A remote or hybrid working pattern is here, and it is expected to stay long. This concept of working has become the new normal. More offices and workplaces are offering employees an opportunity to work from home. As a result, the companies do not mind hiring remote employees either.
You can form remote teams for your project and work on it wholeheartedly to achieve your company’s future goals. But do you know managing remote teams is not as easy as it looks? Many challenges may show up.
Fret not! To help you adjust to this new normal and deal with these obstacles, we have curated a list of some tips. Here is how you can effectively manage your remote teams.
Set Clear Expectations
Managing any team, remote or traditional, begins with setting clear expectations. While each person may have individual responsibilities based on their role, the entire team needs a set of guidelines to help them stay on the same page.
As a team leader, you may begin with writing down the company’s values and require everyone to abide by them. Create a baseline for managing distributed teams and set the right expectations for your remote workers.
Hire Employees Who Manage Themselves
Leading a remote team is hard, especially when a team member you have hired is not a good fit. They may not follow the company’s values or may not even possess the right skills or ethics that your company requires from their employees. This weak link can affect the performance of your entire team negatively.
It is crucial to hire the right employees to overcome this challenge. Hiring candidates for the remote team does not follow the typical hiring process. Besides considering a candidate’s qualifications and work experience, you must also look into other qualities and traits such as team player, self-motivation, and a positive attitude towards the task.
Communication plays a Role
Beyond the simple daily check-ins, communicating, especially over-communicating, with your remote team members is imperative regarding tasks, duties, responsibilities, and desired outcomes of the team.
Lack of communication in any workplace setting may lead to many disturbances. When employees are working remotely, communication becomes paramount.
Use Technology
The increasing technology has given us many gifts, including a hassle-free remote working experience. You can always make the most out of the same.
It is the era of digital transformation. Thus, you can seek the benefit of the tools such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Hangouts to manage your remote teams effectively. You can also provide a simple platform for tackling tips. Do not hesitate if you have never used these tools; you will slowly get acquainted with the practice.
Encourage Remote Social Interactions
For any team and project to prosper, its team members must be comfortable working with each other. Thus, why not encourage remote social interactions between your team members and break the ice?
There are many ways of doing this. You can host a virtual team-building program that includes introducing the team members to each other, games, and other elements to facilitate the interaction. Host fun-loving activities virtually once a month, and you will realize how quickly the team members get comfortable with each other.
Offer Flexibility
Last but not least. Do not give second thoughts to offering flexibility to your remote team members. Every member has a different home environment. Some have spouses or children; others are single. Some work from private home offices, while others take meetings from different settings.
You need to understand the unique circumstances of each employee. Offering flexibility will also motivate your team members to work with you long-term. It promotes loyalty!
Takeaway
The covid-19 pandemic has changed everything for the world. From virtual classrooms to virtual workplaces, individuals are still adapting to this change in culture. Team building activities in the classroom or workplace help fill the gap to a great extent. Incorporate the above-listed tips for a healthy work environment.
