Much of the world has seen a dramatic shift towards remote work in response to the global pandemic. Companies have had to figure out how to manage their remote teams, while still keeping their customers happy.
Just 17% of US employees worked from home five days per week before the coronavirus pandemic. That figure jumped to 44% as companies began closing their offices to combat the spread of the virus.
Making these changes was by no means easy, especially for companies without remote work policies in place. To thrive in what many are calling the “new normal,” you need to know how to lead and manage remote teams.
What Is a Remote Team?
A remote team is made up of employees who work and collaborate towards business goals using digital tools. They could be in one geographical area or spread out across multiple time zones. Remote teams aren’t confined to a traditional office, so they have the flexibility to work from home or anywhere else.
Allowing teams to work remotely can lead to better outcomes in the long-term. It gives employees more autonomy over their work and allows for better work-life balance. But managing remote teams isn’t without its challenges.
Common Challenges When Managing Remote Teams
Remote work was already fairly common even before the pandemic. But not all companies had such policies in place that allowed employees to work from home. As a result, managers with no experience managing remote teams were caught completely by surprise.
Here Are Some of the Common Challenges of Managing a Remote Team:
- Little to no face-to-face interactions: It’s easier to develop stronger connections and relationships with your team through face-to-face interactions. But these types of communications are absent when managing remote teams.
- Distractions: The same problems that plague remote workers also apply to managers. Managers still have to contend with distractions at home (e.g., children, pets, house chores, etc.)
- Communication: Communication is key for teams to deliver projects on time. But even with communication tools like Slack and Zoom, communication is still a constant struggle for managers.
- Time zone differences: Not all remote teams are in the same geographical area. This makes scheduling meetings difficult if your team is spread across different time zones. If you need a project update, you may not hear back until the next day.
- Security: One of the main HR functions of remote HR management is to ensure all employees follow company security guidelines. But enforcing these guidelines is challenging as you can’t control all access points.
7 Best Practices to Lead Remote Teams
Data shows that remote work has a positive impact on productivity. 51% of respondents in a FlexJobs survey say they’ve been moreproductive working from home during the pandemic.
But just allowing remote work doesn’t automatically increase productivity. Follow these best practices to lead and manage remote teams.
1. Establish Goals and Expectations Early
Employees waste time when they have to figure out their responsibilities. Make sure to communicate your expectations early on to ensure everyone is on the same page.
Don’t make any assumptions here. Before a project, set clear responsibilities for each team member. For example, what specific tasks are everyone responsible for? When do they need them finished by?
Establishing goals and communicating them to your team is also a good idea, as it gives them objectives to work towards. Set goals that are SMART or Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.
2. Plan for Collaborative Projects
It may sound obvious, but you need to make sure that your team has the information they need to do their jobs. 16% of remote workers cited difficulties with collaboration and communication as one of the biggest struggles of working remotely.
Set deliverables and key milestones for your team to hit. Make sure that team members know how their work fits into the bigger picture. Finally, equip your team with project tracking software so everyone can organize their work and see what each person is working on.
3. Focus on Outcomes, Not Activities
Working hours is a metric that many managers use to measure productivity. But these figures don’t tell the full story. An employee spending less time on a task isn’t necessarily a cause for concern. After all, they may have more subject-matter experience than others.
Instead of looking at metrics like hours worked, focus more on outcomes and the results that your team is delivering. Define what you want your team to achieve and give them ownership of their work.
4. Schedule Regular One-on-Ones
Set aside 10 to 15 minutes for one-on-one meetings on a weekly or bi-weekly basis with each team member. Have an agenda and give a heads-up so both of you can come prepared.
Most importantly, listen to what your team members are saying. Demonstrating that you value their opinions will go a long way towards building trust.
In addition to one-on-ones, you can also create an internal newsletter to keep your employees informed about internal news. Here are some newsletter ideas to get you started.
5. Encourage Social Interactions and Small Talk (to an Extent)
“Water cooler” chats are great ways for employees to take a break from work. It gives them an opportunity to socialize with others. Just because your team is working remotely doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun.
Set aside a time in the day where remote workers can have casual conversations. You can do this through apps like Zoom. If you use Slack, you can also add a #watercooler channel. Start fun activities like icebreaker sessions or virtual trivia nights for employees to participate in.
With over 100,000 active podcasts, encouraging team communication and social interaction by having a company podcast is another creative way to stay engaged with your remote team.
6. Embrace Diversity
Managing a remote team means you may have individuals from around the world. Recognize that your team consists of individuals with different backgrounds and unique experiences.
One way to embrace diversity is to acknowledge and celebrate any cultural events. Consider providing days off or permitting more flexible schedules around these times to give employees the opportunity to observe them.
7. Mentor, Not Manage
Finally, the best managers do more than “manage” — they take on mentorship roles by helping their teams become more knowledgeable.
Helping remote employees develop their resume and skills not only prepares them for more responsibilities, but also increases engagement and retention rates. 94% of employees say they’re willing to stay longer at companies that invest in their learning.
Create individual development plans for each team member and find opportunities to give constructive feedback. If an employee has a skill gap, consider investing in training or other tangible resources to help them overcome those gaps.
Lead and Manage Your Remote Team
Companies have had to shift to remote work because of the global pandemic. But making these changes has brought a number of challenges for managers. Follow the best practices as laid out here to lead and manage your remote team.
About the author:
Joanne Camarce is a digital marketer focused on growing and strategizing B2B marketing and PR efforts at uSERP. She loves slaying outreach campaigns and connecting with brands like G2, Wordstream, Process Street, and more. When she’s not wearing her marketing hat, you’ll find Joanne lost in the world of Japanese music and art, or just being a dog mom.
7 Best practices to lead remote teams:
- Establish goals and expectations early
Establishing goals and communicating them to your team is also a good idea, as it gives them objectives to work towards.
- Plan for collaborative projects
Set deliverables and key milestones for your team to hit. Make sure that team members know how their work fits into the bigger picture.
- Focus on outcomes, not activities
Instead of looking at metrics like hours worked, focus more on outcomes and the results that your team is delivering. Define what you want your team to achieve and give them ownership of their work.
- Schedule regular one-on-ones
Set aside 10 to 15 minutes for one-on-one meetings on a weekly or bi-weekly basis with each team member. Have an agenda and give a heads-up so both of you can come prepared.
- Encourage social interactions and small talk (to an extent)
Set aside a time in the day where remote workers can have casual conversations. You can do this through apps like Zoom. If you use Slack, you can also add a #watercooler channel.
- Embrace diversity
Acknowledge and celebrate any cultural events and consider providing days off or permitting more flexible schedules around these times to give employees the opportunity to observe them.
- Mentor, not manage
Create individual development plans for each team member and find opportunities to give constructive feedback.
