A guide to managing your remote team effectively online
Managers nowadays really need to step up their game in remote leadership, with so many people working from home these days. To master this skill, one must have training, education, and practice. Managers who become good at leading remote teams online will have an edge in today’s job market. They’ll be able to:
- Achieve better business results
- Make employees happier
- Assist workers in striking a work-life balance
- Increase work efficiency
- Reach company objectives
- Keep their team members longer
Leading a remote team online can be tough. We’re here to help you become an excellent remote team manager. First, we’ll discuss the difficulties. Then, we’ll share advice and effective methods.
What is a remote team online?
Professionals in remote teams collaborate on a project despite being spread out across various continents. These remote team members come from diverse cultural origins, reside in different cities, and possess varying skill sets. Remote teams use online software, documents, spreadsheets, and video and voice call applications to collaborate and communicate. These are the necessary tools for working remotely. For instance, a company that manages data primarily needs to maintain a database, so they don’t require their employees to come to a specific office every day. Having that database accessible online means workers can use it anywhere and anytime. On the other hand, workers at furniture-making companies need to be physically present at the workplace every day; they cannot do their jobs from home. Choosing to allow remote work might appear to be the most sensible option for both the company and the employees. However, setting up a remote work environment brings its own set of difficulties.
Why is managing a remote team online challenging?
Managing a remote team online is known to be tough. You need to get the best work from people you rarely see, and you might not even know them personally—which can be challenging. Whether you’re new to managing a remote team online or have some experience, here are some common difficulties you’ll likely encounter:
Misunderstanding
Sometimes, messages sent via email or Slack aren’t as clear as you might believe. Remote employees can easily become confused about procedures and what’s expected of them, and not everyone feels comfortable asking for clarification.
Different work styles
Your remote team online probably includes people from various time zones and life stages. Some team members might be recent college graduates, while others might be busy taking care of several children. You’ll have to get used to different ways people like to work and be ready to change your plans and needs when needed.
Talking with others
It’s important to recognize that every individual you collaborate with will have a unique style of communication and information exchange. Don’t make everyone use just one way to talk. Give choices and fit in with how each person likes to work and manage things. Some people might like talking over Zoom, while others might use Slack more.
Feeling alone
People who work from home frequently experience feelings of isolation and social disconnection. When they can’t meet in person, these workers contact one another through Slack messages and emails. Even for someone who works from home and has a family, spending more than eight hours a day alone in front of a computer could be challenging.
Fatigue
While fatigue can strike anyone at any time, remote teams online are slightly more likely to experience it. With clear instructions on how to work remotely and guidelines for when to be available, they might feel like they need to be working all the time and never truly take a break. They could start their workday early, continue working throughout the day, and even respond to emails in the evening because they don’t have a clear boundary between work and personal time.
Effective strategies for managing your remote team online effectively
Review these suggestions and effective strategies to identify those that best address the challenges your remote team faces. Focus on a few, monitor their effects, and make them part of your routine—then proceed to implement another group of strategies. Remote work is a fairly recent development, especially on the large scale we see today. Mastering the management of remote teams online is not something that can be done quickly. It involves a lot of experimentation and learning from mistakes. Have patience and give yourself the space and time you need to make adjustments.
- Define clear goals
Establish guidelines for your remote team online. Be adaptable, but set basic rules that everyone must adhere to. Goals might involve:
- Team meetings: Choose a time in the day for team meetings that fits everyone’s schedule and time zones.
- Communication: Determine which communication tools to use for different purposes. Use Slack for informal chats and email for task updates, for example.
- Work processes: Develop work processes (both automated and manual) to keep employees focused, even if communication breaks down.
- Ensure responsibility
Allow your employees to manage their work independently, but ensure they are responsible for their tasks and projects. Their performance should be linked to measurable outcomes they can influence, and they should discuss their progress and challenges during individual and team meetings.
- Give the right equipment
To support your remote team’s online productivity, you must purchase a few tools and equipment. First, make sure everyone has good computers that match their job—you don’t want your graphic designers waiting a long time for their files to upload and process. For online collaboration, you therefore need technologies that are effective for remote teams. Here are some examples:
Asana: A platform for managing projects
Slack: An app for team messaging
Zoom: A tool for video meetings
Invision: An app for designing and working together
Figma: An online design and sketching tool
LastPass: Passwords may be safely managed and shared with the help of LastPass.
GitHub: A platform for group software development
Google Drive: Online file sharing and storage are made easier with Google Drive
- Communicate a lot
It’s easier to talk too much than too little since it might be difficult to strike the correct balance in communication. Regularly inform your staff on the status of projects and any significant changes occurring within the organization. Ensure that your staff members don’t overlook crucial information because they don’t read every email. Make use of your weekly virtual meetings to inform and update all participants. You could have a routine where each remote team online member talks about what they’re doing or what they’ve recently completed.
- Consider different time zones
Your employees might be in various parts of the country or even different countries. Be mindful of these time differences. Avoid scheduling meetings for 10 a.m. Eastern Time if doing so would require your Pacific Coast colleagues to arrive at 7 a.m. When it’s feasible, send communications to your staff during regular business hours using the facilities in email and messaging apps.
- Emphasize results (not the process)
Being too involved in every detail can hurt remote teams. Reduce the complexity of things for both you and your staff by not obsessing over the details of task completion. It doesn’t matter how long your staff members work or whether they spend eight hours a day online; what matters is that they do their assignments. Don’t worry about how your staff works if they are accomplishing their goals and producing quality work.
- Be flexible
Support flexibility for your remote team online workers. You’ll need some guidelines and overlapping schedules for meetings, but don’t make unnecessary rules. If an employee enjoys running for an hour in the afternoon but starts work early to finish their tasks, that should be fine. And if a parent needs to leave during the day to take their kids to school and daycare, make it as stress-free as possible. Keep in mind that your remote team online workers also have personal lives. They are dedicated to your business, but giving them more freedom can make them more engaged and helpful to your company.
- Regular meetings
Try to gather your whole remote team frequently (ideally at least once a week). Even if your meeting topics are few, it’s important to see each other and have some face-to-face interaction. This can be a chance to chat and catch up on personal news. Some groups set aside time weekly or biweekly to play games that work well online, like Among Us or Jack in the Box. This is good for strengthening remote team bonds and promoting teamwork.
- Record Work Procedures
Make documents that explain how your remote team does its work. Whether it’s saving changes in GitHub or posting articles on WordPress, create detailed guides that anyone can use. These can be useful for welcoming new employees and reducing losses when employees eventually choose to move on to other job opportunities.
- Automate small tasks
Look for ways to automate routine tasks within (and outside) your project management tools. Here are a few ways to automate your work:
- Workflows: Use automation to smoothly move your work through a set process, assigning tasks and notifying people without manual effort.
- Transcripts: To develop transcripts for your video meetings, interviews, and content, use artificial intelligence (AI) or pay contractors. IFTTT stands for If This, Then That. You can use this to make personalized shortcuts for the tasks you perform daily. For instance, you can set up a shortcut to notify you via email when a task is finished or to message Slack during non-business hours.