7 Tips for Managing Your Remote Team

As businesses continue to grow and their workforces become more distributed, knowing how to manage a remote team has become increasingly important.

If you’re struggling with your management style, let me share with you my 7 best practices for managing your team remotely.

1. Have a daily or weekly check-in

You need to see your team and your team needs to see you in order to build meaningful connections with your team. Depending on the size of your team, you can check in daily with key members or set up more structured weekly calls.

It's best to schedule these so you don't forget. You can do face to face with video calling over zoom, voice call, or simply chatting through a platform like Skype.

This is the best way to discover challenges or convey a priority task. Make yourself available. Having a chat platform really helps for more simple requests that don't seem to make sense for email or video calls.

2. Keep in touch with your team

One of the most challenging aspects of working from home is dealing with feelings of loneliness and isolation which is the main cause of burnout, especially if your team is used to spending their days in an office setting.

Imagine you’re used to seeing your coworkers every single day before the pandemic started, and now you’re all alone at your desk without anyone to talk to. The office wasn't always just about work - we made friends and told jokes too, but now that’s missing.

This is you should be in regular communication with your team. Treat it like the office environment and check-in and chat with employees (not always about work either).

3. Take advantage of modern technology

Remote work is on the rise and with it comes the need for companies to take advantage of technology to better manage their teams. With a few simple business tools, companies can improve communication, collaboration and productivity.

Technology is making it easier than ever to manage a remote team. Tools like Slack and Zoom make communication between team members easy, and video conferencing tools like Skype or Zoom allow for face-to-face meetings. These tools not only make it easier to maintain contact with your team, but can also help you stay organized and on track.

Play around and find the tools that work for you and your team. Technological advancements in the field of communication are boundless. The better the tools are, the more you will feel connected to your team. This will make it easier for them to communicate with you and other members of the team – and plenty of these tools are free.

4. Keep expectations in check

Expectations management applies to both you and your employees. Assist your team in determining what tasks they should be performing and set realistic expectations for their work so that they can be more productive.

Help your team understand that in order to achieve the company's goal – everyone must have a clear understanding of the assigned task and the reason for it. To achieve this, each task the team is working on must have a scope of work, deadlines and output. Otherwise, don't be surprised if you start wondering what everyone has been up to in a few days.

5. Pay attention to the results, not the activities

Let's be realistic. As a manager, you won't be able to manage every aspect of the work done by a remote team. And with that said, you shouldn't force yourself to manage every aspect of any team's work, especially when your team is distributed across the globe.

Don't dwell too much on activity or hours worked. Don't pressure your employees. Appointments and slow days happen, and this stuff also happened in the office. Your team knows what they’re doing and what their tasks are.

Instead of focusing on ensuring they are glued to their desk, focus on deliverables. As long as they're able to produce good quality output and on-time submission, there shouldn't be a problem. Trust them and they will become your best employees.

6. Supply your team with necessary resources

If you have a team of remote workers, then it's already a given that they need tools like a laptop or computer, software, mobile devices or a high-speed internet connection. Not all of your workers have the means to provide those things.

And as a manager, it’s your responsibility to be able to provide it to them especially if you really need your team to get the job done. You can think of it as an investment, because your workers will also help the company achieve success.

7. Be willing to adapt

The pandemic has forced us all to rethink our priorities. People want flexible work hours and want to spend more time with their family and friends. Of course, this is not an excuse for not getting things done. It can be a reason to reconsider and think of ways to help our employees have a better balance.

Trust your employees, listen to their requests and negotiate for a win-win agreement. Giving your team freedom and flexibility is crucial to enhancing employee productivity. It can be of great help for you and your team in the long run.

Final thoughts

Working remotely is an adjustment. It can be challenging at first, but the more you do it, the better you get at it.

Each of the tips I mentioned falls into the category of simple, but not easy. They each require time, attention and consistency. You won't become great at all of them overnight.

However, equipped with the right knowledge and strategy, your company will definitely benefit and your team will be grateful to you.