When it comes to managing remote teams, it’s important to discover the right workflow management system, effectively collaborate on documents, and more. For many companies, it has taken a while to find exactly what works best for their teams. Here are some best practices for managing a completely remote team.
Choose a Workflow Management System
Try out a few different workflow management systems and see what works best for your team. Having a plan for managing projects and monitoring workflow will prevent you from micromanaging your employees. Micromanagement can often lead your team to feel like they aren’t doing well or are not trusted to get the job done. It will also help your employees establish specific goals and control the work on each level more easily.
Establish Communication Mediums
Another system you will need to set up is a centralized communication medium. Many companies have moved to using applications like Slack to communicate with the company at large. Test out a few and see what works well for your organization. For some, emails, phone calls, video chats, and other forms of communication may work best. Using these tools can help you keep communication straightforward.
It is also important to focus on maintaining certain types of communication in the workplace as well. Continue to make time for smaller conversations. These can help hash out problems during a project or simple communication issues.
Create a Remote Company Culture
Your company culture is still important when you are working in a remote setting. Be sure your remote team knows what the company’s mission is and create a culture around it. Organizations that do this have more successful remote workplaces overall. It helps increase quality, productivity, and commitment.
Make sure your culture also encompasses accountability and trust. These are two crucial aspects of remote work. Set clear expectations for your team. This will help you create a strong bond between employees and create a positive culture all around.
Respect Cultural Differences
When working remotely, you may be encountering a more diverse workforce than ever before. Be sure to be respectful of cultural differences. Find productive ways of dealing with differences and language barriers not to hinder or harm your employees or their vision of the company.
Effectively Collaborate With Your Team on Documents
To manage your team remotely, you need to have an effective system for collaborating on documents and projects. If you have a document that needs everyone’s input or edits from multiple team members, using a Google Drive or Dropbox tool can make things easier.
Allow Flexibility
Allow your employees some flexibility in their schedules. Of course, some jobs need to be done within a set time, but provide your team with flexibility where you can. You can make it easier by opening up communication platforms for your employees to chat through if problems come up and establish collaboration platforms. This makes it so that they can communicate with their coworkers and managers no matter what time they are plugged in.
Track Your Team’s Performance
Another key to managing a completely remote team is tracking your staff’s performance. Have a central space where your employees can see progress on specific projects. If your remote employees are paid based on hours worked, have a way to track their attendance.
Get Feedback From Your Staff
You should also strive to receive feedback from your team regularly. This is a good note to take whether you are in a remote work setting or not. Giving and receiving feedback can help you be transparent and find new ways to tackle goals within the organization.
Have a Face-to-Face Meeting
When you manage a completely remote team, making time for virtual conferences is a great idea. Whether virtually held through video or in-person conferences, these events give you a chance to do team-building exercises. Meetings like this can help you create a company that is more connected with its staff.
Having a great team on your side is half the battle for managing employees in a remote work setting. The professionals at A.C. Coy can help you put together a staff that fits your needs.
