orchestrating this shift from a brick and mortar law firm to remote status can be challenging even when you aren’t under the time constraints presented by COVID-19.
If you are working through the technical logistics of setting your employees up to work remotely, whether, by server or Cloud, I encourage you to go to the PILMMA Website, and listen to Ken’s first COVID-19 Law Firm Survival Webinar, recorded just a few weeks ago. In it, Ken talks with PILMMA member Rebeccah K. Sapp, (who took her firm to Remote status in mid-March), along with IT Guru John Simek. This Webinar will give you practical knowledge to help you make the transition.
However, Going Remote is only the first step- Now, you must figure out how to Motivate and Manage a Remote Team of Employees and do so for an unknown amount of time.
10 tips for managing your remote law firm employees
Here are 10 Tips for Managing Your Remote Law Firm Employees, so that you can remain operational, keep your staff motivated and productive, while keeping your firm moving forward during COVID-19 and thereafter.
1) LEADERSHIP: Many companies have been operating successfully with remote employees for quite some time. And with all the technology available to us today, going remote can and will work for you and your firm. So, take a deep breath; You’ve got this!These are strange, unprecedented, and difficult times for all of us, firm owners and employees, alike. Your employees are dealing with the stress and fear associated with COVID-19 while simultaneously trying to adjust to working in their home environments. They are isolated from their co-workers, friends, and management and are apt to feel overwhelmed. Many will also be taking care of small or school-aged children, and trying to supervise their schoolwork, or keep them entertained and busy during business hours. Your employees will suddenly have a great deal of additional weight on their shoulders, but with encouragement and consistent communication lines, they will rise to the task. You and your team will likely experience an unavoidable learning curve. You must adjust to leading a group of employees remotely, and they must adjust to working in an entirely new environment. Empathy and understanding should be the order of the day. Employees won’t care about YOUR business if they don’t feel that you care about THEM. If you want them to be vested in your firm’s continued success and exceptional client service, you must be vested in them. Reassure them that you understand that they are adjusting to substantial immediate changes and that their jobs are safe. Your job is to rally your troops! You are your firm’s key Leader and play a pivotal role in keeping your team calm and focused. While fear is contagious, so, too, is steady strength and calm.
