How to keep in touch with colleagues without turning into Big Brother

Peter Gradwell is no stranger to achieving this balance; he founded his internet services provider company Gradwell during his second year at university and 13 years later, he now employees around 46 members of staff at his offices in Bath. Peter explains how he keeps in touch with the team, without seeming as though he’s spying on them:

“It’s important to strike a good balance here, as you want to encourage your employees to remain productive in their work, but you don’t want them to think you’re Big Brother. Technology can be used in a subtle way to achieve this. With systems like Gradwell One, you can view the status of colleagues across mobiles, desktop phones and computer-based softphones, so the user receives calls on the device they are currently using; if you make a call on your mobile, then colleagues using a desk based handset will know you are engaged. This can be used by all staff, as it is useful when re-directing calls to other members of the team, so it’s not as though it is for the boss’s eyes only.”

Judith Ludovino has run her own PA business for seven years and employs six staff. She said: “We’ve used Gradwell’s internet services and telephony for years now and I like the fact I can monitor what is going on with my team and view who is spending time on specific jobs.

“We have social gatherings at least once every three months; this doesn’t sound often but when you are working with each other almost every day, time away from the office is really precious, as our out of hours social meetings give the team a chance to catch up with plans and provide their input in a relaxed setting.”

Peter Gradwell’s top tips for keeping in touch with colleagues are:

• Think about how often you want to be in touch with colleagues, or if they’re able to manage themselves whilst you’re out of the office. If they’re more than capable, they probably won’t appreciate lots of calls checking up on them.

• Use social media effectively by asking your staff to provide quick updates via websites like Yammer. It’s like Twitter, but designed for companies and groups to communicate with each other and share ideas, files and links. As it’s an online system, it can be accessed anywhere – and it’s free!

• Use timesheets and project management tools to give you an understanding of what your staff are working on.

• If being the boss means you’re out of the office for long periods of time, ensure you still meet up with your workforce for socials or meetings; this can strengthen relationships and make everyone feel they’re as part of a team.