Remote working has risen from being an option that companies scarcely choose to become a concept that every business is embracing. While remote working has proven to be a new normal, it is no news that different companies have different approaches to the concept of remote working. While some companies use the full remote working where all employees work from home, other companies adopt the hybrid system where people have to come to work and also work from home.
This new way of working requires new strategies. Unlike the traditional work environment, managing a virtual team can pose a problem for supervisors. Companies have created different strategies to manage their teams virtually but these strategies differ from one company to another. In this article, all these strategies have been narrowed down to five significant tips to manage your team.
1. Establish Realistic Goals
To get your team to be productive, you need to set goals for them and have a robust remote work policy in place. When you are clear about your expectations, it is easier for the team to work towards achieving this goal. Your team will no doubt consist of different people, performing different functions. However, the result of everyone's job will be to achieve a common goal that you have laid out from the onset.
Goals help your employees to make decisions on their own without having to wait for you to intervene. They can work independently and be productive, all they need to do is to think of what line of action will help to achieve the company's objective(s). Establishing goals will also help you get less involved in employees' work and focus more on yours.
2. Get Self-Reliant Employees
It is easier to manage your team when the people in the team know what to do and when to do what. When your team members find it hard to follow laid down guidelines or work towards achieving your established expectation, it will affect the team's output.
To make sure that you have the right people in your team, ensure that you lookout for people who can work independently during your hiring process. Look beyond the resume or cover letter of applicants, see them for what they have to offer. Write down the qualities that your company needs from the right applicant and design your hiring process in a way that it is easy for you to spot applicants that possess these qualities.
3. Be Liberal
If you are going to be working with a remote team, you must understand that your team members, like your customer, will come from different parts of the world. Respect the diversity in culture. Leverage the fact that your team members are from different parts of the world or have different beliefs and ask for their opinions on issues. This will help you to have a wider scope of your customers' ways of life and you can discover ways to solve problems differently. Schedule meetings where each member of your team can introduce themselves to the team. This will allow respect among one another and help the team to collaborate better.
4. Use Project Management Tools
Working remotely has been made easy if you have the right tools at your disposal. There are a lot of project management tools that you can make use of but you do not have to know how to use all of them. Pick a few that suit your operations and master them. As a team leader, you are automatically a project manager and you need to have the right skills to manage your team effectively.
5. Be Supportive and Encourage Team Bonding
You need to be a source of motivation to your team members and you should always take care of your remote employees' mental health. When your workers are happy, your clients will also be happy. Because the workers will give their best to make sure they surpass your goals and double your estimated profit. Ask workers about their personal life, make sure you do not only care about their output but about them too. You could also share effective website ideas that will help them earn money.The motivation should not be shouldered by you alone, encourage them to check on one another. This will help to build a positive team spirit. Schedule informal meetings where everyone can get together without discussing work-related issues.