5 Tips for Successfully Managing a Remote Team
The majority of companies have been operating remotely since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, with major players such as Google, Facebook, and, Spotify announcing their employees can remain remote until 2021, it is evident that remote work remains part of the foreseeable future.
Managers who were previously thrust into abruptly adapting their management styles to accommodate remote work without the appropriate resources must now accept that remote management is here to stay and therefore must have systems in place to effectively manage their team.
Luckily for you, we have compiled five remote work management tips to help business leaders manage a remote team!
1. Create a work from home policy
Protect yourself and your workers by drafting a remote working policy. This will keep your workers on track and protect your business against possible legal issues which can occur from staff operating remotely.
What should a work from home policy cover?
Eligibility - Determine which job roles can be performed remotely
Expectations - Set expectations regarding working hours, break times, response time expectations via different communication platforms, designate specific channels for different forms of communication and set performance expectations
Equipment - Be prepared and willing to offer your workers the equipment required to complete tasks remotely safely
Data security concerns - Ensure systems are in place to protect business data and limit the cybersecurity risks of working from home. Cyber attackers have used the increased dependence on a virtual world spurred from remote working to their advantage. Alarmingly, phishing email attacks surrounding COVID-19 uncertainty increased by over 600% since the end of February. This highlights the importance of data security, therefore if possible your remote working policy should state that all work must be performed on company based laptops if possible, which is equipped with anti-malware software to protect your company's valuable data.
2. Check in with workers individually
According to a survey on remote work conducted by Buffer in 2019, two of the main issues remote workers suffered with included unplugging after work and loneliness.
Workers are no longer experiencing the social side of face to face interactions that take place within an office, and therefore may feel isolated from virtually communicating every day.
As a manager, it is important to upkeep the relationship and regularly check in via video calls to understand each workers personal circumstances. It is also advised to set deadlines and discussions with workers in order to establish a culture, and set expectations for accountability.
3. Use collaboration apps
One of the major difficulties faced when managing a remote team is the ability to track each worker's progress on tasks. Take advantage of remote work communication and collaboration tools such as Slack, Asana and Trello which will virtually allow you to see the status of tasks, create new tasks and set deadlines for your workers. This will also help them work towards deadlines and visually manage their workload.
4. Keep your team up to date
Workers can easily become disorientated and isolated when operating remotely, hence why it is important to provide your team with regular updates and announcements from the companies leadership team on internal matters.
The absence of chitter-chatter in the office can result in some workers missing out on key topics of discussion which traditionally may have been overheard in open environments. Consider sending a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly communications emails on internal matters or hosting regular video team meetings.
5. Be inviting and available to your team
As a manager, you should make yourself available to speak to individual workers informally often, whether that is for a fun catch up chat after their weekend or a midweek virtual coffee. These small actions can make your virtual relationship more personable and helps workers feel engaged and more willing to share problems that they may be experiencing. It is also important to provide your workers with regular positive and constructive feedback to encourage and motivate them.
Key takeaways to successfully manage a remote working team
Managing a remote working team may require you to adapt a different leadership style and communicate with individual team members more often via different collaborative tools to create a sense of culture and accountability. You must be willing to adapt in order to virtually manage your team through challenges as remote work is no longer an idealistic view of the future, it is here and for many companies here to stay.