Keeping Up the Momentum and Productivity While Working from Home

It seems like just as we were all ramping up to take on busy season, the COVID-19 pandemic came along and forced us all to go home and pick up where we left off. For most, this is easier said than done — emails and social media are simple enough, but we’re left wondering how to oversee a catering team from a distance.

While you may be a strong leader in face-to-face context, turning that experience into a virtual interface can be challenging for many. Trust and communication become essential, since you don’t have the privilege of walking to a team member’s space and checking in.

We spoke with our catering experts to see how they’re faring and they had some helpful insight to share with caterers everywhere as we face these difficult circumstances.

 Connect with them regularly

As the leader of your team, you need to be prepared to stay in near-constant communication with them to ensure they understand their remote responsibilities. This isn’t an excuse to be a micromanager, but you need to double down on your communications compared to when you’re in the office and working together in person.

“You have to be in touch with your teams,” says Adam Gooch of Common Plea Catering. “What you do now will determine your future when things start back up again. We will not be able to rehire new teams and train them very successfully, so making sure that your current team is engaged is important.”

Set aside time for yourself

Your employees aren’t the only ones who may find themselves struggling to remain productive; you’ll also likely face the same fatigue after one too many video calls. Just because you’re home 24/7 doesn’t mean you need to be accessible 24/7; be sure you are creating space to dig into your top work priorities instead of getting caught up in the weeds.

“It’s easy to get caught up in Zoom meetings, emails, and social posts, so unplug an dedicate time for specific tasks,” encourages Alan Berg of Wedding Business Solutions, LLC. “Don’t try to do everything, rather make a shortlist of things you want to accomplish and finish those. Then, make a new list.”

Be honest and transparent

This pandemic is a crisis we’ve never faced before. Naturally, nobody is quite sure how to handle it so we’re all figuring it out on the go. You may very well have your own concerns but, as a leader, you need to shelve them for a moment and think about your employees’ needs. After all, they’ll be looking at you for answers and you need to be prepared to at least tell them you’re working on it.

“Leading a company remotely is certainly doable and can be highly effective when done in a strategic way,” shares Meryl Snow of SnowStorm Solutions. “A big part of maintaining morale is through transparent communication. Your team is watching the news too; they see what’s happening and might have their own fears and concerns. Hear out their questions and ease their worries as needed. Honesty is always important, but it’s especially critical in times of crisis.”

Fortunately, our mandated work-from-home statuses are temporary and we’ll be back to the old grind once the pandemic emergency has settled down. Until then, the best we can do is keep ourselves motivated, ensure our employees are engaged, and plan for our inevitable return to business-as-usual.