For a variety of reasons, working from home is becoming more popular with each passing year. Not only does it reduce traffic and help businesses save money on office space, but younger employees look for that type of flexibility. This means if you want to attract the much-desired millennial worker, you need to be open to at least partial telecommuting options.
But not all employees work well on their own. One of the best ways to run a remote workforce successfully is to recognize the various personality types of your team and design a work environment that suits everyone. Using TTI Success Insights’ D.I.S.C.: The Language of Observable Behavior, you can design a remote work plan that gets results.
Make It Flexible
Remote work has become popular because it allows employees to set up an environment that works best for them. However, while personalities driven by Dominance and Compliance thrive when working in quiet environments, Influence-driven types need human interaction. Giving employees the option to come into the office can help everyone find their fit. For workers who aren’t nearby, subsidizing a coworking space may be the best option.
Use the Right Tools
Technology is essential to success with remote work. Make sure you offer your employees a variety of ways to communicate with each other throughout the day. Project management tools can help Steadiness-dominated personalities get the stability they need while also giving you ongoing feedback on how projects are progressing. Although time-tracking tools can help you keep slackers at bay, Dominance-ruled personalities tend to be less productive in situations where they’re being controlled and monitored.
Bring Everyone Together
Every employee, no matter their personality type, benefits from at least an occasional in-person meeting. Make sure your entire team comes together every now and then, even if it means paying travel expenses for those who don’t live nearby. Many companies do annual or quarterly meetings offsite to bring everyone together for bonding time and brainstorming. This will especially benefit Influence-dominated team members, who will be able to better relate to coworkers when emailing and chatting after they’ve met in person.
Remote work will only become more common in the coming years, so it’s important that employers find ways to work with employees who aren’t on site. Once you’ve set up your environment to be remote-friendly, you’ll likely find your team naturally engages in behaviors that make it easier to manage them remotely.
