In these times of a global pandemic, businesses have had to transition to work-from-home arrangements to survive. As time goes on, a lot of companies are starting to see the benefits of working remotely. However, remote working is not as simple as it may seem. Here are a few tips to make your remote team efficient and be more productive.
1) Enable flexible and agile work for your remote team members
Each individual works in a different manner. Someone may be a night owl, while others work better in the mornings. Encourage your team members to find out what works for them. Let your team feel that you trust them and are not going to be a control freak about how they work. If everybody in your team feels empowered to work in a way that is best for them, then you will inevitably get higher levels of productivity.
2) Use remote collaboration tools
Rather than extensively depending on phone calls or video conferencing, consider using remote collaboration tools like Slack to work effectively. Slack lets you communicate and collaborate with remote team members in a seamless manner. Consider using a Slack standup bot to meet asynchronously with your team members. Doing so reduces and, in a lot of cases, eliminates the need for lengthy video-meetings allowing your team to be more efficient.
3) Manage your remote team effectively
Managing a team in an office and managing a team remotely can be as different as chalk and cheese. You need to ensure that your team is productive even though your team members are not physically present near you. One of the crucial aspects of being a remote manager is to ensure that you do not micro-manage your team members. Give them enough time and space to work on their tasks.
4) Try to think different when evaluating your team’s efforts
Evaluating the performance of remote team members is different from evaluating a team that works in your office. Since you do not get the opportunity to have in-person interactions, it is vital to use other ways to evaluate a remote team. Help your remote team see how their efforts align with business goals. They will then be able to get a clear picture of how much you value them and will get the motivation to improve their performance continuously.
5) Help them overcome feelings of isolation
Working in an office gives team members the chance to bond with each other. Working remotely can be incredibly isolating and can lead to a feeling of loneliness. Extended isolation can, in some cases, lead to depression and anxiety. Try to keep your team members engaged socially whenever you can. Have occasional group video meetings where each person speaks for some time about something other than work. Encourage your team members to take up exercise and meditation to stay mentally switched on.
6) Let your team know how much you value them
While getting a regular paycheck is essential for an individual, feeling valued can also help your team members be more productive. As a manager, you should think about how you can show how much you genuinely appreciate your team’s efforts. It could be as simple as sending an e-card signed by the rest of the team. Or it could be having a separate one-to-one video call to guide them regarding any personal or professional issues they may be facing.
In Summary
The more engaged your team stays at work, the more productive they will be. This is the case for workers in all scenarios, including when working remotely. Managers who try to be forward-thinking enable their team to achieve better results and be more efficient. You can read this article for more tips on managing your team remotely.