Managing a team of remote employees is going to be a lot different than when you’re in the office—there’s no way to avoid it. But it’s still your job to monitor productivity and address any issues, including providing necessary resources to keep staff on track.

Here are a few tips to help you better manage your law firm employees when working from home.

Talk every day

Communication is more important than ever. When your team is remote, make sure to schedule regular meetings, every day, including team meetings and one-on-ones. It’s important for staff to still feel like they’re part of a team, even if they’re not physically in the office.

Aside from video conferencing tools like Zoom, integrate an employee chat tool, like Slack or Google Hangouts, so staff can connect throughout the day and share their experiences.

Monitor productivity metrics

It’s also important to set goals and deadlines when managing remote staff. It can be more challenging to monitor productivity when working from home, so these metrics are crucial in growing and sustaining the firm.

Productivity metrics to track include the number of meetings being held, client communication stats, missed deadlines, customer response times, number of emails sent or opened, and many more. Make sure that during regular team meets goals are clearly outlined and individuals know what they’re responsible for.

Be flexible

Many staff members may be stuck at home with their families, struggling to manage childcare, homeschooling, and work at the same time. Be flexible and open-minded when staff are working at home.

Sometimes their work hours may need to be shifted to accommodate their home responsibilities. Or, they may need other communication options if their space or resources are limited at home.

Provide training opportunities

When you have a grasp on productivity metrics and needs of employees, you can start to recognize new training opportunities. Some staff members may not be the most tech-savvy, so ask for feedback about their experiences using new tools, like chatting and video solutions. Keep the conversation going whenever a new platform is being released so you can share webinars or resources that these technology companies offer new customers. For example, sometimes app owners will offer live training for teams of new partners.

Keep up morale

Many employees working from home aren’t getting their usual social outlets. In addition to holding regular meetings and check-ins, hold virtual social events so that team members can connect. Schedule game nights or happy hours where they can let loose and discuss what’s going on in their lives.

Another way to keep up morale is to ask for regular feedback from employees—not only regarding work but also whether they are struggling with their new remote work arrangement or mental health issues.

It’s important to always be a resource and support for a remote team. These suggestions will get you thinking about how you can maintain productivity for the law firm while prioritizing their needs.

If you need a cloud-based application to improve client communication and case management, get in touch with the NextChapter team to learn about the intuitive platform for attorneys.