and lunch.
With a clear direction for the day ahead, employees will find they get a lot more completed in the time available, which then frees up more time for personal activities. If legitimately distracted, they have a clear plan to return to without the wasted time and effort to rethink the day’s priorities.
Maintain productivity…
During a period of uncertainty, it’s crucial that businesses maintain their productivity levels and standards do not slip because they are away from the office.
Whilst there may be some apprehension around home-working, there is no reason why work should slow if employees are given the skills needed to motivate themselves.
Essential personal leadership skills combined with a deeper understanding of goal setting and time management should allow business to continue as usual, despite employees being in separate locations.
If your workforce requires training, there are online personal development courses that will give them the tools needed to remain productive over the coming weeks and months.
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