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How do you manage interns remotely?

Cyrus
5 replies
I have tried many things and they all failed. * give them project with clear deadline, objectives, follow ups and … * simple tasks, * I even micro manage, * … Nothing seems to work. They are always late, forget to deliver tasks or don’t do anything at all. Everything seems to be fine until the Zoom call ends and then on the due date, nothing. Any advice ?

Replies

Meghna Singh
Hello @Cyrus The following are the eight things that will help you manage remote interns. 1. Regular communication 2. Trust your interns, don't micromanage 3. Onboarding opportunities 4. Make your interns a part of the team 5. Use the right technology 6. Give feedback and ask for feedback 7. Be flexible and real Plan a weekly or monthly presentation for interns to discuss what they have learned. You can also prepare a logbook for interns to record their daily activities. This will greatly improve excellence and accountability. Inquire about your interns’ welfare and how they are faring outside the workspace. Show that you care. With the trend of remote work and fast advancements in technology, virtual internships are fast becoming the new normal. Get prepared and design the right structure for that productive experience with your remote interns.
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Cyrus
@meghna_singh1 Honestly, I tried all of this. They don't work. Just like @ilya_uglianitsa said, we have to be realistic and have a clear reward for people. Those 7 things you mentioned, will only improve the relationship, but without a clear reward they will not work.
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Ilya Uglianitsa
What i learned in a hard way (about myself included): is that after certain age you won't do anything just for fun, experience, learning opportunities, etc. Your brain just stop working this way. You need some reward, and not the abstract one (like skills, experience, etc). And not a delayed one - for most people. Most people get motivated when they see a clear connection - "if i do X - i will get Y in reward". And "if i won't do X - i will not get a reward" - there should be some stakes. So, what i can advice: 1) Find new interns (yes, unfortunately) 2) If you can’t pay them, establish some other reward. For example, if they do 70% of task during week, on friday they get a free pizza. If 100% - pizza and 2 cocktails in nearby bar. The thing is the reward should not be symbolic. Pizza and cocktails have at least some ‘real’ value I know this sounds a bit dumb. But I think sometimes we underestimate behavior psychology and our animalistic brain. Hope this will help
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Cyrus
@ilya_uglianitsa I tried this on Monday and so far it has worked. From now on I'll only focus on hiring interns who are doing the internship for their studies. This way there is a clear reward and consequence involved. I'll outline all the tasks forehand in the contract so there are no confusions. Before, I was trying to get them involved and allowed them to make decisions. But tbh, this has not worked out very well for me.
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Dany Chepenko
How do you feel, what's their intrinsic motivation for working with you? What they sign for?
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