The rise of remote work allowed opportunities for associations to continue to serve their members during the pandemic, but it is not without challenges and potential pitfalls. How, then, can leaders best manage employees working from home, without ruining morale and trust? It is a fine line, to be sure. With a little planning and a few tweaks to policies and management styles, it is possible.

Here are five ways to allow for better visibility within your association’s workforce without ruining trust:

Set Clear Expectations

Identify what is most important to your organization and get really clear about those things with remote teams. Is start time the most important? Is it output or completing tasks within a deadline? Is it performance or growth that are critical metrics that you cannot allow to slip when employees are working from home? Most people are more than happy to stay within the guidelines you set for remote work, but they must know what those are in order to adhere to them.

Over-Communicate

Communication is critical when leading a remote team, and it is hard to communicate too much. Employees thrive when there is an identified path to success, and in a remote environment, that means over-communicating. This applies to employees, too. Encourage feedback and questions, and make it known that it is not only acceptable, but encouraged, to ask for clarification. When teams are remote, there is no water cooler or coffee machine to gather around and chat, so re-creating those environments where the flow of information is a bit more informal can be a great experience. Many associations create a “water cooler” thread on messaging platforms such as Slack to fill this void.

Metrics that measure output and the quality of that output are a better way to measure performance than hours worked. After all, if key metrics like membership retention rate are achieved, does it really matter what hours your employee worked to achieve that goal?

Be Flexible When Appropriate

One of the biggest advantages of remote working is the flexibility it affords, not just for employees but also for associations. When possible, allow for flexibility. This could include allowing workers to adjust the hours they work to better align with their other responsibilities or equipping teams with the tools they need to better collaborate as a group, even though they are physically distanced. Remote workers have become quite adaptive and creative at finding ways to excel in this new environment, and organizations that embrace flexibility gain the most from an engaged team.

Find New Ways to Measure Success

Gone are the days of clocking in and out at a certain time and taking a lunch break at the same time each day. Unfortunately, many organizations fall into the trap of continuing to measure success and progress with things like virtual time clocks. Instead, look for other ways to measure your team’s performance. Metrics that measure output and the quality of that output are a better way to measure performance than hours worked. After all, if key metrics like membership retention rate are achieved, does it really matter what hours your employee worked to achieve that goal? This won’t be applicable for every position or organization, but to the extent that you can, find alternative ways to measure success and watch your organization’s performance and employee morale flourish.

Use Technology

Workers don’t like feeling as if they are being spied on. In fact, that’s a surefire way to damage trust and morale, and it can lead to high turnover of key team members. Utilizing technology to measure performance not only automates the process of keeping tabs on team members, but it is less abrasive than frequent emails, phone calls, or instant messages that serve no other purpose than to see if someone is really working. However, if you institute technology to help measure performance, be sure to be upfront about it (see tip #1).

Remote work is here to stay, and associations of all sizes and styles will continue to employ staff who are remote for the foreseeable future. Being intentional, putting thought into policies, and clearly communicating them to your remote team will allow them to thrive, and your organization to continue to grow.