The COVID-19 pandemic spurred growth in remote and hybrid work globally. An April 2022 survey by The Conference Board found 90% of organizations surveyed allowed hybrid work, while 31% provided employees the option to work remotely 100% of the time. This is in stark contrast to 2019, when only 10% of employees worked remotely in 75% of organizations surveyed.

Although remote work has always been prevalent in field sales, remote work has become so popular, regardless of industry, that most employees are willing to quit their jobs if they aren’t able to work remotely. Several surveys have established the mental health benefits and an increase in overall productivity. A 2022 study found productivity was 7% higher than expected when working from home, and when adopted on a wide scale, would result in a 5% increase in overall productivity in the United States.

Benefits aside, the surge in remote working has highlighted a number of management challenges around hiring and onboarding remote employees, as well as managing employee performance. Organizations need to provide their managers with more training to overcome these challenges and learn how to coach and lead remote teams effectively.

We have introduced Coaching from a Distance training for life sciences companies to address their unique challenges. The training comprises two eLearning modules, Coaching Remote Teams and Strategies for Leading Remote Teams.

Coaching Remote Teams will help managers identify the key characteristics of the growing remote workforce and the type of managers needed to lead, support, and empower them. The module will outline ways of addressing challenges that commonly arise when managing remote teams.

Strategies for Leading Remote Teams will equip managers with the strategies to build psychological safety and dependability for employees by establishing shared understandings and expectations, communicating effectively, and providing the support and resources they need. They will learn steps to uniting the team around a shared purpose and building mutual trust and respect.

Chat with a CMR training expert to learn more about incorporating this training at your organization.

Best Practices to Effectively Coach Remote Teams

According to a 2021 Gallup poll, employees who report to managers who engage them would have to be offered a 20% pay raise to change jobs. In contrast, employees whose managers fail to engage them are the most likely to quit their jobs, regardless of a change in pay. Younger employees, in particular, prefer managers who act more like coaches rather than traditional and commanding bosses.

Here are the four practices of a manager-coach you can use:

1. Observation: Closely observe each employee, paying close attention to both verbal and nonverbal cues. Specifically, look for positive qualities, such as their strength areas, trustworthiness, and attention to detail. You must be realistic about opportunities for improvement in your employees while taking a closer look at your own qualities as a manager.
2. Inquiry: Asking the right question at the right time can lead to important conversations that help employees open up to new ways of thinking, identify issues that need to be explored, discover new and different solutions, and assess employee mindsets and behaviors.
3. Listening: As a manager, it’s important to listen intently to what your employees have to say and turn off any biases, assumptions, and distractions.
4. Responding: When responding to someone, manager-coaches consider how to best move the conversation in a positive direction and attain desired results. It’s essential for managers to be more intentional in their responses through mindfulness practices by focusing on the present moment.

CMR Institute supports many leadership and management training programs in both pharmaceutical and medical device companies. Click here to chat with our training expert to discuss case studies and best practices.