Inherited team that never meets in person through choice

[Daisythedonkey]

Hope someone can help. Recently been promoted to manage the team I have worked in for 4 years. I’ve worked my way up and did a large part of my boss’s job anyway so no problem being the boss and running the department so to speak.

However, boss was quite slack when it came to HR and pandered to the team (IMO). There is nothing medical or other personal issues that have led to the set up now (seen files etc.). Essentially I have a team member who lives 200 miles away who was employed during the pandemic and another who comes into the office one day a week, if that. A third who lives locally and can be in the office whenever. Prepandemic, everyone was in the office all the time and, if I’m honest, things were a lot smoother. There is zero team spirit now and very little informal communication. Office based team member misses sense of community and friendship, understandably really. It’s tedious rocking up to speak to no one all day!

I want to make everyone attend the office at least two set days/week. I don’t think this is too much to ask. Any advice/hints/tips?

*recruit, not recreate

@kirinm - each team seems to work as they wish in this respect. Some managers have everyone in every day! We have got off lightly compared with others for a long time. But once WFH has started to cause problems, I think there does need to be some more face to face.

Daily team check ins, ongoing teams channels, weekly team meeting on teams and monthly face to face. All perfectly manageable and will promote team work. No need to harbour resentment by forcing staff to come in a set number of days.

This is how we work.

We go into the office once a quarter.

Works fine

@dontlookbackyourenotgoingthatway - I’m not looking for a fight but I am going to ensure that the team are actually working when they should be. Knowing the remote person as I do, they haven’t been working as they should for a long time. The distance complicates things and I need more clarity on their contract wording. At least if they were present in the office, I’d know they weren’t off out for lunch or going shopping or all manner of other things I know (and I know because they’ve gleefully told me) they’ve done on work time.

This.

I work in a very similar setup to your team. I also joined in 2020 so mid-pandemic. I'd be pissed off if management just demanded we start coming in two days a week. I would approach the team and ask how they think things could be improved before throwing this one down. About 2/3 of our team would instantly leave if this happened. Could you manage that?

What research is this please? I’d be interested to see it. I do find relatively infrequent but purposeful and well-planned team days really helpful for team cohesion and for things like agreeing strategic goals and so on. What I’m not convinced about re the mostly-remote working environment is how it helps people develop day-to-day core skills, particularly early in their careers.

@Beachhutnut - that does sound sensible. How do you train new people? I was trained by office based colleagues. I need to onboard a couple of newbies but I can’t train them by myself as I simply won’t have time and would have delegated had I had a few more people in the office. It isn’t the same remotely and some parts can’t be done remotely.

Many companies and teams work remotely, absolutely no need to do face to face anymore.

If performance is an issue address is but if you can’t address it without physically having your staff sat in the same room then you probably need to do some more research and reading around management.

It’s not a case of remote not working, it’s a case of you assuming the cause is the remote working whereas it just sounds like your team are slack (which you were part of)

Sounds like you just want the power trip and ‘to show them who’s boss’. If your team gets the work done, why does it really matter where they’re doing it?

You're making assumptions- talk to them. It's literally your job, to support this person.

Find out (with kindness) what is going on with this person.

Or are you already planning to "manage them out", aka bully them to resign? That what this sounds like to me.

Why can't you train online?

@Grumpigal - yes, I was part of it but I’m the one who hasn’t been slack, hence the promotion! I know the team from the inside, hunter turned gamekeeper? Ultimately standards have not been as high as they should have been for a long time so I have been charged with pulling everyone into line, recruiting new people and generally getting things shipshape again. My manager is very pro-staff in the office and wanted people back full time originally. I have had to fight against that on behalf of this group already.

Be careful what you wish for, people can very easily change jobs with the way the market is now. We had a new middle manager rock up in one of our admin teams with the usual new ideas and within 2 months, every single one of the 8 very experienced staff had handed their notice in. The new manager then recruited and ended up with hardly any applicants and is now stuck with a team of school leavers with all the drama and constant sick leave that comes with that age group.

We had to go.back two days a week, worked well, we.did on a rota so ther was always.someone in the office with a manager to train or support newcomers etc.

Feels defeatist. There's a lot you can do to build team spirit remotely - and I can guarantee that people forced to come in are going to be building nothing good.

Me too.

Why would you even consider asking how to get people back in, before you even know their contract details?

and even if your office is the base on their contract, they have likely done the job for long enough that you can’t force them back.

if you don’t think they are working. Manage them. It’s your job.

I still can’t get my head round why the person who works in the offices feelings are so important.

You need to check the contract of the 200 miles away person. You probably can't compel them as if they live miles away they'll have a remote contract in writing. If they don't, you can ask them but reasonably you'll have to have expenses cover the train fare and a night in a hotel. They may be up for this, but if they have care responsibilities it may be impossible. If so, and you still insist, they will have grounds to go to tribunal for constructive dismissal.

IANAL, but I don’t believe this would constitute constructive dismissal. You can give notice of intention to change someone’s contract and they can choose to accept that or not. Do check with HR though if it is a remote contract.

I think you are being ridiculous.

If you genuinely think the very expensive error wouldn't have happened if they're been office based because they make have overheard about a change of process you are living in some sort of fantasy land.

If communication is an issue, you lead on improving it.

If performance is an issue, you lead on improving it.

Fecking hell, I feel sorry for your new team.

You are not addressing the core issues. If you have concerns re the remote worker's work, and not being available for team calls, then address that.

Write down your real objectives, and the real problems, then address them at source.

I'd need to root around to find it but do you know Bruce Daisley and the Eat Sleep Work Repeat podcast and Make Work Better newsletter?
In the newsletter in particular he rounds up the latest research all the time. Really interesting. Then he'll deep dive into some of it on the podcast.
You can access recent newsletters on his substack to see recent research roundups.

Agree with you that supporting new people and day to day skills is an issue in some jobs. Daisley has specific thoughts on that.

Actually, loads on this in last newsletter:

Productivity is down and bosses want you back in
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/productivity-down-bosses-want-you-back-bruce-daisley?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android&utm_campaign=share_via

I can't believe what I'm reading. Do you have any experience at all of managing? Of problem solving. If the remote worker isn't doing any work, then that can be addressed, whether they are at home. They don't need to be in the office, to be monitored. Do your job properly and mange the team!

You're the manager and if you think 2 days a week in the office is right and your own manager likes people in the office this is your call.

I did this with a previous team. No real issues. The person 200 miles away though....surely can't come in twice a week. I did bring someone this distance away once a week. Was a very long day for him.

Explain why. Make those days a success. Plan them. Review it after three months.