It is no longer a question of whether your organization is ready for the sudden transition to a flexible work arrangement. Businesses need to face the music - the most sustainable path in surviving the economic impact of this pandemic is to adapt to remote work.

When managers think of employees working from home, the first question that usually comes to mind is, do people have the right technology or access to accomplish their tasks? Along with questions like who has a laptop? Can they do conference calls at home? These are indeed important questions to ask, but focusing only on the technology component might misguide you into forgetting to address the most critical aspect in ensuring productivity - accountability.

Accountability is indeed a loaded word, as it is often used to convey responsibility in employees to do what is expected of them. Accountability drives results, we know that but we can never force accountability, just because it is needed! Accountability doesn't just happen, nor is it something already ingrained in a person. It is a product of the right leadership, and the right management. The right leadership brings clarity to employees when it comes to the business direction, the goals and the role they play within those plans. The right management provides clear expectations and communicates well ensuring things get done. It sounds like a simple logic, but many businesses fail to set up an environment that breeds accountability in teams. More often, than not, managers rely on employees to just be accountable at work. This issue can be more profound and highlighted in times like now where teams don't get to share the same physical space, and interactions have been reduced to virtual meetings, calls and emails.

To help you build an environment that allows accountability for remote work, these tips will help you to understand the following:

1. A clear Vision.

   The clarity of your vision, direction and expectations is crucial to get the best out of your team in any given situation.

2. Managing a remote team.

   You won't get accountability from micro-managing. There is a need to establish trust in your team and focus on the outcome, rather than simply the activity output.

3. Communicate, communicate!

   Remote work equates to less supervision, but it should not mean less communication - if anything, over communicating is the key.

4. Meet-ups?

   Meetings are needed more. A morning catch up with your team to plan the day, can be short and on point. What will be accomplished? Where they need help? These should always be part of the daily agenda.

Given the right leadership and management, a remote-working team can be remarkably productive and can even outperform their usual outcome when working in the same physical space at the office. These seven core principles will help get you started in designing and building an accountable remote workforce.

Is remote work benefiting your business? Are you confident in your current organization structure? Download a copy of our HR Organizational Health Check to assess the current state of your HR. This is a simple, do-it-yourself form that will give you a clear picture of what you have and don’t have and the possible risks to your organization.