Managing Employees and HR

How to handle workplace gossip

CommunityTeam — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:37:00 GMT

By Reed Richardson

"Have you heard the latest?" Every day, this phrase or one similar to it, can be found in nearly every workplace, whether it's written in the subject line of a discreet intra-office email or spoken in hushed tones across the water cooler or behind cubicle walls. What follows this conspiratorial come-on is more often than not unverified, unsubstantiated, and occasionally unseemly information, the type of office chatter that can appear, on its face, as harmless speculation or good-natured ribbing but that, if left unchecked, could ruin someone's career or wreck someone's business. Smart business owners, in other words, should recognize that office gossip and workplace rumors can have a profound effect on their bottom line and that not having a strategy to handle them could be a recipe for disaster.

"You're never going to erase gossip altogether," acknowledges executive coach Peggy Klaus. "Still, I really counsel people and businesses to stay away from it as much as possible because it's an energy-suck, a time-waster, and it's very debilitating for morale." A recent Randstad survey of more than 1,500 U.S. employees found that most employees recognize the pernicious effect of gossip. In that survey, three out of five adult workers listed gossip as their top workplace pet peeve. But if so many of us view gossip as annoying, unwelcome behavior, why then did the survey also find that only 8 percent of workers complained to their boss or supervisor about it?

A natural tendency
"It's just human nature," explains Klaus. "We are social, and gossiping is seen as a way to build relationships and alliances with people. It also lets you feel like you are in the know and more in control." And she points out that this tendency for employees to secretly speculate about who's up and who's down or what a company's future holds is exacerbated during turbulent economic times. "Anxieties are at an all-time high right now," she notes. "And the recession is like a giant Petri dish for gossip."

Coupling this economic uncertainty with a small business can make for even more trouble, says human resources trainer Hunter Lott. "Think about the potential effect that one or two gossips in an office of 20 can have versus an office of 200," he says. "Because of that, it's more imperative for small companies to stay on top of office gossip and rumors."

Gossip may be at least somewhat true
It can be a challenge to do that, however, since office gossip often begins as a slight embellishment of the truth. In fact, social scientists Nicholas DiFonzo and Prashnat Borida, authors of the book Rumor Psychology, found during their research that "most workplace rumors are 95 percent accurate." Matt Shollenberger, a licensed counselor from West Chester, Pennsylvania, who has worked with several victims of workplace gossip, agrees. "If the gossip is something that's believable, it's harder to defeat," Shollenberger says. "Whereas outrageous rumors are usually able to be squashed very quickly."

Still, business owners ignore outrageous rumors at their peril, he notes, as those have the greatest potential for harm. Shollenberger says he has counseled several clients whose careers unraveled because they could not shake nasty personal rumors about themselves, many of which put them in a kind of a Catch-22. "Despite denying all the gossip and swearing a rumor isn't true, co-workers and supervisors can still remain suspicious of a gossip victim because, well, what else are they going to say in their defense?" Shollenberger notes. "And if an incendiary rumor about an employee goes unaddressed by HR or management for too long, the victim can start to feel isolated and betrayed, like everyone knows the gossip." That kind of poisoned work climate-where petty office politics outranks productivity-can soon lead even well meaning companies astray and makes a company ripe for a lawsuit.

Make your values clear
To combat an out-of-control gossip situation, business coach Klaus counsels her business clients to first give a "state of the union" speech. "You come out and reiterate your company's culture and values and be very clear about what will and won't be tolerated," she says. In addition, she recommends that small business owners then follow up by providing their employees with safe, non-judgmental ways of dealing with serious, hurtful rumors, like a confidential suggestion box, an open door policy, or, in cases that might directly involve the boss or business owner, third-party mediation. "The more transparent the process and the more feedback you give, the better," Klaus says.

Human resources consultant Lott notes that, to be effective, any anti-gossip effort must not play favorites. "What I tell bosses now, especially those in small businesses, is that there is a performance aspect to every job and there is a behavior aspect to every job," he explains. "They are separate, but equally important elements." If this clearly becomes a company's standard, Lott says it becomes much easier to discipline that obnoxious salesman whose customers love him but whose rumor-mongering is detrimental to the office atmosphere. "It's great to have a behavior policy as a benchmark," he adds, "but it doesn't have to be an official policy as long as there are clear, commonsense consequences to bad behavior."

A teaching opportunity
To prevent minor office rumors from spiraling out of control (and to save small business owners from constantly refereeing petty squabbles), it's also a good idea to teach employees how to address or deflect gossip on their own. The number-one way to do this, most experts agree, is confrontation-+diplomatic+ confrontation. "Gossips typically don't like being confronted," says licensed counseler Shollenberger. And he adds that gossips will typically back down and think twice about doing it again if they're faced with the prospect of repeating their rumors directly to the subject or if someone else calls their bluff and suggests they take action instead of complain behind another employee's back.

Nevertheless, confrontation, while good in theory, rarely occurs in practice. The Randstad survey of workplace pet peeves found that just barely over one-third-34 percent-of workers were willing to express their displeasure directly to the gossiper. This unwillingness to confront a workplace gossip often arises from two distinct worries.

The first of these, Klaus acknowledges, is the very real fear of being ostracized, something she says she has experienced first-hand. "I was teaching at a graduate program in England and a colleague kept trying to get me to provide him with some personal information about someone else," she explains. When Klaus wouldn't comply, she says she quickly became persona non grata among most of the staff and, for a couple of weeks, no one would really talk to her. "You're suddenly seen as a self-righteous prig or goody two-shoes and you're not one of the cool kids anymore," she explains. "So, it's not surprising that when it comes to confronting or rebuking a gossip, we often don't do it."

The right way to confront
The other main obstacle to directly addressing a nasty office rumor revolves around the fear of instigating an ugly shouting match at work. But confrontation, Shollenberger explains, doesn't have to turn into a conflagration. "So many clients, when they come to me, don't know how to diplomatically confront someone," Shollenberger acknowledges. "I teach confrontation with a small ‘c.'"

To do this, he counsels against using the word "you" when addressing a potentially gossiping co-worker. "That word puts people on the defensive right away," he says, heightening the chances of a conversation escalating to something unprofessional. In addition, he recommends following up with sets of what he calls "facts/feelings." "For example, you might say ‘I've heard a nasty joke is being told behind my back about my recent absence from work and that makes me feel angry and hurt." This strategy, Shollenberger explains, gives the gossiper the benefit of the doubt and prevents minor misunderstandings from erupting, while, at the same time, making clear the repercussions of the rumor and the fact that it won't go unanswered.

In the end, perhaps the best way to reduce gossip and workplace rumors is to preempt them from happening in the first place. "When employees don't know what's going on or why certain decisions are being made, that's when gossip and rumors start up," says Lott. "So if a business wants to prevent gossip and rumors, a simple solution is to talk with employees as much as possible to fill that communication gap instead." After all, gossip doesn't tend to go very far around the office if the answer to "Have you heard the latest?" is always "Yes, I have."

Tell Me About Yourself

SBOCTeam — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:29:00 GMT

Great interview questions that get to the heart of a job candidate's capabilities

By Reed Richardson

Be prepared
You would never run right from a conference call into a job interview if you were trying to get hired, so you shouldn't engage in the same, careless behavior if you're going to be the one doing the hiring. Instead, spend at least 15 to 30 minutes before an interview going over a job candidate's resume so you can prepare some intelligent questions specific to their background and experience. After all, if you're really interested in hiring this person, you don't want them walking away from the interview thinking that you and your company are so disorganized that they don't take hiring employees seriously. Dianna Podmoroff, author of 501+ Great Interview Questions for Employers, notes that she has seen many of the same small business owners who agonize for weeks over the purchase of a new server or whether or not to switch cell phone plans turn around and spend almost no time at all preparing to interview an employee they might end up paying $50,000 a year.

Set an agenda and follow through
To make the job interview run smoothly, stay within the applicant's time limits, and don't get sidetracked. Mary Massad, managing director of recruiting services at Administaff, says it's imperative to set an agenda at the start of an interview. Doing this builds rapport with candidates and immediately makes them more comfortable because they have more of an idea of what to expect, she explains. This, in turn, means a candidate's answers will be more relaxed and truthful. Massad counsels to take a personable, but professional approach to the interview. "You can make a little small talk," she says, "but then it's important to dive right in."

Match candidate to boss
Interviews conducted by the human resources department-if your small business is large or lucky enough to have one-should be thought of as screening interviews only, says John Kador, author of The Manager's Book of Questions: 1001 Great Interview Questions for Hiring the Best Person. In other words, HR can weed out questionable candidates early on, but they should rarely, if ever, be used to make a final hiring decision. That should only happen after the potential employee has had an in-depth interview with the actual supervisor or boss that he or she would be working with. "Any company that doesn't conduct job interviews with managers or supervisors is making a huge mistake," he explains. "That's the only real way to figure out if a candidate is a good fit."

Conversations, not clichés
"Use questions that prompt conversations," explains Kador. "Try to keep candidates off of the canned, formulaic quotes or answers." To do this, avoid using old-fashioned questions like "What is your greatest weakness?" or "What would your former boss say about you?" Instead, Kador recommends employers have the interviewees describe themselves using one-syllable words and then give a reason or example that supports that word. Or, Podmoroff suggests eliciting real-life situations from the interviewee's past and how he or she handled them. "The best indicator of future performance is past performance," she explains. "So rather than asking a job candidate about what they would do, ask them what they did do."

The devil really is in the details
To better make sense of a candidate's answers and get sufficient information to make a hiring decision, Administaff's Massad says it's a good idea to employ the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) or SHARE (Situation, Hindrance, Actions, Result, Evaluation) formats when taking notes. "What we get in many instances from candidates are great sounding answers, but, in fact, they are really vague about their specific role or the outcome," explains Massad. Consequently, she says it's important as an interviewer to set a goal of always getting as specific an answer as possible, so you can determine if that given example or referenced skill set would be transferable to your organization.

Look for job fit and culture fit
This is essential, notes Administaff's Massad. "Most companies use job openings as the beginning and end of their search," she says. But smarter companies also ensure that the decisions made when filling staff positions also adhere to a larger vision of what the business is all about. As a result, interviewers should not only be thinking about whether a particular job candidate can handle the job but whether or not he or she would be happy and satisfied while doing it. "You screen for aptitude," she says, "but interview for fit."

Let the interviewee ask some questions, too
A promising candidate should have things they are looking to find out, things that likely won't be found on your web site or in your corporate literature. Specific questions about the co-workers and supervisors related to the position or current and upcoming projects as well as broader, long-term growth inquiries are signs that a candidate has done their homework and is legitimately interested in joining your team, says Massad. By the same token, she says that interviewees that display a more self-centered focus and only ask questions about pay, benefits, and vacation time may be telling you just as much about themselves as their earlier answers.

Employer Interview Resources
-Sample job interview questions for employers
(humanresources.about.com/od/interviewing/a/one_stop.htm)
(http://www.career.vt.edu/JOBSEARC/interview/questions.htm)
-10 common job interviewer mistakes
(articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-10881_11-6179941.html)

Get Out of the Office

SBOCTeam — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:06:00 GMT

Providing your employees with a reliable social support system is a key way to ensuring they stay happy and productive

By Max Berry

The link between work stress and serious depression should be a concern for every small business owner, but the way to keep your employees happy and productive may be simpler than you think. A 2007 study conducted by researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center-and subsequently published in the American Journal of Public Health-found that, while five percent of those surveyed had struggled with serious depression, employees who felt socially supported at work were far less likely to be afflicted. Scheduling some social time for you and your coworkers away from the office is an excellent way to keep your own support system strong.

No Job is ‘Just a Job'
"Our work defines who we are. It defines you in a way you don't realize," says Dr. Emma Robertson-Blackmore, an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester and one of the leaders of the medical center's study. With so much of a person's life spent at work, the dangers of feeling isolated or unsupported at the office are very real. Employees who are unhappy in their lives are going to be unhappy in their work. That equates to unproductive time at the office and an increased number of sick days, both of which spell bad news for office morale and a company's bottom line.

Employers are often leery of encouraging office fraternization, fearing it could become a distraction. However, an office friendship is far less treacherous a distraction than isolation or unhappiness. As Robertson-Blackmore puts it, "Having someone to blow off steam with is an instant pick-me-up."

And, while the office may not be the ideal place for blowing off steam, Robertson-Blackmore contends that, wherever the steam is released, being able to release it with coworkers is important. "If you tell a spouse or family member about something you're going through at work, obviously they'll listen to you," she says. "But they're not in your work environment. [Your coworkers] get where you're coming from."

Oh, The Places You Could Go
To both encourage personal bonds between coworkers and perhaps pave the way for more socializing outside the office, consider taking your team on regular field trips. Where you go will depend on who's going with you, but here are a few ideas.

The company picnic is a tradition for a reason. A picnic is informal and may make for a good first outing, since no one will be intimidated or inhibited by the surroundings. This goes doubly for employees' family members who, presumably, will be meeting for the first time. Picnics can also be potluck, which makes for an inexpensive day.

A formal sit-down dinner at a nice restaurant may be appropriate once coworkers have already had a chance to bond and are comfortable enough with one another to enjoy the more upscale environs. A nice dinner is also a good way to celebrate an achievement at work. Plus, employees with families may appreciate the chance to have a kid-free night out.

If you are looking to include the kids, an amusement park is a viable option. Many offer discount packages for large groups or corporate events. Note, however, that roller coasters and water rides aren't everybody's speed. Gauge your staff's enthusiasm before booking the group package.

A ball game is the perfect idea for the sports fans on your staff, and even the non-sports fans will likely be interested in taking in the atmosphere. Many companies also take part in office sports leagues. This can be excellent team-building for the right group, but a word of caution: Many of your employees aren't athletic, and many others may possess a heartier competitive streak than their coworkers. Both scenarios can lead to more division than unity amongst your staff. Tread carefully.

If you're looking to bring some culture into the equation, consider a concert or a play. Many people don't make time for cultural events on their own, and would appreciate the thought. This is another good option for a first foray into extra-office socializing since it eliminates the need for small talk at the start of the evening and gives coworkers an instant conversation starter once the show is over.

A Supportive Home
Still, for any of these activities to be successful, social support must begin inside the office. Robertson-Blackmore advocates open channels of communication between coworkers and, perhaps even more importantly, employees and managers. "It comes back to a supervisor, someone invested in what you do," she says. "Being aware of an employee's needs can make such a difference."

The workplace need not turn into an arena for venting personal problems, but the knowledge that a certain degree of moral support exists is important, as is making the conscious effort to foster that support. "The facts of a workplace play a role in the health and wellbeing of employees," says Robertson-Blackmore. "A supervisor or manager has to make the [work] environment as supportive as possible so that their staff will be as productive as possible."

How Many Current Employees are in Your Departure Lounge?

SBOCTeam — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:19:00 GMT

By HRExpert

Nobody likes to talk about it, even though it is happening in workplaces all across America - employees who have decided it is time to fly the coop. Departure lounges are overflowing with these types of employees - all waiting for their final boarding call.

Employees rarely start a job thinking they will tour around the company for a while and then seek greener pastures, and yet it happens all the time. Here are five things you can do to prevent employees from taking flight:

Guard Your Exits

Are employees exiting as quickly as you are hiring them? If this is the case, there is a malfunction in your hiring system. Closely examine all the parts of your hiring process to determine which pieces must be fixed. For example, suppose turnover is particularly high during the first 90 days of service. Ask yourself the following:

Are we hiring the right types of people for these jobs? Yes, it is nice to hire Ivy League graduates, but are they really well suited for beverage sales?
Are we accurately representing our jobs to candidates? If your administrative job descriptions sound more like the CEO's job, then it is time for another re-write.
Are we over-promising and under-delivering? Perhaps it is time to get real. Sure, we would all like to operate like Google, but few companies actually do. Accurately describe your work environment and let candidates decide if the fit is right for them.

Now is a great time to dust off plans you may have designed for a formal exit interview process. Start asking exiting employees what you could have done differently to have prevented them from leaving. You will then have the information you need to make changes before others fly out the door.

Formally welcome everyone onboard

Imagine a place where employees are welcomed before they even set foot on company soil. This would be a place where employees feel connected before their first official day of work. Some might even start recruiting their current co-workers to join them on this new journey. Welcome to the world of Onboarding.

Onboarding is the one chance you will get to create a positive new employee experience. Just think how productive you might have been during your first few weeks or months of employment had your current or former employer taken the time to make you feel welcomed, valued, and prepared. Come to think of it, if they would have done this, you might still be working there.

You might be thinking that you don't have time to hold someone's hand or that all employees should have to suffer just like you did. Would you feel the same if you knew that with a little effort, you would have more time to focus on other initiatives besides replacing newly-hired employees?

Make checking-in easy

Could your check-in systems use some improvements? Do your employees have to stand in long lines just to have a conversation with their manager? Are employees fully aware of how well they are performing? Or is last year's performance review still on your desk waiting to be completed?

Checking-in is a two-way street. When it comes to performance, both employees and employers should know what the other is thinking. Provide feedback throughout the year so employees can adjust their performance, while seeking feedback from employees regarding ways you can improve the management of the company.

Drop the Excess Baggage

Nothing weighs a company down more than excess weight. Do you have marginal performers hiding out behind strong team members? Are employees still in your employ who have received their fifth final warning?

In this economy, you cannot afford to have anyone or anything slowing down the momentum in your organization. Look around and begin the process of eliminating excess baggage. You will be surprised how many top performers change their travel plans once they see you are committed to building an organization of outstanding employees.

Throw in some perks

The trend of slicing and dicing employee benefits seems to be quite popular during lean economic times. Many organizations have started to charge employees for items that used to be free. But is this really a way to retain the people who you will be asking to take on more responsibility during tough economic times?

Show your employees you care. Figure out what types of perks motivate your team and then start thanking them properly.

Make these changes now and you will not have to fret the next time you hear the phrase, "This is the final boarding call..."

Bio

Roberta Chinsky Matuson is the President of Human Resource Solutions (http://www.yourhrexperts.com) and has been helping companies align their people assets with their business goals. She is considered an expert in generational workforce issues. Roberta publishes a monthly newsletter "HR Matters" http://www.yourhrexperts.com/hrjoin.cgi which is jammed with resources, articles and tips to help companies navigate through sticky and complicated HR workforce issues. Click here to read her new blog on Generation Integration http://generationintegration.typepad.com/matuson/. She can be reached at 413-582-1840 or Roberta@yourhrexperts.com.

Campus Candidates

SBOCTeam — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:43:00 GMT

Hiring recent college grads makes great business sense. Plus, given the chance, they could even teach you a thing or two

By Max Berry

Despite what some recent figures from America's job market would have you believe, companies of all sizes are hiring new college graduates at a higher rate than in years past. A recent survey conducted by CollegeGrad.com found that 60% of American companies surveyed plan to recruit more grads in 2008 than they did last year. The reasons for the upswing are many, as are the potential benefits of hiring some new grads of your own.

Graduate Perks
"Small companies drive the engines of job creation," says David Bedard, author of Graduate and Grow Rich. "Up and coming companies need young grads." In sluggish economic times, this may be truer than ever. Recruiting and training a new graduate at an entry-level salary is much more effective for a small business owner on a tight budget than seeking out a more experienced prospect who is already used to higher pay. Factor in the number of baby boomers reaching retirement age-not to mention the salary space they leave behind-and hiring an energetic young grad begins to look like the smartest move of all.

"More than anything, grads are looking for a break and a mentor," says Bedard. And a mentorship should not be taken lightly, especially when a young employee, just beginning their career and eager to make an impression, is so amenable to the ideas and strategies of a mentor.

There are logistical benefits to hiring new graduates as well: They're more tech savvy than generations past; they haven't had time to put down roots and are more willing to relocate than someone with a family; many of them are in debt, and will be extra motivated to get themselves back in the black. Plus, after 18 years of the classroom, new graduates are anxious to apply all that hypothetical knowledge to a real-world job-and they have the energy to do it.

The New American ‘Intrepreneur'
For all that new grads have to offer, an employer needs to offer just as much in return. "There is no such thing as a cradle-to-grave job anymore," says Bedard. "If [new grads] have any entrepreneurial spirit at all, they're going to want to test the waters."

This entrepreneurial desire to "test the waters" may have helped propagate the myth that Generation Y is a flighty bunch; pampered, demanding, ready to give their two weeks at the faintest whiff of a better offer. While Bedard concedes that the reputation may be earned in isolated cases, more than anything these children of the entrepreneurial age are, as Bedard puts it, "looking for the fit," the job that will satisfy their independent, hands-on ambitions.

When it comes to courting America's brightest graduates, the ability to offer them that may be the key advantage an independent entrepreneur has on a major corporation. A national or multi-national corporatioin is regimented in a way that may not appeal to this generation, one that subscribes to what Bedard has dubbed the "make-a-job instead of take-a-job mentality."

A small company can't offer a new graduate the signing bonus or inflated salary that a large company can. What it offers instead for a young person, hungry to find their fit and test their skills, is a stake in the future of a company, be it through stocks, profit sharing, or simply a more tactile handle on day-to-day operations. According to Bedard, a small company offers a twenty-something the chance to "be an entrepreneur within a job, to feed their desire to make decisions on the front line." Employees who look for the chance to do just that are what Bedard likes to call "intrepreneurs."

Small companies are also more likely to offer their employees flexible hours, providing for a better work-life balance, which, according to a recent CollegeGrad.com survey, now surpasses financial considerations for employees aged 21 to 30.

A Turning Tide
"More graduates are going for newer and younger companies rather than blue chips," says Bedard. He's right. Another CollegeGrad.com poll, conducted in February 2006, found that 70% of recent graduates surveyed would prefer to work for a small or mid-sized company than a large one. This may be due to growing suspicions-after years of corporate reorganization, downsizing, and, in the worst cases, outright scandal-about the scruples of many large corporations. "I see more emphasis in college and business school on ethics," says Bedard. "Ethics is a buzz word on campus and that's a good thing."

But as America's graduates begin to think outside the box as to where, and with whom, their first jobs can be found, America's entrepreneurs should keep their minds just as open. Don't rule anybody out too soon. Bedard recommends looking to smaller schools-those prowled less frequently by major corporations looking to make hires-and community colleges. "Community colleges are way ahead of four year schools when it comes to teaching entrepreneurship," he says. "They make it a part of their culture."

The benefits of making Generation Y a part of yours could be substantial.

Engaging From Afar

SBOCTeam — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:49:00 GMT

Keeping remote employees engaged can be a difficult task for a small business owner. But when managed well, your off-site employees can be just as productive as the ones you see every day.

by Max Berry

Sometime during the 20th century, the water cooler assumed a crucial position in the American office-it became a trading post not only for gossip and recaps of last night's television shows, but also for ideas and advice. With a growing number of 21st-century employees working remotely, the water cooler is a quieter place, its role more often filled by e-mail and instant messaging, videoconferences and webinars. Trading ideas used to be simpler, but that doesn't mean your small business has to endure a communication breakdown. Here are a few ways to keep your remote employees engaged and the conversation flowing.

Remote Connection
"It's all about staying connected," says management consultant Carol Hacker of managing remote employees. Regular contact via phone, e-mail, VoIP- or instant message is of course necessary for monitoring work flow and hashing out ideas, but members of a team who aren't working side by side need an established forum, one that can be accessed around the clock, on which to collaborate and check in with their colleagues.

Remote access services like those provided by Citrix (citrix.com) allow for remote workers to securely access and update centrally maintained information from their computers as easily as if they were working in the home office. Microsoft® Office Groove® offers a similar service, along with the capability to share files and create a workspace accessible to every member of your team.

With remote access to company information comes an increased security risk. However a manager chooses to keep his or her employees connected, an annual consultation with an IT specialist will help to ensure that remote connections to sensitive company and client data remain secure.

Being Clear: The Golden Rule
Once a reliable system is in place for remote employees to connect to the central office, a manager needs to set specific protocol for relations between the two entities. Since a manager can't be on-site to monitor remote employees directly, Hacker recommends creating a reference manual for remote workers. The manual should provide detailed summaries of company policy regarding data security and backup, project deadlines, appropriate use of company-issued equipment (especially notebook computers and other portable devices), the frequency with which a remote employee is expected to check in with the manager, and appropriate response times to requests and inquiries from the central office.

As Hacker puts it, "The most critical thing a manager can do is manage expectations." This means delineating, on a project-by-project basis, the objectives, deadlines, and anticipated challenges of every task a remote employee takes on.

Of course, the value of a remote employee's work can't be judged by hours logged in the office. Since they are not able to observe the way a remote employee goes about his or her task, managers must set clear guidelines pointing their employees to the desired end result. Assessing a remote worker's job performance requires a manager to trust the employee to meet company standards using his or her own strategy and technique. "Managers need to measure success by results," says Hacker, "not activity."

Keeping The ‘I' Team
A major component in job satisfaction is working with others toward a common goal. Feeling isolated from the rest of the team can diminish a remote employee's morale and hurt job performance. It is up to the manager to keep a sense of camaraderie and singular purpose among employees, remote and otherwise.

The first thing to remember is that some employees simply aren't cut out for remote work. Either they need supervision to be productive or they simply get listless if they aren't around a surplus of people. Managers looking to hire remotely should address these issues during the interview phase to make sure a new employee can handle the remote environment.

Regularly scheduled face-to-face meetings and social events can stave off the disconnected feeling in remote workers, as can the occasional "just because" call. "Don't always call [remote employees] when there's big news," advises Hacker. "Call to check in." Informal gestures like this quash the potential for a Charlie's Angels dynamic, in which a recognizably named-but eternally unseen-leader provides instructions only when necessary, and only by telephone.

But the opposite tack can be problematic as well. Hacker warns of becoming a "helicopter manager," an employer who compensates for a lack of face time by checking in too often, hovering from afar. This can be just as damaging as infrequent or impersonal contact. "It speaks to a manager not trusting his or her employees," says Hacker. "If you do that, you're going to alienate your best people."

Of course, employing remote workers also offers myriad benefits to employees, managers, and clients. A satellite office in a different time zone means staggered hours to help meet customer needs. A prospective employee who would have faced a long commute to a company's central office may be closer to a satellite office or, if both manager and worker are okay with the idea, may even be willing to telecommute. Remote offices with small staffs appeal to workers who prefer quiet and detest interruptions. And this is to say nothing of what working remotely can do for an employee's confidence. "Remote employees have the ability to approach their work according to their own strength and preferences," says Hacker. "They're almost entrepreneurs."