So you just hired a remote employee? What next?

The next steps are the most important because you know that great results can only happen under good leadership. Therefore, it’s imperative that you figure out how to properly manage your employees; onsite or remote. But for the purpose of this article, we’re focusing on remote employees.

Managing a remote team isn’t as simple as sending remote employees a laptop and a welcome email. In a traditional office setting, you can just stop by someone’s desk for a quick chat or observe your employees to see where they are struggling, or even notice mood changes. This isn’t to discourage anyone, but remote work is different. 

You can’t tell how an employee is feeling behind the screen, you can’t physically supervise them, and there could be communication gaps. Employees might even feel isolated or unsure of the expectations the company has for them. This means that there is a need for proper oversight so that preventable issues don’t come up.

The best way to mitigate this is by hiring a line manager to directly manage these employees. They help keep things on track, provide clear expectations, offer support when needed, and make sure your new hire is integrating well.

In this article, we’ll explain why remote employees need a line manager and how having one in place can make all the difference in productivity and performance.

Employee Engagement

Gallup describes employee engagement as those who feel “involved in, enthusiastic about, and committed to their work and workplace,” part of which comes from their belief in the transparency of their company and colleagues.

A line manager contributes massively to making an employee feel involved. Remote employees don’t have the luxury of casual office chats or in-person recognition, so without structured engagement, they can easily feel disconnected or overlooked.

A direct line manager makes sure each employee under their supervision feels included. This can be done by checking in on them, hosting team bonding activities, recognising achievements, giving feedback, etc.

It’s best to avoid making your employees feel disconnected or overlooked because that could result in a series of problems, such as a lack of motivation or productivity.

Guidance & Support

Without a line manager in place, how would a company know when their employees are lost and in need of guidance and support?

The short answer? They wouldn’t.

Without a line manager, there’s no structured way to identify when an employee is struggling. In a remote setting, it’s even harder to spot when an employee needs proper guidance and support, especially when they don’t know how to ask for help. 

A line manager can act as a safety net and help guide an employee through any difficult situation they face at work. They ask the right questions and know when someone is struggling.

When employees know they have someone to rely on, they feel more confident in their job and are more likely to take initiative and perform at their best.

Greater Productivity & Performance

One of the biggest advantages of having a line manager is the boost in productivity and performance. In fact, research from Stanford Business School shows that strong management practices can drive productivity up by as much as 20%.

A line manager makes sure employees know what’s expected of them, stay on track with their tasks, and have the support they need to do their best work.

Regular check-ins keep things running, making sure no one is silently struggling or working in the wrong direction. Deadlines are met, projects stay on track, and employees actually get their job done because they know what’s expected of them. 

Exactly what the company needs from its employees.

Improved Corporate Image

With the existence of platforms like Glassdoor and LinkedIn, the importance of having a great corporate image is greater than it has ever been. 

Employees share their experiences, and potential hires take those reviews very, very seriously. A well-managed team leads to positive feedback, while poor management can quickly damage a company’s image.

When we say “corporate image,” it’s not just about a company’s branding, but also about how employees are treated within the company. And in remote teams, that experience is shaped largely by their line manager.

When a remote employee’s work experience within a company has been excellent, they are going to write a post about it on LinkedIn, commending the company and their direct manager for making the work experience amazing. But when the work experience is difficult, they are most likely to leave a bad review on Glassdoor, and trust me, you don’t want that.

Improved Employee Morale

When it comes to getting the job done well, attitude matters. 

Happy employees give the best output. Therefore, it’s best to have your employees pumped up and excited to achieve the goals set by the company, and one person who plays a key role in maintaining morale is their line manager.

Sure, team leads and department heads can give the occasional pep talk, but the person who keeps that momentum going every day is the line manager.

A lack of proper line management can lead to employee morale declining, and over time, this can lead to disengagement and lower productivity.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, the importance of having a good line manager cannot be overstated, especially in this age when remote work has become the norm.

If you run a company, and your employees work remotely, it is imperative that you have effective line managers if you want to get the best out of your employees.