Remote working is changing the dynamic of the workplace. Recent data shows that 18% of the workforce works remotely full-time. This data was published before the COVID-19 crisis erupted, which means that society was shifting towards teleworking before social distancing became mandated. The pandemic is likely to make remote working even more common long after it subsides.
The benefits of remote working are numerous. Unfortunately, there are also some challenges that every remote team must overcome. Team managers must be prepared to address issues with remote employees and find ways to maximize productivity.
Here are some important tips to maximize the productivity of any remote team.
Establish a daily structure for your employees
Some employees are very independent and internally driven. They can take initiative to start projects without needing to be prodded by their manager.
Unfortunately, for every independent employee on your team, there will probably be three or four that will sit idly all day if they aren’t given any direction. These employees are not necessarily lazy. They just can’t break the inertia needed to get started unless you give them the right push.
Threats of discipline are usually the least effective approach to get these employees to do their job. The best way to motivate them is with a daily routine. You should provide a detailed schedule, so they can know what is expected and what they need to do. It might take a little time to create a routine for your employees, but you will save yourself tremendous headaches down the road by making sure they are sticking to the timeline. Buffer has some great tips in this article.
Create specific goals with clear deadlines
It is harder for remote teams to feel united behind a core mission. They are made up of many people that have zero face-to-face interaction with each other each day. They are also struggling to overcome countless distractions while working from home.
The way to unify remote workers is by making sure they are working towards a clear goal. This goal needs to be well-established, so employees know what they are trying to accomplish. The goal must be easy to understand, realistic and objectively measured.
Ensure tasks are paired with the best employees
As the manager of a remote team, it can be difficult to decide which employees’ certain tasks should be delegated to. You don’t interact with employees daily, so you might not be paying as close attention to the finer details of their work. You also won’t have as many casual conversations with them, so you won’t learn more about specific strengths.
It will certainly be more difficult to determine which employees are most qualified to handle specific tasks. Nevertheless, making these determinations is going to be critical. Proper delegation is arguably the most important element of success for any team. Remote teams are no exception.
There are several tips that you can follow to make these determinations:
- You should consider having all remote employees take skill tests. Gig sites like Upwork have used skill tests to determine the competencies of various professionals using their platform. Your company can learn from their case studies and create similar tests internally. These tests will help managers decide which employees that tasks should be delegated to.
- Use the right work from home tools to measure the performance of every employee on various metrics. You want to track their work carefully to make sure you have a clear understanding of their skills.
- Make sure that you rank the competency of all employees on different functions. You don’t just want to know which employee is most qualified to handle a specific task, because that employee might be too busy with other projects. You need to identify the second and third most qualified employees if your star performer is not available.
Identifying the right employees to delegate to is both the single most important and difficult aspect of being a manager. Fortunately, there are different ways to make it easier.
Make availability a top priority
Employees need to feel that their manager is approachable at all times. It can be difficult to communicate your availability to employees when everybody is working remotely. You need to be especially proactive about telling them how they can reach you.
It is a good idea to provide multiple communication mediums, so you can be reached when necessary. Don’t be afraid to even share your mobile phone number with key employees if they have to reach you outside of normal working hours.