Managing Remote Teams: 5 Work from Home Best Practices for Employers
by Kelsey Arrington on May 24, 2022 Managing remote employees requires the right tools and strategic planning to create a work environment conducive to collaboration. Need tips to manage remote workers more effectively? You’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ll review the top five best practices for managing remote teams and keeping all of your employees on the same page. Just keep reading.
Key Takeaways:
- Successfully managing remote teams requires mindful communication.
- Establishing a positive culture within the remote work environment is important for remote employees to feel connected.
- Praise and constructive feedback are both important aspects of forging a strong and collaborative remote team.
Be mindful with your verbal and written communication to remote teams.
When you manage a team of remote workers, it’s important to disseminate information effectively across your company’s various communication channels.
When communicating with your remote teams, be mindful of the tone presented in written replies. It can be very easy for written communication to be misinterpreted, especially when short responses are given to individual employees. So, try your best to communicate clearly and listen to the needs of your remote team members attentively. This attuned attention to communication can help to promote a positive culture where every team member feels heard and respected.
Be discerning when providing feedback to remote employees.
Providing feedback is one of many tasks that must be performed when you manage remote employees. But how you go about this task is what makes all the difference in your employee’s perception of the company culture. So, take time to think about how you publicly credit individuals and how you give constructive feedback as well.
Our advice? Praise your team members publicly and as often as possible! Positive reinforcement can keep your team motivated – especially while performing tedious projects that challenge their time management skills.
When it comes to criticism, however, try to keep difficult conversations private and reserved to one-on-one interactions. Need to clarify expectations or review the tasks of one remote worker? It may be best to address those conversations in a private setting to avoid embarrassment or cause friction in the remote environment.
Delegate responsibilities but don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty, too.
The remote workforce is like every other, with workloads that ebb and flow throughout the year. So, when it comes to managing remote workers, it’s important to know how to delegate work effectively to folks working in various time zones. To assist with this task and streamline workflows, it may be necessary to employ the use of a project management tool to keep track of the employees’ work.
Each company is different but many remote teams require some collaboration tools to effectively communicate outside of team meetings. It’s just a matter of finding the right tools that work for your remote team.
Outside of delegation, it’s also important to support each remote employee with the tasks they perform as needed. This support may entail those in managerial positions having to roll up their sleeves and carry out core tasks, from time to time. So, don’t be afraid to get involved when there is no one to delegate a task to! It’s all a part of crafting a strong in-house team within a remote work environment – sometimes managers have to fulfill the roles of other team members, too.
Be aware that working remotely looks different for everyone.
In general, remote employees understand that, despite the lack of an office setting, their work is important to the company’s overarching goals. However, the working styles of these remote employees may vary from person to person.
It’s important to be mindful of various working styles when managing remote workers – particularly if you hire designers, developers, or creative professionals! Remember, not everyone learns or processes information the same way. To ensure your staff members stay on the same page and all of your employees feel supported, it’s important to build relationships with them and embrace diversity on your team!
To put this into practice, try team-building activities or group discussions to learn about what individual employees need to be successful at your company and tailor your approach accordingly.
Create a schedule that is conducive to a healthy work-life balance and leaves time to get into a flow state.
When you manage remote employees, it can be easy to get caught up in the needs of everyone on your team and neglect your own. However, remote work best practices encourage you to take care of yourself so that you can be the best manager possible.
So, create a schedule that works for you and make sure you take your work-life balance into consideration. And above all, protect your flow state!
As a manager, it can be incredibly easy to get bogged down with virtual meetings, video calls, and other aspects of remote work. To avoid working long hours and keep productivity levels high, it’s important to create space to deep dive into your to-do list. Remember, making time to focus is critical – even for managers!
Conclusion
Whether you manage small remote teams of e-workers or a large group of virtual employees, it’s important to take time to get to know your staff members. The more you learn about their individual working styles and communication habits, the better you can manage the entire team! So, put these remote work best practices to the test and create strong bonds with those you work with!