Managing Remote Teams: Best Practices for Productivity and Connection

Not so long ago, the idea of cross-country or even cross-global collaboration might have seemed inconceivable and impractical. Advances in technology have permanently transformed the commercial landscape. 

Businesses like yours can now expand their reach without requiring direct in-person contact among employees. But just how do you manage these widely dispersed individuals to maximum effect?

Establish guidelines for clear communication

Create clear policies that enable workers to dialogue with each other on their own schedules. Encourage over-communication, focusing on productive meetings.

Unlike what occurs in the traditional office setting, your remote employees cannot always communicate spontaneously. Therefore, it is even more important than ever to foster an environment that inspires trust, connection, and accountability.

For this to happen, you need to establish clear guidelines. Specify which communications should be used for what tasks and when. Since workers will be on the job at different times, encourage asynchronous communication tools like email and shared documents that enable everyone to respond according to their own schedules.

Even with these asynchronous technologies, there is an increased risk of misunderstandings that can stem from not being face-to-face. For this reason, model behaviors that promote over-communication request that people provide even more information and context than they might normally do.

Finally, be sure to meet regularly with everyone, and make the most of every common interaction. Always have a clear agenda that you share with attendees in advance. Start on time, remain on topic, and delegate the recording of minutes to someone with the ability to encapsulate what happened into concise, understandable segments.

Focus on outcomes

Come up with measurable goals and expectations without micromanaging. At the same time, keep everyone accountable.

Believe it or not, the secret to success does not lie in tracking hours worked via your employee management tools. In the end, what really matters is that your workers achieve the objectives that you have set for them. The only way that this can happen is if you establish clear expectations and goals for each person and the remote team. They should be specific, measurable, and realistic. Moreover, you need to specify details like methods and time frames.

When you are clear, intentional, and realistic in the benchmarks that you lay down, trust among colleagues will grow. In the end, groups will begin to manage their own schedules. Instead of only performing tasks because you have ordered them to do so, they will be motivated to exceed expectations on their own merits.

Of course, you should bolster this spirit by implementing systems that foster accountability. Project management tools make it possible for teams to share specifications and road maps and to track progress in real-time.

Check in regularly

When employees are separated by distance, finding ways to connect is crucial. Regular one-on-one meetings enable you to address any challenges that might arise, acknowledge growth and progress, and even discuss career goals and how you might help the person to make them a reality.

Augment these individual conversations with team meetings. In these group encounters, you have the perfect opportunity to discuss project updates, track progress, and celebrate the shared accomplishments of the group as a whole.

Whenever you get together with one person or the entire team, require everyone to turn on their cameras during calls. This gives everyone the ability to pick up on facial expressions and other nonverbal cues that help teams to gain greater rapport with each other.

Leverage technology

Technology enables teams to thrive in spite of disparities in distance and time zones. It can take various forms, including communication tools that make it possible for teams to engage in real-time messaging and video conferencing. Additionally, project management software allows groups to manage workflows, organize tasks, and track progress.

No group effort is possible without finding ways to promote collaboration and active dialogues. To that end, software like Google Workspace and Miro can promote effective brainstorming sessions, while you can harness asynchronous video tools to record tutorials that employees can access at their convenience.

If you still have questions about how to succeed as the leader of one or more teams of remote employees, consider talking to your merchant service provider. Keep in mind that this company is highly invested in your success. After all, when your profits rise, they make money as well.

The time has come to embrace today’s spirit of nationwide and global collaboration. Leverage clear communication, precise goals and expectations, and regular meetings enhanced with the power of technology. When you do, you can experience heightened collaboration and productivity that makes distance virtually irrelevant.