If your staff works remotely, the number of hurdles you face as a manager increases. These four tips, presented by insercorp, can help you overcome the difficulties of assembling and managing a remote team so the company can run smoothly and successfully.
The success of a company is dependent on its employees and how well they do their jobs. A business with remote staff is no different; however, there are certain qualities these workers should possess. They must be responsible and able to work independently. Because you cannot physically check in on team members throughout the day, hire people who you trust to do their jobs well with little supervision.
Additionally, you need a well-rounded team working for your company. While you likely can cut back on certain items and even positions by going remote, you don't want tasks falling through the cracks because you are missing key roles. For example, marketing is a vital piece of any business, so you need this role on your team.
Instead of hiring a full-time employee with a salary and benefits, freelancers and marketing agencies are a fantastic alternative. In this age of technology, an engaging website is a necessity for businesses; a content marketer provides a skillful approach to developing the content on your website without you spending money on a permanent employee. Online job platforms are a great place to look for experienced content marketers. You can read reviews, learn delivery times, and request cost estimates.
With many leaders transitioning their staff to a remote work setting, face-to-face interactions are decreasing. According to neuroscientists, social interaction is essential for our health and well-being, but meeting this need at work can be challenging when team members are not regularly seeing each other in person. Video conferencing applications create an interactive meeting when employees live in different parts of the world. Choose a video conferencing application and host a meeting explaining the application and its features to your workers. Encourage them to video chat for meetings they schedule with each other.
While clear expectations are needed for any job, they become more necessary when employees work remotely. Weekly team meetings and regular one-on-ones are great ways to ensure expectations are set and met. Have a clear agenda established before each meeting to make sure no tasks or items are overlooked.
If people are struggling to understand expectations, job aids are a way to record processes and outcomes. A job aid is a document that describes how a process is handled and what to do if exceptions occur. If there are tricky activities your team manages, create a job aid for them.
Allowing flexible schedules helps you build rapport with your team. Instead of a typical eight-to-five workday, a flexible work-from-home schedule gives your employees more freedom to set their own schedules. This grows productivity by allowing workers to take care of other tasks so they can completely focus on their jobs when clocked in. It also communicates that you respect and value your staff.
Managing a group of employees is no easy feat, especially if everyone works remotely. Though this setting presents different challenges, you can still have a successful business and well-functioning team. Apply these tips to benefit both your business and employees.