How to Manage Work in a Remote Team


We’ve all has to learn more about remote workingOpens in a new tab. this year. Whether we are part of a remote working team, or managing one. It can be a learning curve to handle this new form of working. Follow the tips in our article as we go through some ideas to help.

The Benefits of Remote Work

There are benefits to doing remote work. Most dissertation editing servicesOpens in a new tab. don’t have a physical office space for people to work in. This allows for more flexibility in when and where the writers do their work.

Such flexibility may not be possible for your company of course. A nine to five job is always a nine to five job, after all. But there are other benefits. A lack of commute means that people will feel more relaxed when they come in at nine o’clock. Not having to deal with trains, traffic jams, and more will do that for you. Stress is not good for productivity, so that is one plus! There will also be fewer incidences of lateness. Since nobody is waiting for a bus that got stuck five streets away, no one will be late.

Try and focus on the positives rather than the negatives. This will make managing remote working much easier.

Have a Daily Check-In

A huge part of managing remote employeesOpens in a new tab. is maintaining your connection with them. Everyone being at home is not an excuse to isolate them! Try and make sure that you check in on people at least once per day. Think of it as the digital equivalent of dropping by someone’s desk when they are in the office.

Equip Employees

Make sure that everyone has the tools they need to keep doing their job. Managing remote teams is a lot like managing in-person teams in this regard. If people don’t have the tools they need in order to do their jobs, there is a problem. It is your job to fix those problems.

Making sure that everyone has the basic tools to do their job is the first step. The equipment in an office is standardised. The same is not true of home offices – fix that, and everything will go more smoothly.

Communicate a Lot

Working from home is a lot easier now that we have so much technology at our fingertips. Keep in touch with your team as much as possible, and they will feel included. Communication can supply the feeling of connection that a lot of people have been missing lately. Choose a method that works for you and your team. Set up a group chat, or a video link, or whatever works best for all of you. Now you can have remote working, and still communicate!

Take Advantage of Technology

As just said, there are so many types of technology right now. Being able to remotely manage a team has never been easier.

You shouldn’t try and use as much technology as possible. When you are wondering how to manage remote teams, ask yourself what would work best. Can you have a video link running all the time? Or would a chat service like WhatsApp work better? It depends on the technology people have in their homes. Zoom is a very good service, but older computers can’t really handle it. WhatsApp is a good app, but it is limited in what it can do. When you are working remotely, you still need to be able to work, after all.

Manage Expectations

This is an unprecedented situation we are all in. We all need to adjust to our new situations. Yes, work might suffer a little while people get used to communicating in new ways. That’s fine and normal.

You need to manage your expectations for remote working. New technology can be difficult get your head around at the best of times. Now people need to get used to new technology and an entirely new way of working! Things will pick back up once everybody settles back into their routines.

Trust in your Employees

When it comes to questions of how to manage a remote team, this is a big one. You need to trust your employees. We are all doing our best in this new climate. Some people might be using it as an excuse to legitimately slack off. But probably not many. Trust that your employees are doing their best.

Yes, it can be a big shift from an office to remote working. It’s a lot easier to keep tabs on a team in an office! But remote working doesn’t mean isolation. Keep tabs on your employees throughout the day. Arrange meetings. Set up chats. You can do a lot to keep in touch.

Focus on Outcomes, Not Activity

Many people have argued that the purpose of being in an office is to look busy, rather than actually be busy. As you get used to managing a remote team, remember to focus on outcomes rather than activity.

For one thing, you can’t actually see how active people are being in remote working. For another, does it matter, if everyone is meeting their targets?

Focusing on outcomes will mean there is less stress surrounding work. Again, this is a new time for us all. We all need to adjust to the new way of working. Outcomes should matter more than correct working form.

Resource Your Team

A big part of remote team management is making sure that everyone has what they need. It’s not like you are all together in an office, where everything is within hand’s reach. It can take time to make sure that everyone has what they need.

Your job is to make sure that people do have what they need. It can be as simple as helping someone to log in, or as complex as needing office furniture. Your job is to help your team.

Be Flexible

Above all else, be flexible. Remember that children are quite often learning from home these days. Other adults could be working remotely too! We all have to get used to new ways of handling our lives. Be flexible when it comes to your employees. They are likely doing their best. You can help them by offering support, and not being harsh when their home lives interfere with their work.

Remote Working

Most remote employees can plan their own time and work at a pace that is convenient for them. If you are tired, you can take a break. Or you can break work in two stages – morning and evening, and most of the day do your own thing. For example, you can go to the gym or foreign language courses.

It is a dream for many – to set your schedule and work as convenient for you. You can sleep till lunch, or, on the contrary, you can wake up at 6 am and finish your working day at 14-15.
 

Saving time and money. If you spend about two hours a day on a trip (and preparation for it), for a month it will be already 44 hours, and for a year it will be 528 hours or 22 days! And add here more breaks for lunch, snacks and chitchat with not so busy colleagues, and with horror it becomes clear how much time is wasted.

Now it’s about money. Travel costs money, no matter if it’s about your own car or public transport. And even more money is spent on lunches and coffee – at home it’s all available in your favourite kitchen. As a result, the savings can be very substantial.

Remote working will get easier the more you do it. These tips will make the experience much smoother. Many people are reporting more productivity now that they can work from home. You may find that your work and team feel the same way. We’ll all get there in the end.

Steve Todd

Steve Todd, founder of Open Sourced Workplace and is a recognized thought leader in workplace strategy and the future of work. With a passion for work from anywhere, Steve has successfully implemented transformative strategies that enhance productivity and employee satisfaction. Through Open Sourced Workplace, he fosters collaboration among HR, facilities management, technology, and real estate professionals, providing valuable insights and resources. As a speaker and contributor to various publications, Steve remains dedicated to staying at the forefront of workplace innovation, helping organizations thrive in today's dynamic work environment.

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