11 Aug Managing Different Types of People Remotely
Maintaining employee engagement when work is mostly done remotely is important. However, initiatives to engage with employees should not be one-size-fits-all, and rather, should be tailored to each individual employee, with the aim of making sure that each employee feels that they and the work they do matter. For example, approaching extroverts and introverts for their engagement and well-being should be done differently.
Extroverts usually begin their days in a similar way. Once they arrive at the office, they’re likely to position themselves by the coffee machine or the water gallon, a prime location that allows proximity to their coworkers, or directly stop by their coworkers’ desks for a bit of chit-chat that pumps them up and energizes them before starting on their projects and tasks.
However, with current social distancing rules and with many still working from home, your extroverted employees are left without the routines that energized them for today. Extroverts make great employees for their capacity to take charge, their outspokenness, and their openness to try out new things.
Reach out to them in these ways:
- Provide them with other forms of social routine. We at 3V have regular Monday meetings to provide our team of (mostly extroverts) with the interaction they need to start their week energized.
- Turn them into leaders of communities within the organization, or into mentors for others. Invite them to share their expertise as mentors, while providing them an avenue for social interaction.
But what about the introverts on your team?
If you’re thinking ‘Why should I? If anything, they’re probably living their best life and thriving, free from the pressures that come from forced face-to-face interactions,’ read the rest of this post! Here’re some reasons why you should still reach out to the introverts in your team, and how to do so:
- Introverts might be less likely to interject with their ideas, no matter how brilliant those ideas might be. Take the time to ask them so they feel comfortable sharing in group video call settings.
- Introverts can get too absorbed in their work. Managers should plan group activities for their teams to bond and destress.
- Have a buddy system to pair a more reserved employee with a more outgoing one so each can play off each others’ strengths.
So leaders, take your time to reach out to the extroverts and introverts of your team who might be going through an especially rough time working at home. Ask them how the organization can provide them with the support they need and check in on them frequently.
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