Tips And Strategies For The Successful Management Of Your Remote Team

An increasing number of businesses are expanding their remote teams as the trend toward remote work is gaining ground, even among companies with physical offices. In fact, according to a survey conducted by IWG, 70% of all workers worldwide have stated that they work remotely at least one day per week, and 53% work from outside the office for at least half the week.

So, are you considering implementing a remote or at least a hybrid way of working in your business? Are you unsure of how you’re going to manage your workforce while they’re away from your premises?

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The fact is that working remotely does not always present an entirely new set of difficulties for management. Many of the same rules apply as when managing an office-based team. To a much greater extent, it is the reality that specific problems might become amplified and not different.

To make things easier for you, in this article, we will go through different suggestions on how to keep remote workers happy while also keeping them productive. So, continue reading if you are already responsible for or if you’re planning to start managing staff that will work from outside your office space.

Focusing On Team-Building Is Essential When Working Remotely

Team building refers to a range of activities and exercises to improve the performance and effectiveness of a group of individuals working together toward a common goal. When it comes to remote work, these virtual team building activities must be regularly held. They need to be fun and interactive activities particularly designed to bring your remote workers together and, with their help, improve their collaboration and communication skills. These activities can include online games, trivia, virtual happy hours, and scavenger hunts among other things.

This may interest you: Best Virtual Team-Building Exercises for Remote Working

Virtual team building aims to create a sense of unity among team members despite being physically distant. These activities can help remote teams build stronger relationships, foster a sense of community, and enhance their overall productivity and satisfaction. Managing a remote workforce also involves addressing the challenges of scheduling and shift management. With the best pick up shifts apps available in the market, employers can significantly streamline this process. These apps offer a user-friendly platform for both management and staff to handle shift assignments with ease. Employees can view available shifts, volunteer for extra work, or swap shifts with colleagues, all through their mobile devices or computers. By integrating these innovative apps into your remote work management toolkit, you can ensure smooth and effective shift planning, even from afar.

Set Up Regular Team Meetings With Your Team Members

Next, to successfully manage your remote workforce, it's crucial to regularly gather your whole remote staff for team meetings at least once a week in addition to weekly one-on-one calls.

While maintaining a professional and productive atmosphere, these discussions should also allow for some humour and empathy to slither in. For example, there is nothing wrong with an occasional toddler running through the room or your worker's dog barking from a distance.

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Show Compassion And Patience

Bumps in the road are given while learning how to manage a team remotely. However, the best thing you can do as a manager through all the growing pains is to develop empathy and to act and communicate with some tolerance and compassion.

Remember that some people will adapt to remote work better than others, as some require the social connections that come from working in an office. So spend some time ensuring everyone succeeds at their remote work, and show patience and compassion with your team along the way.

Learn How To Control Distractions

It is at least necessary to understand that distractions will be much more frequent when working from home than in an office environment before learning how to manage a team remotely. When people work remotely, things like Twitter, Netflix, dogs, kids, and the comfort of the couch don't just vanish. Therefore, there will inevitably be distractions during the day.

Additional reading: How The Most Productive People Avoid Digital Distractions

It's crucial that you, as the manager, approve the occasional diversion. Show your team that you don't mind them taking the odd Twitter break or playing with their dog. Fighting these unavoidable and good distractions is pointless.

Put Results Before Action

Nobody benefits from busy work, particularly remote workers. Although it may be tempting to check in on your team members as they work, part of learning how to manage remotely is realising that results should speak for themselves.

You can have confidence that you and your talent management teams have assembled skilled and responsible employees. Even though this is also true for work that isn't done remotely, it becomes much more critical when managing a remote team. Distinct people have different routines and environments that can promote productivity in the early morning or late at night.

Don't miss out on this: 7 Strategies To Become a Better Remote Leader

Final Thoughts

To conclude, successful remote team management requires a lot more than just hours worked. It's essential to establish clear expectations and guidelines for remote work, as well as invest in the necessary tools and technologies to facilitate effective collaboration. Above all, it's crucial to remember that remote work can offer a unique set of benefits, and with the right strategies in place, remote teams can be highly effective and efficient, leading to a successful and productive outcome for all.

Auxiliary reading: 6 Efficient Tips For Managing A Remote Team

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