There has been a dramatic shift in how we work and live since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. For many of us, this has meant working from home for the first time. Research revealed that 71% of employees migrated to remote work in the first year of the pandemic, many of whom had no previous experience working from home.
The trend is likely to continue, with a recent study finding that 61% of employees want to continue working from home even after the pandemic ends.
If you’re leading a remote team, it can be a daunting task. How do you manage and motivate employees not in the same physical space as you? What techniques can you use to ensure that your team is productive and efficient?
This article will explore techniques you can use to manage a remote team successfully.
Challenges Of Leading And Managing A Remote Team
Leading and managing a remote team comes with its own unique set of challenges. Below are some of the challenges you may face when leading and managing a remote team:
1. Establishing Trust And Empathy
It can be challenging to establish trust and empathy with team members you have never met in person can be difficult. You need to find ways to build trust virtually, such as holding regular team meetings and one-on-one check-ins.
2. Managing Communication
There can be communication challenges when managing a remote team, such as time zone differences and different working schedules. Establishing clear communication channels and protocols, such as video conferencing for team meetings and a chat platform for quick questions, is essential.
3. Ensuring Productivity
It can be challenging to ensure that remote team members are productive, as there is no way to monitor their work physically. You must find ways to measure productivity, such as setting goals and objectives and tracking progress against those goals.
3 Tips For Successfully Leading And Managing A Remote Team
Even though leading and managing a remote team comes with challenges, there are also many benefits. You can successfully lead and manage a remote team with the right tips and techniques. Below are three tips for successfully leading and managing a remote team:
1. Stressing The Importance Of Communication
As mentioned earlier, managing communication is one of the challenges of leading a remote team. It is important to stress the importance of communication with your team and to establish clear channels and protocols for communication. It is also important to encourage open communication so that team members feel comfortable asking questions and raising concerns.
To get around this problem, ensure each department has access to the digital resources it needs to coordinate effectively. One option is to switch to project management software so that all team members can access and contribute to a centralized database of information and calendar events. You should know that your employees won’t buy into the platform until you utilize it yourself.
2. Avoid Becoming A Micromanager
It can be tempting to micromanage when you’re not in the same physical space as your team members. However, this will only lead to frustration and resentment from your team. Instead, trust that your team members can do their jobs and give them the freedom to work autonomously.
Lack of faith in employees is one of the biggest complaints from remote workers. Make sure you trust your team, give them specific deadlines, and hold them accountable for their results. Assume that your team members are working, whether they are physically present in the office or not, whether they are down the hall or on their sofas. Get the word out that they can consult you on anything bothering them.
3. Consider It A Work In Progress
Like anything else, leading and managing a remote team is a work in progress. There will be bumps along the way, but don’t get discouraged. Instead, it is an opportunity to learn and grow as a leader.
Don’t assume things will go well immediately. Even Apple had to reevaluate its hybrid work arrangements when COVID-19 came back, and employees were worried. If you are flexible from the beginning, course correction will be a lot simpler if issues occur for your team. On the other hand, if you’re inflexible, you’ll likely find yourself having to start from scratch.
The Bottom Line
So there you have three tips for successfully leading and managing a remote team. Communication is key, so make sure to establish clear channels and protocols. Avoid micromanaging, and trust that your team members can do their jobs. And finally, view it as a work in progress – there will be bumps along the way, but don’t get discouraged. You can successfully lead and manage a remote team with the right attitude and approach.
