Managing your remote team? We got your back
There is no doubt we’ve all started to feel disruptions in nearly all facets of our life, especially at work. As a leader, it is important to stay self-aware, while providing structure, direction and support. Here are a few ways to manage and nurture your remote team:
Set expectations. If working remotely is new for your team, make sure you have expectations around availability, communication tools, meetings and timelines.
Be adaptable. Your team members are dealing with a variety of work from home arrangements, so it is helpful to shift how you measure performance to results-based. This empowers both you and your team members to focus on what the output is and adjust priorities, rather than on how or when tasks are completed.
Set your team up for success. Ensure everyone has the tools they need to continue to get their job done – laptops, headsets, virtual meeting software and monitors. If your team doesn’t use their personal phones for work, make sure they can access their desk phone and voicemails remotely.
Keep your team in touch. Whether it’s a daily 15-minute team video meeting or a team chat on an instant messaging platform, encourage a sense of community, collaboration and human connection with regular communication. Communicate even if there isn’t new information to share.
Be available. Schedule individual check-ins with members of your team and encourage them to do the same with you. These will give you a sense of how they’re doing with their workload and gauge their well-being, in case they need additional support.
Have some fun. Keep your team engaged by planning new activities. Plan a virtual happy-hour, organize themed team calls or do home office tours MTV cribs style.
The most important thing we can all do is to be human. When we create safe spaces for our team to learn and contribute, they can respond to our changing environment and meet our goals.