Working from home has become the most in-demand job perk, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. With that in mind, more businesses than ever before are operating remotely or hybrid, allowing their workers a greater balance in life. Managing a remote team comes with a set of challenges that aren’t relevant in a physical setting, but there’s plenty of technology and methods to overcome these and improve productivity.
Arrange Daily Check-Ins
Working from home can be great for your employees, but it comes with several challenges including loneliness, distractions, and the daily struggle to get motivated. With this in mind, you need to make a point to check in with your team. Use this time to answer any questions, give out news announcements, and find out what is and isn’t working.
Promote Social Interactions
Social interactions between colleagues are essential. It boosts productivity, blows off steam, and brings everyone closer together. Even though your team is remote, there’s plenty of socializing to do – video conferencing platforms exist for a reason. If you’re stuck for inspiration, you can explore remote activities here.
Have Trust in Your Team
Your team works at home because they wanted a little more freedom, so don’t take it away by micromanaging them. Instead, you need to have trust in your team and leave them to get on with their work.
This doesn’t mean you can’t monitor progress and make contact if you notice that someone may be struggling. In fact, you should be using employee scheduling and time-tracking tools, which allow your team to punch in and see what they need to get done. Once they’ve finished a task, they can mark it as complete and you can see this from the dashboard.
Lay Down Boundaries
The nature of remote work typically means that the traditional working day goes out the window, as employees can work on projects whenever they like. However, this means they’re likely to have burning questions at times that don’t suit the management team. Therefore, before you get your team started on a project, put a few boundaries for communication in place. By setting down these boundaries, your team knows where they stand and you won’t spend all day answering queries.
Leave Time for Meaningful 1v1s
Having a team check-in is great for boosting morale, but not everyone will be comfortable voicing their truths in front of the team. Therefore, you should schedule regular 1v1 meetings, which gives you the opportunity to discuss progress, goals, concerns, and anything else that comes up.
Make Sure Your Team Has Access to Tools
Your team will rely on various digital tools to get their work completed, so it’s important to make sure that everything works and that you have enough logins to suit the needs of your business. If a member of your team can’t access a system, they may choose to act oblivious, which will hinder productivity for your entire team.
Remote work makes up part of the post-pandemic “new norm” we’re living in, and it’s here to stay. Managing remote teams involves setting boundaries, arranging check-ins, loosening the reins, and trusting that you’ve hired the right people.