Work Style Expert Dana Borowka: Four Ways to Embrace the Remote Worker Necessity During the Pandemic

SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Social distancing is drastically changing how we work.  "In today's pandemic world, a work from anywhere program is a viable solution for companies," says work style and human behavior expert Dana Borowka.

Borowka has over 25 years of human behavioral consulting and counseling experience. 

"Employees need to be trained on how to transition into a remote worker environment and learn the expectations of their participation in the program," says Borowka.

Borowka is a nationally renowned speaker and former radio personality on human behavior.  He is the author of the books, Cracking the Personality Code, Cracking the Business Code and Cracking the High-Performance Team Code. He is CEO of Lighthouse Consulting Services, an in-depth and work style assessment and consulting firm.

"Managers need to understand the dynamics of supporting remote workers and the organization needs to ensure the proper tools and policies are in place for a successful work from anywhere program," says Borowka

As someone who has implemented these programs and now helps clients transition to these programs, here are four points from Borowka to consider:

Team Meetings. Team meetings should continue as usual. Using video conferencing helps keep the group connected. The chair will need to keep in mind any delays from the video conferencing system (usually one to two seconds) to ensure people have a chance to share. There are a few approaches to support this type of environment. If an interactive process is warranted, the chair can ask each person directly for their feedback giving a "protected" space to speak. If this approach doesn't work, the chair can pause and ask the remote staff if they have any feedback. The important element is to give the group chance to participate and a safe environment to speak up.

Managing. Managers need training on how to successfully engage a remote workforce along with understanding the nuances of managing both office-based and remote staff in an equal way. It takes practice and discipline to ensure a manager is giving the same attention to remote staff as they would an individual that is 20 feet away from them. Policies such as "How often should the manager reach out to touch base?" "How do managers chair group meetings and engage remote workers in the conversation? " and "What expectations should a manager set for participation of remote staff?" should be worked out before implementing a remote worker program.

Culture. A strong company culture is needed to ensure everyone is approaching servicing your clients and working together in the same manner. As you roll out a work from anywhere program, one will need to review the organization's values and consider how working remotely would impact them. Is collaboration important to you? Then, what tools would be needed to ensure successful collaboration continues? Is passion one of your values? If so, how would communication need to evolve to engage that passion when staff are in different locations?

Technology. Data security is the number one concern when it comes to technology. How should our servers be set up? What protocols should we use so remote workers can securely connect to our network? What equipment should a remote worker use? What about encryption? If we allow use of personal home computers, what are the risks? What about printing? How will phone access be handled? There are multiple solutions on the market today to support the technology needs of a remote workforce which makes it easier to implement this type of program.

For media who want to interview Dana Borowka About Remote Working

Please contact Dana at Lighthouse Consulting Services LLC, Santa Monica, CA, (310) 453-6556, x403 [email protected] or website: www.lighthouseconsulting.com.  

Contact
Dana Borowka
310-453-6556, x403
[email protected]

SOURCE Dana Borowka