Tips to Manage Remote Teams

Remote Teams

When you search on Google about the best tips to manage remote teams, you might get overwhelmed with almost 300 million search results. With these millions of tips picking the best will be hard on your part.

Managing remote teams will vary depending on the company. Each company has its way of leading its remote teams according to its work approach and culture.

For example, other companies follow a 100 percent remote working approach, while some implement remote and office options. Also, some office supervisors use a mobile ERP and other tracing applications to monitor if the employee is working or not.

If you are having a hard time managing your remote teams, you are in the right place. In this post, we will talk about some practical tips to keep the employee’s productivity while following a remote working approach. Scroll down to know more!

Explain Your Expectations to Your Remote Employees

Proper management of your team, either traditional or remote, starts from having clear expectations. Make sure to set expectations that are achievable and explain them to your team. There is no denying that each employee in your team has their responsibilities according to their position. But, setting guidelines will help you to manage them effectively.

It would be better to make an agreement between you and your team about the company’s values. Through this, you will have a slight background on how to manage your teams. Setting clear expectations enable everyone to act accordingly.

Think About Their Different Viewpoints and Cultural Beliefs

One team is composed of several members that come from different places. This means that they have different viewpoints and cultural beliefs.

Being diverse is a beneficial factor for the company, the manager, and the employees. That is true, especially if your company caters to customers around the world.

Having a multicultural organization allows each member to have a broader perception of the world. Beyond that, cultural diversity helps a company to solve problems effectively. All these will be impossible if the company does not intend to create a working space where everyone can share their viewpoints without being disrespected.

An international team is composed of several individuals with unique attitudes and perspectives. That is why understanding their cultural distinctness is essential to keep the team working harmoniously without compromising each individual’s productivity.

It would be better to ask your employees to present themselves in front of other workers to know their differences and similarities. Pecha Kuchas refers to a short presentation performed by every team member to understand more about their interests, personality, culture, and a lot more.

Utilize Task Management Tools

The technology used for remote working is constantly improving. Seniors started to adapt to new technology and remote tools that can improve productivity. These days, you can find almost everything to solve the problem. You can find a lot of tools that will help you to manage your team. These tools are beneficial in monitoring whether or not your workers are doing their jobs.

It would be easier for you to manage several teams remotely if you properly use a few task management tools. After all, your main goal is to track if your team is working efficiently. If you do not know what task management tool is perfect for your company, we highly recommend you trying mobile EPR. This tool allows you to collaborate, manage tasks, and communicate with your team members. The tool works by managing repetitive tasks. That is why you must explain to your teams how a remote tool works and how it should be used.

Show Support to Your Team

Always remember that customers are happy when employees serve them well. When your workers feel good and confident to work remotely, they can give the company with better results. You can make your employees happy and become more excited to do their work by showing your support to them.

Some of you might think that managing a remote team is easy. But that is not always the case. If you managed a large team with several employees remotely, it would be hard for you to know if everyone is safe and healthy.

But, with the help of several tools, tracking their well-being would be an effortless task for you. Also, it would be better to ask them questions like the tasks they accomplished last month or the tasks they find challenging. Through this, you will know how your employees are doing in their work and how they cope up with the challenges.

Make and Maintain Strong Connection with Your Team

A strong connection with your team members is far more than asking them about their tasks. A good team bond starts by making the connection between you and your employees to a more personal level. Remember, you will get to know more about your employees if you know the things you share in common. But, how are you going to make a strong bond with your colleagues? Start by making a conversation with them outside your working area.

But since the pandemic started, face-to-face conversation is limited or restricted. Fortunately, there are several ways you can do to still connect with your team. You may set up a Zoom meeting every weekend or send them some snacks whenever possible. The number of things you can do to talk with your colleagues without breaking the social distancing protocol is limitless.

Conclusion

There is no denying that managing a team remotely is quite hard. But with the tips we mentioned above, doing so would be easier for you.

Several tools would help you to track their work productivity all day long. If you are still unsure which task management to use, there is nothing wrong with using mobile ERP software.

The essential key to effective management of your remote team is communication. Always communicate with your employees about your expectations about them. Set some guidelines on how they should work. Through this, you can maintain a team that works harmoniously without compromising the quality of their tasks.

The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of The World Financial Review.