Strategies for managing a remote team are crucial for a company with virtual work opportunities. When a remote team is brought together, it can produce better business outcomes, improve employee satisfaction, boost productivity, and increase team retention. Managing remote employees, however, can be hard. Confusion about job expectations, communication issues, or loneliness may reduce employee performance.
Here are strategies you can use to get the best performance from your team.
Set Clear Expectations:
Employees should know their job and what’s expected of them. Always set clear expectations for your team members, with a rundown of their tasks and responsibilities.
Provide the Right Tools:
Give your remote teams what they need to succeed. If they don’t have the right tools and resources, it’s on the company if/when they fail. Make their job easy and give them the training and tools they need to thrive.
Encourage Questions:
Sometimes, a message does not come across as clearly as one might think. Remote workers may be confused about what they should do. Encourage questions. Welcome them.
Communication Protocols:
Set communication protocols for your remote team, such as when to use instant messaging, group chats, virtual meetings, and other means to contact them. Ensure messages are short and direct.
Trust Your Employees:
You need to trust the people working for you to be the right person to manage or hire the right people. For remote work, you’ve got to trust them. Please don’t micro-manage or unnecessarily criticize any employee for hitting their productivity markers.
Build a Strong Team Culture:
Invest time in creating your team culture. Say good morning and fire up the group chat at the start of every shift. Promote collaboration and engagement where and when you can. Create opportunities for people to interact, even if the topics aren’t work-centric. This builds camaraderie and connections.
Hire the Best Talent:
Hire the best talent for your team. If you’re a company that wants to hire remote developers, find a candidate with the specialized skillset and experience you need. Find the talent most likely to fit in with your team and projects.
Don’t Rely on Video:
Video calls take longer than reading an email or direct message. When video calls that could have been simple messages take employees’ time, they feel irritated. Use video only when necessary or for specific purposes.
Set Team Meetings:
Team meetings can unify your workforce. Set a time during the day when meetings suit your schedule. These meetings may be less frequent in scenarios such as remote developers, where people work in different time zones.
Reach Out to Employees:
Lack of communication can leave an employee feeling lonely, unimportant, and disengaged. No employee should feel like their work doesn’t matter. Reach out periodically to check on team members and get their take on work. Ask what can be improved and if they require additional support. This is an excellent way to gather feedback about your performance.
Guard Against Burnout:
Burnout can happen to anyone. Establish clear rules about when to contact an employee. Encourage employees to remain offline when not working and turn off work. No employee should overwork or be on call 24/7.
Respect Time Zones:
A workforce all over the planet, such as a software company with remote developers spread across different continents, must respect time zones. Don’t schedule meetings for an employee in the middle of the night in their neck of the woods. Keep working hours.
Accommodate Work Preferences:
Some of your workforce may be at university or have just graduated, while others may be with kids or caring for a family member. Consider how you can accommodate different work preferences. Be flexible about where you can afford to be.
Acknowledgement and Accountability:
Make sure employees hear ‘good job!’ and are publicly acknowledged for their dedication, work, and successes. Also, hold your workers accountable if productivity issues arise. All this communicates that you value your employees’ performance and reinforces that their work matters.
Ask for Feedback:
Of course, you want to share feedback about your team’s performance with them. Get feedback from them about what you and your company can do better. Find out what they think. See if there’s a better way to do things.
Focus on Results:
Are you concerned that employees are not working 8 hours? If they’re producing results, all that matters is getting their work done. Focus on the outcome and the result. Don’t worry about anything else so long as they’re producing. This cultivates trust.
Disclaimer:
CBD:
Qrius does not provide medical advice.
The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act) outlaws the recreational use of cannabis products in India. CBD oil, manufactured under a license issued by the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, can be legally used in India for medicinal purposes only with a prescription, subject to specific conditions. Kindly refer to the legalities here.
The information on this website is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions regarding a medical condition or treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
Gambling:
As per the Public Gambling Act of 1867, all Indian states, except Goa, Daman, and Sikkim, prohibit gambling. Land-based casinos are legalized in Goa and Daman under the Goa, Daman and Diu Public Gambling Act 1976. In Sikkim, land-based casinos, online gambling, and e-gaming (games of chance) are legalized under the Sikkim Online Gaming (Regulation) Rules 2009. Only some Indian states have legalized online/regular lotteries, subject to state laws. Refer to the legalities here. Horse racing and betting on horse racing, including online betting, is permitted only in licensed premises in select states. Refer to the 1996 Supreme Court judgment for more information.
This article does not endorse or express the views of Qrius and/or its staff.
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