Tips to manage remote teams / resources
Hiring employees who can work remotely can be beneficial to them and your company. You can find more qualified resources by widening your job search and without requiring them to relocate.
Resources which are working remotely feel more satisfied and happy without the restriction of coming to an office daily. Also, you can increase retention by letting employees communicate at least part of their time.
As the trend of a traditional office setup is shrinking, so several companies have started offering different communication / management tools to manage resources who are working remotely.
Managing remote employees is a difficult task. You have to apply different management techniques for this as compared to in-house resources. It becomes troublesome at times when you have to communicate important information, have meetings or keep everyone accountable. However, with the right strategies, proper check n balance and tools, managing remote employees can be a piece of cake.
Let’s take a look at a few of them :
Keep constant communication :
Being a remote manager, you must make sure that you spare enough time each day to reach out and connect with your employees. Frequent communication is necessary to establish a connection with your resources. Some remote managers do not communicate with their co-workers and employees if there are no urgent deadlines or due dates approaching, which is absolutely wrong. Maintaining a constant connection is essential if they want to manage resources properly.
Email is an official channel of communication in many companies, but when you are working remotely this method of conversation seems inappropriate. So, you can shift to other chat services which are less formal and are better for quick questions and maintaining communication in a more neutral setting. In addition to that many chat services have video / audio call option as well which can be used for long discussions and meetings.
Stay Lighthearted :
Having a friendly relation between managers and other employees helps in increasing efficiency. If there is a communication gap between them, managers come across as stern and strict. Therefore, managers should try to keep the discussions lighthearted and easy.
It is difficult sometimes to convey certain emotions when you are communicating via email or chat. They can be misunderstood easily. Therefore, it is important to write short and easy sentences with a touch of humor to develop good communication.
Make an effort to meet your team :
This step may seem difficult for team members who work in different cities or in different countries. But if you are working remotely from the same city. It is a good option that you arrange an informal meeting or a get together with your colleagues. This can happen once in a month or quarterly but it will help in establishing a strong connection and trust for continuing your business together.
Be present and motivating :
Having a supportive manager makes all the difference. Being constantly supported and encouraged by the manager can increase the productivity of team members.
Managers who continuously check their employees if they need any help or suggestions about anything can make a huge difference in communication with the remote team.
Conclusion :
The process of managing remote teams or in-house teams is different. But in the end, all employees need the same thing. Being a remote manager, your first goal should be building a strong relationship with the team members and continue boosting their morale by appreciating their efforts and hard work.
At Ashtex we have both in-house and remote resources. We routinely held 15 minutes stand-up meeting, where we communicate with those resources and exchange important information.
