Last Updated on November 10, 2023 by Asfa Rasheed
A survey on the future of the workforce in the United States predicted that 1 out of 4 employees will be working remotely in 2021.
Because remote work is becoming more and more common, you must learn how to improve remote team management for virtual teams.
Do you want help working with remote teams and learning how to improve the remote work experience? Keep reading these 5 remote team management tips to help increase your productivity!
Table of Contents
1. Set Expectations and Boundaries
One of the most important things you can do when you are starting to work with remote work teams is to set your expectations and boundaries early in the process.
Each business has different expectations, so having a conversation with your team about your expectations will keep everyone on the same page.
You can talk about boundaries when it comes to work hours, meetings, communication, deadlines, and more.
It is also important to regularly talk about your expectations and boundaries. This will ensure employees never lose sight of the importance of these boundaries.
Make sure you are clear about how employees should behave and what goals you want your team to work toward.
You also need to manage your expectations. If you set your expectations too high when it comes to remote work, you will find that you are always disappointed.
2. Utilize Remote Team Management Software & Other Tools
Another way that you can greatly enhance your remote work management style is to utilize team management software and other tools.
A remote team management software is an easy way to plan projects and assign them to different employees. This software will also help you track the productivity of your employees, manage tasks, and keep everyone on the same page.
For example, software like MyTimeIn helps you monitor productivity with activity tracking, detailed reports, and more. To find more of the features included in team management software you can check out this site.
You also need to give your employees access to tools that will help them improve their work. For example, you may need to subscribe to tools like Dropbox or Microsoft Teams to make it easier to stay organized.
3. Offer Resource For Employees
Something else you need to realize is there are challenges to remote work. While it offers increased flexibility for your employees, it may be challenging for them to get their work done.
One of these reasons is that communication can be quite difficult when you are working on a completely remote team. Even with video-sharing platforms, it is still difficult for employees to ask questions or get feedback quickly.
It may also be difficult for employees who need some type of interaction while they are at work. If you do not have any type of social interaction for your team, it can be easy to feel burnt out.
If you notice that these are issues for your remote team, you can offer resources to help them overcome these challenges!
For example, if your team is struggling with the lack of communication or feedback, you may want to schedule regular one-on-one meetings with each of your employees.
This way, they will be able to ask you any questions that they might have.
Or, you can schedule video calls with your whole team and use them as a form of social interaction. Rather than using these for meetings, you can host remote get-together or even meet in person once in a while.
By understanding the challenges of remote work and offering resources to your employees to help them overcome these, you will have happier and more productive employees.
4. Be Flexible When Possible
Next, you should always try to be flexible with your remote employees when possible. While there are some deadlines that you cannot bend on, there may be other ways to increase the flexibility of your remote work.
One great way to do this is by allowing your employees to set their work schedule, as long as they can meet their set amount of work hours and meet any deadlines without any problems.
While this may not be possible for all industries, you can find ways to be flexible with your employees to make the remote work experience less stressful for them.
5. Prioritize Good Communication
Finally, as a manager of a remote team, you need to prioritize good communication.
Communicating virtually can be difficult, and you may find that the tone of your message or the main point of your emails get lost when you do not communicate in person.
To improve this, you should work on your online communication skills. Make sure you can clearly and concisely communicate!
You should also remember that it is important to quickly respond to messages from your team. If you were working in person, your employees could quickly come to your office and ask you questions, getting an immediate answer.
If their messages sit unread for hours, you may be limiting their productivity.
Make sure you improve your communication and set clear communication guidelines with your remote team.
Get Help With Remote Team Management Today
Transitioning to remote work can be challenging for many employees. However, it provides many benefits that make it a great work environment for many people!
If you want to improve your remote team management and increase the productivity of your employees, you must follow each of these tips as a remote team manager.
Do you want to learn more about team management and the best tools that you can use to improve remote team management? We can help!
Check out the other articles on our website about technology and business to learn more.
Read More: How can you improve the remote working process for your business?
