The pandemic times, when the business world was peering through the fog of uncertainty, is just behind. Strict lockdowns are in the past, but the figures still remind us it was a world-scale roller coaster in terms of business organization.
It has dramatically increased the use of advanced technologies, changed customer needs and expectations, caused an increase in remote work and collaboration, and, consequently, shifted organizational priorities.
If in daily life “what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger”, in business, the transformations brought about by COVID-19 made some organizations more flexible than ever.
According to the survey, 72% of companies expected a high degree of vertical value-chain integration by 2021, compared to 41% in 2016. 80% of people being questioned report they enjoy working from home. 41% say they are more productive than they have been before.
Many employees got freedom from long trips to the office, found a more productive work-life balance, and decided they prefer to work remotely rather than in the office.
Many organizations managed to create a stronger culture, access new talent pools with fewer locational limitations, adopt innovative processes to boost productivity, and reduce rental costs.
As the research shows, more than 50% of executives believe the increase in remote work will stick through the recovery from COVID-19, so it’s time for managers to rethink the work models in the Industry 4.0 world.
At SupportYourApp, we try not to confront the changes but accept the challenges of the times and direct them for our growth. The following 5 rules of effective team management help develop our business not only in post-COVID times but in times of war in Ukraine as well:
1. Ensure Emotional Closeness
The days of office ping-pong tables and meals are gone. The attention has now shifted to employees' emotional health. At SupportYourApp, openness and honesty are core organizational values.
In constant syncs, we give our people the possibility to talk not only about tasks and deadlines but also about their feelings. We discuss new habits and insights into online work and try to be sensible to each other.
As a support company, we realize that the culture of support starts inside our organization. It’s not only about providing high-class customer service around the world, but it is about supporting each other here and now.
Our practice has shown that time invested in communication is not a waste. Instead, it cuts time and the need for developing burnout prevention programs.
2. Revise and Rethink the Nature of Leadership
Post-pandemic time was a good chance for me to check what kind of leader I am. Productivity level, customer satisfaction, and organizational microclimate reveal the truth.
As a service-minded leader who also cares about the team, my goal is not to collect all the credit for teamwork but to create a type of productive leadership that followers really like to follow because they grow in the process.
Growth motivates them to be even more productive. And corporate culture is a perfect place for it, where motivation is like “glue”. The team's productivity, to a high extent, depends on team dynamics and performance climate.
Are there misunderstandings? How do team members interact with each other? But how is it possible to see it all online?
Once a week, preferably more often, I have one-to-one meetings and calls with my team, not about work or results, but just to see how everyone is, giving everyone the possibility to exchange their thoughts and check the climate inside the company.
Our top managers have the same meetings with their teams. Also, I keep in mind that managers should be trained and supported. I try to be affirming about the situation and encourage them, letting them know I have their backs.
3. Ensure a Positive Workspace
“Culture is like the wind. It is invisible, yet its effect can be seen and felt. When it is blowing in your direction, it makes for smooth sailing. When it is blowing against you, everything is more difficult.” (Bryan Walker)
It took me years and pandemic transformations to realize it’s not the place that determines the culture, but the values of an organization.
At times, when the office stops being the central business stage, the “shadows are revealed” and it gets clear what kind of culture the organization has.
Here, the question is what sort of values your organization has? Are they productive? How much does your organization value team members' personal time and needs? What working climate is valued? How does the leader react to not keeping the deadline or not answering emails on time?
The very fact that toxic culture can reduce the team’s productivity by up to 40% should motivate business leaders to rethink their attitude. SupportYourApp, as an organization, has human relations with the team, not economical.
We don’t look for skills in exchange for compensation. We encourage people to enter human relations, which means the constant motivation to engage. For this, we are building our cooperation on trust, respect, openness, and understanding that every member of our team is valuable.
4. Be Sensible about the Personal Space and Needs of Your Employees
The best outcomes and practices come with experience. In the early days of my business, I was a friend to everyone, then a dictator. Now, I consider myself to be a visionary. My major task is to lead and inspire, not to control.
In our everyday SupportYourApp workflow, we have efficient tools to ensure timeliness, consistency, quality, and productivity.
These are our SOPs, work, and communication platforms for tracking our results, like Asana, Slack, and an in-house developed CRM system, and well-organized business operations.
We don’t limit our teams by strict screen time tracking, instead, we encourage proactivity and embrace flexibility. Our practice shows — with the right approach, it’s possible to find win-win solutions and treat our teams with respect and understanding.
5. Don’t Rely Solely on Virtual Interactions
Despite all the great advantages of virtual interaction, nothing can replace good old face-to-face communication. When revising the options of hybrid work in your organization, leave some space for it.
Recently, we had our SupportYourApp 12-year celebration. It was so inspiring to stay with the team and share the memories of our long way to one of the world's TOP-3 support outsourcing companies.
Nowadays, in the world of constant transformations, we feel the importance of live team reunions more than ever.
Face-to-face interactions create significantly more opportunities for emotional connection and emerging “creative collision” that can be the lifeblood of trust, collaboration, innovation, and culture.
Whether it is completely remote or hybrid work, staying in constant sync, ensuring strong leadership, and managing your team with respect and flexibility are the keys to turning from surviving to thriving.