If you’ve ever had to manage a remote team, you know how difficult it can be. Many challenges come with managing people who work remotely, but many benefits are also.
You might not have the same office space as your employees, but you will have greater flexibility in hiring talent from all over the world.
This post provides 11 tips on what you need to do to manage remote teams and take advantage of these benefits effectively!
Set Expectations And Stick To Them
What you say is what they will do.
Make sure to set clear goals with your employees so that everyone knows their role and how it fits into the company’s bigger picture. Employees are less likely to have a negative attitude if they know exactly what is expected from them at work every day, which is why setting expectations should be one of your top priorities when managing a remote team.
Create A Communication Plan
Communication is key, especially when you can’t just walk over to someone’s desk and talk to them about a problem.
Make sure to have a communication plan in place that outlines how often employees should be communicating with one another and how they will be communicating. This could include things like video conferencing, messaging apps, and email.
Encourage Employee Participation
Employees who feel like they are a part of the team and their work is important are more likely to be productive.
Make sure to encourage employee participation by giving them opportunities to give feedback, provide input on projects, and contribute their ideas. This will help your employees feel like they are a valuable part of the company and not just a number.
Create A Routine
It can be easy to get sidetracked by things like laundry or dishes when you work from home.
Creating a routine for yourself can help you stay focused and productive during work hours. This could include things like set working hours, breaks, and time devoted to tasks that need to be completed each day.
Track Employee Productivity
It can be difficult to know how well your employees are doing if you can’t see them working.
Use a tool like RescueTime to track how much time employees are spending on different tasks and programs.
Give Feedback And Recognize Achievements
Your remote team will appreciate your praise just as much as an in-office employee would!
Make sure that you give regular feedback so that employees know what they are doing well and where they can improve. Recognize achievements, whether it’s an employee hitting a goal or completing a project on time to show your employees that you appreciate their hard work.
Appropriate Education And Skill Level
When hiring for a remote position, it’s important to make sure that the employee has the appropriate education and skill level required for the role.
You don’t want someone who is unqualified struggling with a task because they don’t have the proper training. Take the time to properly screen candidates so that you are only hiring people who are a good fit for the role and have the skills necessary to do the job.
Inspire Your Members To Be Independent
As a remote manager, one of your goals should be to inspire your members to be independent.
This means that you should gradually give employees more and more responsibility as they prove themselves capable of handling it. This will help them become more self-sufficient and allow them to focus on other tasks.
KPIs
As a remote manager, it is important to track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure your team’s success.
Some common KPIs include things like employee productivity, customer satisfaction, and social media reach. Tracking these metrics will help you identify areas where your team could use improvement and make changes as needed.
Cultural And Language Barriers
When working with a remote team, you will most likely encounter cultural and language barriers.
Make sure to take the time to understand your employees’ culture so that you can work together effectively. You should also make an effort to learn basic phrases in their native language if they prefer not to speak English when communicating with one another.
Manage Distractions
It can be difficult to manage distractions when you work from home.
Try creating a specific area in your home that is designated for work, and make sure everyone on the team knows where it is appropriate to talk/answer calls, so no one feels like they are interrupting someone else’s day.
