Hearing impaired woman working with laptop and talking on the phone at home or office

Many people across the country with the ability to do so are working remotely as this practice both supports the self-isolation needed to stop the spread of COVID-19 and also allows businesses to continue to operate. While working from home isn't possible for frontline cleaning workers, it is possible for others in the commercial cleaning industry, such as those who manage building service contractor operations, certain members of facility management and jan/san sales reps. For those managing people in those positions, here are some tips, courtesy of Rainmaker Thinking.

Those managing workers who are operating out of their home must come up with a system that maintains function. One way to do this is to come up with a way for employees and management to stay informed on each other's schedules. If the team members are partially working from home, then this meeting should take place when everyone is in the office. If not, these schedules could be communicated via other forms of remote communication, such as  email, conference call or video chat over smartphone or computer.

Speaking of video chat, teams and their management should discuss which form of remote communication works best for everyone.

Once the best form of communication has been determined, managers should schedule a series of times and dates to regularly speak with their direct reports. Prior to these one-on-one meetings, make sure that both parties are prepared for the meeting. After the meeting is done, the employee should email a recap of what they believe was agreed upon during the meeting, so that the manager can ensure that no details were not mistaken.

To read all of the advice Rainmaker Thinking provides on this topic, click here.