Managing Remote Teams? Here are 6 Great Ways
Managing remote teams can be a big challenge, especially for leaders used to a face-to-face approach. The amount of adjustments you need to make is staggering, including setting good work-from-home guidelines. Not everything that works in the office can work in a virtual environment.
When the topic of remote work comes up, even the best managers get nervous about the level of organization they need to do. Here are x great ways to give you a leg up when it comes to managing your teams.
Use The Right Remote Tools
As you probably already know, you can use dozens of different tools for a remote team. Some are great for general communication, while others are more task-oriented. You'll need to choose the ones that suit your team's needs.
Unify your workflow as much as possible. You might use team chats for daily communication and even project management software tools if you run a SaaS company. You can also utilize remote developer tools if you have software engineering teams under your umbrella.
You must find the right set of communication tools for your group. Make sure that your team members are comfortable using them and that they’re not confusing or awkward.
Find tools that have native integrations, which will make your life easier. This will save you a ton of time by not switching between multiple apps.
2. Make Sure Everybody Is On Your Calendar
Using your calendar as a central hub for all conversations and deadlines is necessary for any manager. Sync it with your company calendar is even better, which should give you several leave management tips that work for your team.
Scheduling meetings can be a hassle when you’re working with people working remotely, so you’ll want to be especially careful. Make sure you create an event whenever there is a meeting on your end.
Start by ensuring that everybody on your team knows the ‘meetings’ channel on your team chat app. This is where your essential discussions will take place. Set up recurring events on your calendar, like weekly one-on-ones and monthly all-company calls.
Include one-on-one chats with team members you’re looking to help grow or upskill. Also, add regular meetings to your schedule, even if you don't think they need one. Never assume the person you’re talking to knows when you’re talking about, so always schedule things in advance.
Make sure they do the same thing on your team member's side. Encourage them to include those small, impromptu discussions in your event list.
3. Set Clear Remote Productivity Standards
Before you start hiring, you have to figure out what kind of productivity you demand from your people. Some projects lend themselves to being completed from home, while others require constant supervision and oversight.
Set clear expectations first and map this to the type of employee you hire. As a rule of thumb, if you hire a developer, they should only be working on coding. If you’re hiring a project manager, they need to be available.
One easy way to keep everyone accountable is to set goals. You can set individual goals for the entire team or simply ask every employee to come up with their own.
If they feel like the work they’re doing is making them unhappy, they’ll probably come up with a goal that will help them succeed.
You can always set quarterly and yearly goals, but don’t forget to check in regularly. You’ll want to measure progress regularly, especially during the most critical periods of the year.
4. Manage Your Team’s Time Well
Being a good leader means managing and tracking the hours your staff members are working on their projects. Use tools to track your employees’ time and progress. This will help you know if your people are spending enough time on tasks and if they’re consistently getting the results you’re looking for.
Figuring out how to allocate time for employees can be tricky, mainly when the whole team is scattered across the world. You have to think out of the box when you manage a distributed workforce.
You’d be surprised how much it helps assign specific hours to each person. Have them put in their availability on Google Calendar, and make sure to treat them the same way you treat other coworkers. If you see someone struggling with the whole ‘time together’ thing, give your employees some time to relax through breaks.
5. Track Your Metrics
To evaluate your success, you have to be able to measure your results. This can be a challenge for teams and companies utilizing mostly virtual workers. However, this shouldn’t stop you from measuring profitability, customer satisfaction, and revenue.
You’re going to want to see if your team is staying on track. It will give you an idea of what works and what doesn’t. You can use various tools to track your metrics, but it’s essential to make sure you’re using the right ones.
Check-in with tools like Google Analytics, which can help you track all your web traffic. You can also use tools such as HubSpot or organic search traffic, which can give you an idea of the performance of your website.
When it comes to your sales team, it can be beneficial to use CRM software. These will also help you keep track of your sales and marketing efforts.
6.Let Them Be Themselves
Working from the comfort of your home can bring out the worst in some people. Some people can’t resist distracting themselves. Others just don’t know how to focus. As a manager, you have to take these distractions into account.
Different people have different needs, and just because somebody is working from home doesn’t mean they should be treated differently. Try to be understanding. Your employees are only human, and they often need a break every time.
Remember that some office members are introverts and don’t like to talk with others all the time. Provide a place for these people to retreat when they need some alone time to regroup. Others would prefer to have team-building activities once in a while.
Being aware of these minor details will make life easier for you. Not to mention, it’ll make your employees and the company as a whole happier.
The Bottom Line
As you can see, there are plenty of things you can do to manage your online and remote staff. The most important thing is that you shouldn’t underestimate these responsibilities. If you want to build your successful online business, it starts with the best possible remote team.
Hiring a remote team can be a massive step for a growing startup. This is why it’s always important to make sure you’re getting the right people. Following these tips should help you organize your new work environment, ensuring everybody is on the same page.
Written by Bash Sarmiento; bsarmiento.writes@gmail.com
Photo credits: Pexels
