Leadership Lessons from the Field

Managing Remote Operations in Isolated Areas

Leading from a warm office with a stable Wi-Fi connection is easy. Collaboration flows naturally when everyone is at the same desk, and team-building exercises are simple to implement when everyone shares the same zip code.

However, leading is much more difficult when you’re out in the field. You can’t host a walking meeting when you’re working at an offshore oil refinery, and you should take care to ensure that communications are not reliant on spotty Wi-Fi when leading a crew in an underground mine.

Managing remote operations in isolated areas requires a safety-forward, proactive approach to leadership, too. Doing so ensures that people are certain of their responsibilities, feel safe in their work environment, and have the tools they need to overcome logistical obstacles.

Well-Being, Safety, and Emergency Response

Promoting the health and well-being of your employees is one of your core responsibilities as a leader. Ensuring everyone is healthy and happy boosts productivity, reduces the risk of human error, and helps you build a more risk-averse place of work. However, when working in the field, things are sure to go wrong eventually.

Planning emergency response for remote work locations can keep your team safe and increase your chances of responding appropriately should something go wrong. An effective response plan should include:

• A thorough risk assessment;
• Second opinions of other experienced employees;
• References to other effective businesses and the response plans they’ve created;
• A list of unique hazards that you will face when in the field;
• References to local support and response capabilities (i.e., nearest hospital/contact details for the fire department, etc.)

Implementing a response plan requires constant training and re-training. You’ll also need to keep standards high during the weeks and months when you’re away from the office, as safety standards tend to slip when workers fall into a routine. This approach can help you avoid common hazards at workplaces like oil rigs and develop strong, authentic bonds on-site with your team.

Proactive Safety Inspections

Responding to an emergency properly ensures that everyone is able to work safely when on-site. However, in an ideal world, potential catastrophes will be spotted and mitigated before they can become emergencies. This proactive approach to safety inspections is a core tenant of leadership when working in isolated areas. As a leader, you improve morale and ensure the safety of your team by conducting workplace safety inspections that include:

• Scheduling: Regularly scheduled tests of equipment and procedures ensure that operations meet safety standards and can aid your efforts to spot defects.
• Preparations: A communication plan should ensure workers know the safety inspection is coming up in the next few days or weeks.
• Distraction-Free Inspecting: Minimizing distractions during inspections protects productivity and gives safety inspections a better understanding of your day-to-day operations.
• Recording and Reporting: Recording the hazards you spot is crucial if you want to improve the safety of your work environment. A robust post-inspection report can help you advocate for a larger safety and inspection budget, too.

Once the inspection has been conducted, you must follow up quickly or risk an OSHA penalty. These penalties can be costly and are sure to undermine morale at work. If you’re unsure how to improve safety, follow in the footsteps of other remote operations managers and request compliance assistance, educational support, and further OSHA training.

Fostering Cohesion in the Field

Safety is central to remote leader’s efforts when working in remote, isolated areas. However, leaders who excel in oil rigs, mining sites, and offshore refineries also know how to help their team bond. As a leader, you can learn from the leadership lessons from the field by utilizing morale-boosting tactics like:

• Recognition: Finding ways to recognize your employees’ hard work is key when working from an isolated area. Many employees will miss their families when working remotely and need to feel supported. Simple recognition strategies can go a long way when working away from home.
• Team Building: Employees naturally form strong bonds when working in remote locations. Facilitate this bonding and team building by ensuring that your workplace is inclusive and that cliques do not form when working away from home.
• Autonomy: Those who work in isolated areas tend to work long hours due to the nature of the role they’ve taken on. Avoid the temptation to micro-manage and give staff autonomy over how they complete their tasks. As long as employees follow safety protocols and meet performance standards, they should feel empowered to complete their tasks in whatever way works best for them.

Working in isolated areas requires great interpersonal skills from leaders, too. Employees are certain to become stressed when away from their families; some may struggle to live without wifi or convenience stores. As a leader, you can smooth out these tensions by empowering your team, rewarding those who perform well, and listening to your staff’s concerns.

Conclusion

Effective leadership in isolated areas is all about minimizing workplace accidents while fostering a productive environment. As a leader, you can learn from the leadership lessons to improve safety at your place of work and improve morale when away from the office. Even simple changes like allowing employees to set their own working hours can dramatically affect productivity and morale.

By Indiana Lee, BOSS contributor