Did you know that remote working is not a new concept? 17% of U.S. employees were already working from home before the pandemic.
However, the pandemic ushered in a new era of remote work on a scale we’ve never seen before, and we only expect it to keep growing as more workers adopt it as their preferred working style.
While managing the performance of remote teams scattered across the world is a challenging task, it is very vital for the success of your business. In this article, we’ll share ten valuable tips that will help you manage your remote team better. Read on to learn more.
How to Manage a Remote Team
The key to managing remote teams is creating an environment that helps everyone thrive. As you’ll see with all the tips we share below, it’s about setting your team up for success and not imposing strict rules.
1. Set clear expectations
In order to ensure good performance, it is imperative that you define and set clear expectations with your team. What do you expect from everyone based on their role? How much time do you expect them to spend on tasks? And most importantly, how many hours per day do you expect them to work every day?
Setting these expectations can help align everyone’s understanding of what success looks like.
2. Regular and structured communication
Communication with remote teams can be very complicated, especially when everyone is in different time zones. That is why it is important to create communication structures that enable smooth collaboration.
A regular and structured communication schedule helps team members stay connected, receive updates, and have the opportunity to ask questions or seek clarification. Some of the considerations you should address include:
- Your team’s preferred method of communication i.e., Slack, email, or Zoom
- Preferred timings. For instance, is there a regular meeting that everyone needs to attend, and is the timing favorable for them?
- Expected turnaround times for communication.
A good communication structure will help your team deal with changes, schedules, deadlines, and challenges in a timely manner.
3. Provide regular feedback
When everyone is working from home, it’s easy to feel isolated. However, providing timely and constructive feedback can help motivate remote employees and encourage their growth.
Regularly acknowledging individual and team achievements is also important to let your team know that their contributions matter.
Acknowledging individual and team accomplishments is essential for remote performance management. Celebrate successes, whether big or small, to boost morale and motivate remote employees. Implement meaningful rewards and incentives that align with the team’s goals and values.
It’s also necessary to provide constructive criticism when needed, as it helps team members understand their mistakes and make improvements.
Here are some tips you can use to ensure your feedback is effective:
- Give timely feedback
- Always provide context
- Give actionable resources
- Pay attention to how you give feedback
- Offer honest feedback
- Make sure your feedback is uplifting and not demeaning
4. Foster a culture of trust and accountability
Building trust among remote team members helps increase productivity, efficiency, loyalty, and engagement at work. However, this can be tricky since remote workers don’t have the opportunity to interact in an office setting.
Here are some tips you can use to build trust within your remote team:
- Encourage open communication
- Promote collaboration
- Focus on employee well-being
- Be transparent
- Don’t micromanage
- Address your team’s challenges
- Encourage fun, non-work-related activities
5. Utilize remote team management tools and technology
Technology is a critical element in the success of any remote team. It can help facilitate communication, task assignment, progress tracking, and performance evaluation.
There are many tools available in the market for managing remote teams and facilitating successful collaboration. Here are a few tools that can make work easier for your remote employees:
- Communication - Slack
- Screen sharing software - Crank Wheel
- Scheduling - Calendly
- Project management - ClickUp, Trello, Asana
- Video conferencing - Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams
- Document management - Google Drive, Dropbox
7. Support professional development
Investing in the professional development of remote team members can help boost their skills and engagement. Offering training and development opportunities can help your employees become better at what they do, which results in better performance.
Encouraging continuous learning through professional summits and conferences can support career growth and make your employees feel valued and motivated to perform at their best.
8. Encourage collaboration and teamwork
Cross-functional collaboration within remote teams can help develop unique and effective solutions. To promote collaboration, establish channels and platforms that encourage knowledge sharing, brainstorming, and teamwork.
You can also foster a sense of teamwork by organizing virtual team-building activities, which can help strengthen the bonds between team members, even when physically separated.
9. Establish Processes and Documentation
When working remotely, you cannot walk up to a colleague’s desk and ask a question, hence the need for clear process documentation. Establishing processes can help when onboarding new team members and bringing them up to speed with how you work. Other benefits of having SOPs include:
- Consistent results
- Enforcing compliance
- Improving efficiency and productivity
10. Monitor and adjust performance management strategies
Finally, in order to maintain and improve team performance, always review and assess your performance management processes regularly to ensure effectiveness. As your team grows and evolves, there will always be new issues that need to be addressed and new opportunities for growth.
Also, remember to collect feedback from remote team members and evaluate their responses. You might find missed opportunities and adjustments that might help you enhance your team’s performance.
Conclusion
In order to effectively manage your remote team, you need to be proactive and highly adaptive. Remember to set clear expectations, provide regular feedback, foster trust, and utilize appropriate tools and technology to drive success in the remote work environment.
In addition, adapting strategies and staying attuned to your team’s evolving needs is crucial in achieving long-term success. By implementing these ten tips, you can overcome the challenges of remote work and create a high-performing remote team that will drive the growth of your business.
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