Supervisor Guidance

Resources

• COMING SOON: The Ultimate Guide to 1:1s
• COMING SOON: The First Time Managers Handbook
• COMING SOON: Student Affairs Staff Handbook
• COMING SOON: Student Affairs Student Employee Guidebook

Questions to consider asking your employees:

• Working remotely can sometimes make people feel like they are out of the loop.  What are things that you want me to be sure to touch-base with you about so that you feel connected?
• How are you managing the transition and shifting of work?
• How can I help you be as productive as possible?

Don’t Micromanage

With a remote workforce, supervisors need to let go of any micromanagement tendencies. You simply cannot track your people as well in a remote environment. This is good for both the manager and the workforce, but many supervisors won’t see it that way at first. If you’re the type of manager that has to know where a worker is every second of the day, you are going to stumble out of the gate. Remote work means you have to trust your people, let them run and get their work done. Your job as a manager is to clear the way so they can complete their missions.

As long as an employee is meeting work expectations and targeted goals, you shouldn’t be concerned about how, when and where the task is completed. Be sure to occasionally review goals and performance standards with your direct reports to ensure that they are aligning their remote work with the established goals and department/org performance standards.  

In this remote work environment, it will be very important for supervisors to:

• Trust your People
• Be Flexible and Patient
• Set Clear Guidelines
• Adjust your Expectations
• Practice Empathy and Understanding

Be intentional and make personal connections

Don’t forget to set aside some time in your agendas to check in on how the team is doing.  Something as quick and simple as asking them to start the meeting by saying three words that describe how they are feeling before you dive into the work discussion can be the personal connection that is needed in this environment.

Keep a pulse on how your team is managing stress

Everyone handles stress differently.  If staff morale or behavior tends to change, consider reminding staff of various resources available via the Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (FSAP).  Professional Resources offer referral services, brief therapy, services for you and your dependents, daytime/evening/weekend appointments, multiple locations, bilingual services and a 24hr/7-day crisis hotline. The FSAP can be reached by calling (866) 615-3047 or TTY: (800) 697-0353.  You can log on today to connect with a Guidance Consultant about issues/concerns, or to consult articles, podcasts, videos or other helpful tools.

Online: GuidanceResources.com
APP: GuidanceNow
WebID: UCRFSAP

Team Member/Committee Member Guidance

Questions to consider asking your team:

• What are the teams preferred ways to keep each other updated on projects?
• What should be our primary ways for communicating?  What are our expectations for responding (e.g. immediate to texts, Microsoft Office 365 Teams chats, Zoom check-ins, etc.)?

Student Staff Guidance

The added challenge to our “new normal” of working remotely is trying to identify remote work that is available for student employees.  Below are a few ideas to help develop and maintain productivity with student staff.  Continue to check back in as we learn new ways that departments are engaging with their student staff.

• Develop a list of projects and times for you to teach them on how to assist with the projects remotely.
• Develop a way to check in with them via a Zoom meeting.
• Consider using your meetings with them as small focus groups to gather their insight and feedback on how new initiatives or ideas may work.
• Have them review and update electronic versions of printed materials (e.g., pamphlets, flyers, information sheets).
• Have them survey or interview friends and other peers to explore areas of opportunity.