Best Practices for Managing a Remote Team

A remote team, sometimes referred to as a geographically dispersed team or a virtual team, is a group of people who communicate via electronic means. The members of a virtual team are frequently spread out around the globe.

Have you ever had a serious talk with a coworker and discovered you have a lot more in common than you thought? Or received a present from a manager that demonstrated his real concern? These “human” moments help a team become much more than its pieces.

There is an antiquated belief that remote employees are unable to form meaningful interpersonal ties. This can make remote workers feel abandoned or excluded from the “actual” team. It’s only a small step from that feeling of neglect to subpar work, which managers frequently mistake for the employee’s incompatibility with the organization.

The term “remote” should not be misunderstood. The concepts of managing a remote team are similar to those of managing an in-house team in many ways. You’ll be on the right track if you keep your focus on people, procedures, culture, and communication.

Here are ten suggestions for establishing a management structure that will allow remote workers to play an important role in your company:

1. Hire for a certain purpose

Recruiting people with complementary talents, skills, and experiences, regardless of where they are located, will go a long way toward creating a well-oiled machine. Personalities, attitudes, and mindsets that inspire ideas, control friction, and foster autonomy are important characteristics to watch for.

 

2. Establish a stringent on-boarding procedure.

Execute an orientation program as soon as a new remote hire is made to familiarize them with everything from the company’s history, visions, and goals to the specifics of the employee’s job tasks and where they fit into the broader picture. A successful on-boarding process includes all area of your company’s operations, from product education to the new software that the employee will be utilizing.

3. Establish Consistent Methodologies and Processes

This will be the yardstick by which employee performance will be judged. Everyone on the remote team, from beginners to veterans, should be on the same page about how to act, whether they’re dealing with internal questions or calming unhappy clients, for the sake of consistency. Setting standards will also aid in streamlining and increasing productivity.

 

4. Establish clear guidelines and hold people accountable

Setting explicit expectations will allow you to have both autonomy and accountability. Employees should be aware of when they are expected to be available throughout the day, as well as the quality of work they are expected to produce. This is especially important for a remote employee who will be working alone without the support of coworkers. Once again, his on-boarding process and understanding of the big picture will aid him in gaining his bearings.

 

5. Create a Vibrant Culture

Fact: Remote workers aren’t mindless zombies who enjoy being glued to their computers. They are people who are looking for a stimulating work environment. In the remote job, impromptu deeper conversations are tough to come by. Video chats, pre-planned hangouts, and communication boards, on the other hand, can all help to bridge the gap between distant workers.

Encourage your remote workers to communicate with one another, set up a buddy system, and encourage friendships. Share the results of your collaborative work, client directives, and company news with your remote team, and make sure they’re plugged in to all-hands meetings so your in-house staff can hear their voices.

6. Employ the Proper Equipment

Online communication tools are your buddies when it comes to remote teams, and some are required to function properly. For remote staff management, we recommend at a minimum the following software stack:

• A real-time communication tool, such as Slack, for in-house and remote personnel.
• A project management platform, such as Trello, that allows remote workers to stay up to date on the status of all shared initiatives.
• A screen-sharing/video-conferencing application, such as Life-size, so that managers may meet with employees in person and provide them with constructive comments on their work.
• A shared file management system, such as Google Drive, that allows employees outside of the main office to search and access assets.

To make remote work as seamless as feasible, use as many of these technologies as possible.

 

7. Work in a Time Zone That Isn’t Yours

Don’t let the fact that you’re in separate time zones get in the way. Allow your remote staff to work when they’re most productive, keeping in mind that they may start or finish their task later than you. Make time for the entire team to collaborate as a whole, as well as one-on-one meetings with each team member. Change schedules as much as possible so that no one gets trapped in an inconvenient pattern.

 

8. Promote camaraderie while crushing ego

Any team member can easily seek advice or evaluate anybody else’s work as a result of having an open culture focused on friendship. Members of remote teams should be encouraged to voice their thoughts, ask questions, and accept feedback in a courteous, welcoming environment, as this is a critical component of attaining better results.

 

9. Maintain an open mind

So you’ve hired the appropriate individual and briefed them on everything from business culture to expectations. It’s now time to let them go. It’s important to remember that micromanaging undermines a sense of accountability. So trust your new recruit to follow through, give them some leeway to design methods that work best for them, and leave room for a few missteps – they’ll teach you a lot.

10. Take precautions

The ability to sincerely care about your people is maybe the most intangible management characteristic. It’s the magical ingredient that can turn a group of employees hunched over a project into leaders in charge of your company’s expansion. Knowing that they aren’t just cogs in the wheel, that their work matters, and that they matter is what will help your remote team become fully integrated into your company and achieve enviable results.

And, in case you didn’t notice, many of the things above all come back to communication, which is what, more than anything else, makes a remote team work properly. When it comes to managing a remote team, make care and communication your two pillars. The rest will take care of itself.

SOURCE: CRIDIBLY BLOG