Becca Van Nederynen is an expert in remote management. She is Head of People Operations at Help Scout, a web-based help desk where 100 percent of staff work remotely. Her team focuses on recruiting, hiring, and developing employees who thrive remotely and strives to keep staff well connected in a virtual environment. She has previous experience working in database marketing, product marketing, product management, and user research.

The novel coronavirus outbreak has forced many companies to implement mandatory remote work, an arrangement that for many is completely new and daunting. And while employees can find a plethora of advice columns online on how to make telecommuting a positive experience, there is less guidance available for managers on how to effectively lead their remote staff. According to Owl Labs’ 2019 State of Remote Work report, 15% of remote employee managers surveyed received no level of training on how to manage this growing labor force.

The remote workforce has substantially changed the labor market forever, from the hiring process to expected benefits, from employee retention to technology costs. Yet, only about three quarters of remote employee managers have received some level of training on how to manage this new labor force.

This week, Skye Learning is excited to spotlight Justin Kates, a subject matter expert for the AEM^®/CEM^® Prep Course (U.S. version). This new course was created in partnership with the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), who offer the nationally recognized Associate Emergency Manager and Certified Emergency Manager certifications.

Kates is a Certified Emergency Manager and Master Continuity Practitioner. He is Director of Emergency Management for the City of Nashua, NH and Region 1 Vice President for IAEM. What’s more, Kates is an advisor for Decision Aid, an emergency management and business continuity consulting firm; an adjunct faculty member at Rivier University; a board member and Vice Chair of Volunteer NH; and more.

Organizations have always faced the need to change, but—with the current rate of technological change, intense competitive pressures, shift to a knowledge-based economy, and globalization—change has become more common and even more crucial to success. As such, leading change is an important skill for managers.

While many management experts have estimated that some 70 percent of change initiatives fail, more recent research suggests that finding valid and reliable empirical evidence of such a failure rate is problematic.

This week, Skye Learning is spotlighting Ann Connolly, a retired management consultant with a specialty in business strategy. Connolly is a subject matter expert for the Certificate in Leadership for Women in Business. Throughout this certificate, she discusses networking, communication, management, negotiation, and other leadership skills, especially as they relate to women.

Connolly has more than 30 years of experience within the financial services industry. During her career, she specialized in retirement, asset management, banking, and insurance.

Managers are often called upon to handle change in their organizations. Some changes are small and do not require much of a manager. But many are significant, requiring a strong leader to orchestrate the details. Whether it be handling new products, new technologies, new people, or new departmental missions, managers must be able to deal with change in an efficient and non-disruptive way.

This week, Skye Learning is excited to spotlight Shelley Mitchell, a subject matter expert for Skye’s Certificate in Sustainable Management.

Mitchell has an impressive academic background in natural resources management and strategic management. Dr. Mitchell is a professor of Management & Sustainability at Hult International Business School. She has also taught at the University of New Hampshire’s Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics and is the former Executive Director of the Seacoast Land Trust. Dr. Mitchell holds a B.A. in Forestry and Natural Resources Management, an M.B.A., and a Ph.D. in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies.

New managers should expect a learning-curve when transitioning into a leadership position for the first time. The process of adapting to new responsibilities, goals, and challenges takes persistence and determination, along with support from our peers, mentors, and superiors.

Moving From Peer to Boss

Moving from peer to boss can be challenging because you will need to establish a new relationship with friends who were peers and draw upon the boundaries of that new relationship when making decisions.

As part of its "Project Oxygen," designed to improve managerial performance, Google analyzed more than 10,000 performance reviews, feedback surveys, and other reports to figure out what makes a manager effective. After analyzing the data, the company circulated eight behaviors that managers could model to improve the quality of their management. Check out our latest infographic to learn more.