INSYNC
Be accessible to your off-shore manager
Managers come in various shapes and forms. They also come with many complications. The new complicated manager is remotely placed on the other side of the globe, yet, with full control on your operations. People often say that it might be difficult to manage a remote team. Very little is said about the fact that employees and team members must also learn a bit of management to work well with the manager who is accessible only virtually. Here are some pointers that help you
work effectively with such a manager.
Have everything in writing. Document recordings of all your meetings and request emails from your off-shore manager so that you have no hassles with any administrative manager here. Likewise, express your feelings in a positive manner. The catch here is that you should refrain from expressing negative comments on email. Seek regular feedback from your manager and store such communication for your future reference. Never assume any instructions from your manager and do as you wish. Seek clarification about specific issues before you begin doing anything.
Attend meetings regularly and punctually. Try to get into the good books of the off-shore manager in the little amount of interaction you get. If you abstain from the regular meetings, it might be considered as disinterest towards the job as a whole. Stay in touch with your manager through email, regularly updating him about the progress that you have made. Speak out your concerns without any hesitation. Off-shore managers are often more than willing to solve your problems. Deal with any work related issues directly with your immediate manager. Direct communication fosters better interpersonal relations and improves trust and employee morale.
Plan your meetings and be pro-active. An off-shore manager admires the fact that you are pro-active and ready with all the necessary information even before the manager is about to speak about it. Do your homework before getting in touch with your manager online or through teleconferencing. As a pro-active employee, you get better recognition than being reactive and merely following orders. Indeed, this rule applies to all employees regardless of the type of the manager.
Put forth new ideas to improve your work. Managers normally work hard to ensure that your productivity is on the rise. If you try to prove that you can manage on your own and your focus is also in improving productivity, none of your efforts will go waste. Most managers are unsure about your work circumstances and hence can suggest few ways to improve your work. Thus, it would be an advantage if the ideas come from your end.
Prepare a weekly report that specifies what you have done in the past one week and past month. Your manager might not consider this mandatory. Yet, this prevents many issues that might crop up in the future regarding your work and performance. Prepare a small document at the end of the week.
Manage your time to remain accessible to your manager during emergencies.
A software programmer must ensure that he is accessible during the release time of the products. Likewise, an internal recruiter should be available late in the evening if necessary to gather the manager’s comments after any interviews with prospective candidates.
Keep someone informed at your workplace. Even though your work involves only interaction with off-shore managers and employees, ensure that you keep one of the managers at your workplace updated about your schedules, meetings, and any other progress. Build a rapport with teams at your workplace.
Remaining aloof only adds to your loneliness, which may lead to job dissatisfaction. Administrative managers are often entrusted with the task of rating you during appraisal times about your interaction with colleagues at your workplace. Refrain from speaking negatively about your manager to the people around you.
Never underestimate the speed with which such information reaches your manager.
Likewise, do not speak negatively about people around you to your manager. This might disrupt the peace at your workplace.
Stay away from gossip-mongers and try to seek any clarifications directly from your manager as and when you feel necessary.
CHAKRAVARTHY TENNETI
faqs@cnkonline.com
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Opportunities
