The U.S. workforce already worked from home in about a quarter of cases prior to this pandemic. At least a portion of the time. Thus, we can learn a few valuable tips from managers demonstrating these best practices already.
Although it is always advisable to establish unambiguous policies and training for remote work in advance, during times of crisis or other swiftly evolving situations, such a degree of preparation may not be practicable. Even in the face of limited time and preparation, managers can take specific, research-based steps to improve the engagement and productivity of remote employees. In this blog, we’ll discuss 13 effective tips. Let’s get started.
Common Challenges
Firstly, managers have to understand the different factors that can help to facilitate remote work as per business needs. Otherwise, well-performing employees may experience a drop in performance. While they start working from home most importantly in the absence of guidance and training.
With that said, many organizations are already using this in active There are several challenges associated with remote work, including:
or passive ways. This became a point of concern for several companies because of the impact on performance and punctuality.
- The absence of face-to-face supervision.
- Inaccessibility of information.
- Lack of social interaction.
- A lack of social interaction at home.
- The existing silos are being exacerbated.
Here are 13 Tips to Manage Your Remote Teams
Remote work can be challenging for managers but there are multiple ways that can easily and freely solve the problems.
Managers who demonstrate exceptional leadership skills in managing remote teams.
Tip 1 – Regularly check in with your team
This may seem tiring, but it is important for managers and teams new to remote work. These managers can take the help of E-mail, text, and calls which is sufficient but video conferencing can easily solve the problem of face-to-face interaction. Face-to-face interaction will result in an increase in confidence which ultimately increases efficiency and confidence.
Tip 2 – Regular Communication
Apart from the routine check-ins, regular communication is the most important key to building a relationship with the team and individual. Having confidence in each other increases the bond between them when you communicate with the team on either a daily or weekly basis at your convenience. It also helps to solve problems like working environment, work pressure management, and lack of communication problems.
Tip 3 – Utilize technology to its full potential
These few years have forced us on the path of digital transformation that can take a month, quarter, or maybe more than that as per the organizations’ adaptability. There are many tools available like Zoom, Google Hangout, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams which are adapted by the organization.
Here you can easily implement above mentioned two tips. It may be tough to adopt firstly for a few but after you get used to it. It can solve your many problems and engagement issues.
Tip 4 – Identify rules of engagement
One of the most important aspects of remote work is engaging the team, but it also needs to be identified and defined. Remote work will start getting efficient and satisfying when managers set expectations on appropriate timing. For example, “We will use Google Meet for video conferencing for EOD or check-in meetings, but in case of emergency they can reach you (manager) via IM or WhatsApp.” This will also make ease as and when required between team and managers.
Tip 5 – Establish expectations and manage them
This is imperative and impactful in the current situation and expectations should be set clearly. As previously mentioned, many organizations or teams have some important requirements for which teams have to change their path that may impact performance. In this situation, managers should mention their expectations and request feedback to ensure alignment. Assuming simply that the team understood all the requirements, they will not be able to resolve the performance issues.
Tip 6 – Recognize outcomes, not activities
The practice of increasing employee engagement and empowerment is widely recognized as a best practice. The leaders must clearly define the goals and desired results and then allow employees to develop a plan of execution (that part is important – that part is critical) to foster creativity and ownership. In remote environments, it is not easy to micro-manage people.
Tip 7 – Identify the outcomes’ purpose
Here we will group all six steps covered previously. We are again explaining WHY is always critical while connecting with teams. But on a new battlefield, we need to implement new initiatives to handle new upcoming opportunities, struggles, complexity, and uncertainty. Everyone should understand their roles. It can result in easier handling of critical situations and improved performance.
Tip 8 – Provide resources to support
Newbies can also perform well with proper training, however, without training or proper guidance experienced performers may also fail to perform well. It may or may not be true completely. When we are moving into technical fields, we must update ourselves as well. As technologies are upgrading, they also need updated or new systems, a faster network connection, and many more such things that can affect your performance.
Tip 9 – Identify obstacles and remove them
We will cover some key factors in this section like flexibility and affinity.
while working remotely, there are some issues that employees have to face are mentioned below:
– Physical and emotional isolation.
– Children engaged in home-schooling.
– Amazon rings the doorbell every hour.
When these factors affect performance, employees will automatically feel pressure. Furthermore, organizations, as well as individuals, have a hard time undoing this pressure. It is imperative to eliminate these obstacles as much as possible as a leader.
Tip 10 – Ensure that social interactions can take place remotely
Many of you have heard of or even participated in virtual happy hours.
Here are some tips for social interactions:
– Organizing pizza parties or recognitions.
– Arranging online game sessions.
– Encouraging top performers on a weekly or monthly basis.
These tips will be able to help you to ensure quality performance.
Tip 11 – Demonstrate flexibility
Each individual has a different environment at home. You have a significant task at hand here. Some people are living with the family, whereas others will have a spouse and children. Ultimately, managers must understand team members’ situations and deal with them accordingly.
Tip 12 – Demonstrate empathy
When you are shifting to remote work, especially if you have shifted abruptly, managers must acknowledge and help employees overcome situations like anxiety, stress, and other factors affecting the performance of employees.
Tip 13 – Be a mentor instead of a manager
It is more effective for managers to mentor and coach their teams than just manage their performance. Creating a positive environment for team members. It is possible to boost their morale and positive intent by motivating them. You and your organization will benefit from it in the long run. We shouldn’t stop developing our teams – and ourselves – just because we face volatility, complexity, and ambiguity. In some cases, this requires outside assistance, creative initiatives, and the willingness to put in the time.
Conclusion:
These are the tips for leading and managing remote teams. These tips look simple, but while implementing them you must be patient. The more attention and time you give to the team, the better results you’ll see. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or need assistance implementing these tips!