CompTIA’s Public Technology Institute held a conversation with local government technology leaders. They shared their insights and lessons learned to help other executives manage remote workforces. Local government tech departments have successfully deployed tools that allow employees to work remotely during this ongoing pandemic. Many cities and counties are still operating in virtual-first environments, with their employees working remotely. Some governments have adopted hybrid environments where only a small number of staff have access to government facilities or a rotating schedule for days in the office.
Technology leaders from across the country are sharing success stories about their employees who have successfully moved to remote work environments. Many of these cases highlight how employees have thrived in this new environment. Some believe productivity has increased and projects that used to take months are now completed in weeks.
We are seeing some of these benefits, but there are also challenges for both the employee and the organization.
CompTIA’s Public Technology Institute, (PTI), recently hosted a discussion with local government technology leaders. They shared their insights and lessons learned to help other executives manage remote workers.
IT leaders must be flexible and adaptable to changing work environments. It takes a different set to manage remote workers. It is important to be able build trust and trust with employees.
As a leader, it is important to stay in touch with your team and monitor how your employees are doing. Encourage your team to have video meetings and encourage them to communicate with each other as well as with colleagues from other departments. Although many employees can thrive in a remote environment with their supervisors and colleagues, there are some who miss the face-to-face interaction that an office environment offers.
It is important to establish work schedule expectations. Is it okay for an employee to work late at night while other staff follow a more normal work schedule and are therefore offline?
Remind your team to take a break, that you value work-life balance and that you are willing to lead by example. Employee burnout can be caused by the temptation to stay on their computers all day.
Zoom and WebEx are not the only options. Leaders should also identify other platforms that enable employees to connect, while videoconferencing is an important tool for collaboration.
Instead of relying on feelings and opinions, measure productivity based on facts. As if we were working in a more normal, non-remote environment, it is important to measure employee productivity objectively and not subjectively.
Remote work, whether it is with a remote workforce or a hybrid approach, has been embraced by many local government IT departments. IT leaders who are successful in guiding their departments can advocate for “smart remote work” across all government areas.
We are aware that this list is not complete and we welcome your feedback on what worked in your company. Please email us at [email protected]