Remote work is here to stay. The American Opportunity survey reports that 14% of American adults currently work from home all the time, with millions more on a hybrid schedule. The popularity of remote teams is driven by employee demand and many employees wouldn’t even consider a new work opportunity without at least one day a week of remote work.
While remote work offers benefits like increased diversity and a wider talent pool, it presents a unique challenge for managers. Traditional leadership styles need to adapt to thrive in this new environment. Effective communication, collaboration, and accountability become even more important when your team is geographically dispersed. So while a good manager can manage a remote team, they need to learn the skills and tools to do so effectively and may have to adapt their management style.
This article will explore these challenges and equip you with the skills and tools to lead your remote team to success. We’ll discuss strategies for building a strong team culture, fostering open communication, and ensuring everyone feels connected and supported, even when working miles apart.
Building a Strong Foundation for Effective Remote Management
How do you manage your remote teams to gain the benefits of remote work and minimize the challenges?
Set Clear Expectations
It starts with expectations. It’s particularly important to define responsibilities and goals for each team member. Work out how you will measure performance metrics (using Key Performance Indicators is a good way to track progress). Remote management often focuses more on outcomes than output so look at what that means for your team. Then, outline these metrics and KPIs to make sure your team understands them.
Establish communication protocols and use the right collaboration tools. This may look different for each team, adapting to individual communication styles.
Also read: Measuring Progress: KPIs for Tracking Strategy Implementation
Communicate
Communication must be clear, consistent, and transparent. Video meetings are an important tool, but it can be very helpful for your employees if you don’t strictly mandate camera use as this can affect neurodivergent individuals or anyone experiencing poor internet connectivity on any given day.
Instant messaging or text chat proves to be incredibly effective for continuous communication. This allows for quick updates, questions, and discussions without having to schedule a meeting.
Build Trust and Foster the Culture You Wish To See
Trust is vital when working remotely. Each member of the team has to trust that everyone else will do their job. Some teams benefit from virtual team-building activities and social events, such as an online happy hour or social events.
It’s important that every remote manager builds a positive and inclusive culture. What’s more, if you have both in-person and remote employees, work to ensure that your distributed teams feel included and valued (both in work social events and strictly work projects).
Technology is Your Ally
While fostering a strong team culture and open communication are essential, remote leadership also relies heavily on the right technology. Project management and collaboration tools like Asana, Trello, and Slack are your allies in keeping everyone connected and on track. However, security is paramount.
Prioritize Secure Collaboration:
- Company-Issued Devices: Ideally, equip your remote team with work devices to maintain data security.
- VPN Usage: Enforce the use of a VPN whenever connecting to the company network, regardless of device.
- Cybersecurity Training: Invest in comprehensive cybersecurity training for both work and personal devices to create a culture of cyber hygiene.
Choose Tools Wisely:
Tools like AchieveIt can also be powerful for strategy planning and plan execution tracking. When you choose your tech stack, consider your company’s overall workflow and employee preferences. Remember, the best tools typically are those that:
- Facilitate Seamless Collaboration: Look for features that encourage real-time communication, information sharing, and transparent project progress.
- Empower Team Accountability: Features that enable clear task delegation, progress tracking, and deadline management can be very helpful.
- Offer User-Friendliness: Choose tools that are intuitive and easy for your team to learn and adopt, minimizing disruptions and maximizing productivity.
By carefully considering both security and functionality, you can equip your remote team with the technological foundation they need to thrive.
Invest in Training and Development
The best technology is only effective when used by a skilled and empowered team. Here’s how to invest in your remote workforce:
- Remote Skills Training: Go beyond basic tool functionality. Provide training on effective remote communication strategies, collaboration techniques in a virtual environment, and project management specifically for remote teams. This equips them to leverage the technology effectively and navigate the unique challenges of remote work.
- Time Management & Self-Directed Work: Offer time management training to empower your remote employees to structure their workday effectively. This fosters a sense of ownership and accountability, crucial for successful self-directed work.
- Ongoing Development & Career Growth: Ensure remote employees have equal access to professional development opportunities – conferences, workshops, online courses. Regularly discuss career goals and provide remote-friendly options for mentorship and growth within the company.
By investing in your remote employees’ skillset and career development, you demonstrate your commitment to their success and create a more engaged and productive workforce.
Also read: Strategic Execution Accountability 101: A Guide
Strategies for Effective Remote Management
Here are some strategies that can help you manage your team better.
Goal Setting and Performance Management
An effective remote team requires trust and a focus on outcomes, making a goal-based performance management system ideal. SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Based) are a good way to manage performance and encourage and measure progress.
Work with employees to set their goals for each project. Remember that these goals should be flexible and shift over time and as needed. But this is a vital framework for ensuring that your team aims for goals that can easily be measured and realistically achieved.
To ensure that goals are met, it’s important to regularly check in with your team members and provide feedback on their progress. This can be done through virtual meetings or one-on-one check-ins. It’s also important to acknowledge and celebrate successes along the way. This will help keep motivation high and encourage continued progress.
In addition to setting individual goals, it’s also important to set team goals. This can help foster collaboration and teamwork among your employees. Make sure these goals align with the overall objectives of the company and are in line with each team member’s strengths and skills.
Also read: How to Master Remote Change Management
Empower Your Remote Team and Promote Autonomy
A key aspect of leading a successful remote team is fostering a culture of empowerment and autonomy. This means equipping your employees with the resources they need – training, tools, and clear goals – and trusting them to deliver results. Provide the support they need, whether it’s addressing technical hurdles, offering guidance on complex tasks, or simply being a sounding board.
Micromanagement is a common pitfall for remote managers, but it erodes trust and stifles productivity. Resist the urge to monitor every keystroke. Focus on outcomes and goals, not on micromanaging processes or working hours, especially for salaried employees.
Building Trust Through Transparency:
- Clear Goals & Expectations: Set clear goals, expectations, and deadlines for each project. This empowers your team to manage their work independently and fosters a sense of ownership.
- Regular Communication & Feedback: Maintain open communication channels. Encourage regular progress updates, feedback loops, and collaboration. This transparency builds trust and ensures everyone is on the same page.
- Focus on Outcomes: Evaluate success based on achieving goals and objectives, not on constantly monitoring activity.
By empowering your team, fostering trust through transparency, and focusing on results, you create a work environment where remote employees feel valued, motivated, and productive.
Maintain Employee Well-being and Engagement
Done properly, remote work improves work-life balance by giving people back the time they spend commuting. However, many people actually start to struggle with work-life balance when working remotely, especially if their office is a corner of the living room.
That being the case, remote managers should proactively support employee well-being. Here are a few ways remote managers can promote work-life balance:
- Encourage Boundaries & Time Management: Discourage working long hours or being constantly connected. Promote healthy boundaries between work and personal life. Offer training on time management techniques specifically for remote workers.
- Promote Breaks & Movement: Encourage employees to schedule regular breaks throughout the workday to get up, move around, and disconnect.
- Foster Social Connection: Combat isolation by creating opportunities for virtual team building and social interaction.
- Recognize and Reward: Ensure remote employees feel valued and appreciated. Recognize their achievements and contributions, and include them in company-wide recognition programs.
By prioritizing employee well-being and fostering a culture of engagement, you create a thriving remote work environment where your team feels supported, motivated, and ready to succeed.
Leading remote teams requires a strategic and adaptable approach. By prioritizing clear communication, collaboration tools, employee training, and a culture of empowerment and trust, you can create a successful and productive remote work environment for your team.
