From communication to collaboration: best practices for managing a remote team

In the world of the increasingly remote workforce, managing project teams with remote employees is a must-have skill for any team leader. As with any skill, perfecting it takes just the right tools and a smart process. Whether you’re a beginner in managing remote teams or you already have some experience. Here is a guide for managing your team effectivity.

Common challenges with remote working

According to Zapier, some of the biggest remote work challenges are:

• Time management issues: overworking, time zone discrepancies, too many meetings, and not enough focus time. 

• Workspace issues: many teleworkers struggle to set a dedicated workspace and routine that allows them to work without interruptions.

• Communication issues: miscommunications about tasks, deadlines, expectations, and feeling out of the information loop.

• Technological issues: lack of stable internet connection, no access to work-necessary software or hardware.

Create an onboarding strategy dedicated to remote employees

Good onboarding can fully define the future experience and success of new employees. What can’t you forget when creating this process for remote team members? If this is your company’s first time managing remote employees, your usual onboarding process might need some updates. Make sure the handbook takes the following points into consideration:

• Your company’s policies regarding working hours (note that many remote teams consist of people with different time zones or employees keen on a flexible schedule).

• Protocols regarding hardware such as computers, headphones, or any other necessary work equipment.

• Methods of internal team communication such as video conferencing tools.

• Work-required software and tools, together with guidelines.

• Company policies regarding the place of work.

Remember to set up an orientation video call with your new employee as soon as the offer is accepted. Your first call with a new team member is the perfect moment to explain your management style, company values and set up the training plan. But also gain insight into your new employee’s general tech-savviness and experience in remote working. If they have never worked fully remotely before, they might need some help and extra nurturing during the transition.

You might have to take on a different approach if your team mainly consists of contractors or freelancers. Independent entrepreneurs provide their skills and expertise to the project, contractors usually won’t require any training or work equipment. On the other hand, they might not be familiar with your brand’s style and internal know-how. When preparing an onboarding plan for freelance contractors, try to communicate clearly what the job consists of. Is it just completing the part within the deadline? Or does the work require attendance in team meetings? Setting up these expectations will also help you plan your tasks as a manager. Additionally, to avoid miscommunications within the team, provide a transparent policy regarding the work scope. 

Choose the right project management software

One of the main challenges of managing a remote team is establishing a smart process of communication and task delegation. Luckily, plenty of great tools make managing teams (both remote and in-office) a breeze. Project management tools like Asana, Monday or Trello will help you assign tasks, schedule deadlines and keep tabs on your team’s activities. Not only helpful but even crucial for effective team management. A well-organized project management tool will become your team’s easily accessible mission control center.

Create communication channels

To ensure effective communication between your team members, invest in a tool that allows video conferencing, chat, and file sharing. The most popular communication tool solutions on the market are currently such as Slack, Microsoft Teams or the Google Workspace apps. Remember to save space for a virtual water cooler channel where your team will be able to discuss non-work related things and personal life. Team chats will become a unifying value and a chance to stimulate interactions that would normally happen in a physical workspace.

Establish ground rules

In order to effectively manage remote employees, you need to establish a set of clear rules of work conduct. This will help to keep a healthy work-life balance and also clarify your expectations. Make sure to discuss aspects like:

• Work hours – do you offer your remote workers full flexibility? Or are there specific hours they are expected to be online

• Calendar of group meetings – to ensure everyone is on the same page, schedule regular video calls for the entire team;

• Calendar of 1:1 meetings – regular conference calls for more direct reports and discussion;

• Expected standard operating procedures such as deadlines for projects and tasks – GitLab’s comprehensive guide on how to successfully manage remote teams suggests going a step beyond and creating a useful set of documents.

Take care of the team spirit

Ensuring your team’s happiness is crucial in both a remote and an office. As a remote manager, it’s essential to prioritize this responsibility and keep the team together. Make sure to set clear expectations and create a space in which every employee is encouraged to discuss their concerns and ideas freely. What can you do to boost team spirit and ensure employee satisfaction?

• When managing employees, don’t forget to practice empathy and provide emotional support when needed.

• Encourage team members to share their opinions and discuss ideas during your video meetings.

• Make sure that remote work doesn’t equal isolation, and your employees get to meet other team members. Not just during the weekly team meetings, but also through a less formal Slack channel. Or a team-building event.

• Ensure that all employees working remotely have the same access to benefits as other people in the company.

Since your team is most likely located in different places, running an in-person team-building event might be impossible. That’s not a problem! There are plenty of all-remote activities that you can consider, such as HatQuest’s online quizzes, and Airbnb’s virtual cooking classes. Or a remote team campfire with a special home delivery kit.

Provide the benefit package 

Since a fully remote or hybrid team is no longer a novelty in the business culture, many companies have adjusted their benefits packages to meet the needs of their remote talents. We recommend researching popular remote employee benefits to estimate which solutions work out the best for your business. While the offer should be standard throughout the entire company, Business.com points out that employees that work remotely pay special attention to:

• Health-related benefits (private medical insurance, covering the costs of a gym membership, mental health insurance)

• Technology equipment and home office allowances

• time off

• Team building events and in-person meetings

• Company branded items – to guarantee they feel part of the team

We hope this guide will be a good start for your experience in managing remotely. Or will give you some new ideas on how to create a successful remote team. If you would like to learn more about managing the remote team, feel free to click here.  The most important thing is to talk with your team members. Listen to their opinions during the meeting. Communicate with them. You can do it!