More and more companies today are building out their remote teams, and pandemic or not, remote work is growing among companies that have physical offices as well. We at Dialpad have a pretty big remote team too!
The thing is, remote work doesn’t exactly come with a brand new set of management challenges. In fact, many of the same principles as managing an in-office team still hold true. It’s more so the fact that certain issues get… exacerbated, shall we say?
If you’re managing remote employees, keep reading. I'll go through 3 tips for how to keep remote workers productive—and happy.
Challenges inherent in remote work include:
Lack of face-to-face supervision
Lack of access to information
Social isolation
Distractions at home
Enhanced issues with already existing silos
If you’re working remotely, it’s easy to let communication fall by the wayside and let your team operate pretty independently. However, that’s exactly what you want to steer clear of. You must work to create that virtual team presence where all feel comfortable. “If you, the manager, don’t create good, open communication channels, the remote worker will feel, well, ‘remote’ and forgotten,” says INSEAD associate professor Mark Mortensen. This can get complicated in larger companies, where some teams are remote and others aren’t, or there are multiple remote teams working separately. “As a manager, it’s important to keep the flow of information about what’s happening individually, on a team, and in the company transparent and available for everyone to see,” notes Trello VP of Marketing Stella Garber.
Beyond the simple daily check-ins, over-communicating is imperative when it comes to the team’s tasks, duties, responsibilities and desired outcomes, which we’ll cover more in a minute. In a normal workplace environment, lack of communication can already be a challenge. But when employees are working remote – and potentially now focused on new or different tasks and goals, communication is paramount.
By now, most of us have been forced down a path of digital transformation that can take most organizations months, if not years, to adopt. Tools like Zoom, Google Hangouts and Microsoft Teams – which most of you are already using on a daily basis – provide simple platforms for tackling tips 1 and 2. I’ll admit, it was a bit uncomfortable at first, but once fully adopted, it has been a fantastic way to support engagement strategies. And just for getting stuff done!
