After the COVID-19 outburst, a lot of new ways of working have come to the spotlight. Amongst them, and probably the most important of these changes, is remote working. People working from their homes and trying to perform exactly the way they did when they were in their offices is a new reality. This new trend is here to stay, even after the pandemic is gone, for a lot of companies who want to be more flexible and let their employees choose what works best for them.
But the important thing here is, how do you manage these teams? As a manager, it was way easier for you to keep up with your team, provide help and support and supervise them, whilst you were working in the same space. Even during Zoom, Teams, or Skype meetings, you are not always in place to surely tell what your employees feel when looking at them. This situation has caused a lot of frustration for managers all over the world. So, below you will find ways that will help you to manage your remote team efficiently.
Maintain a consistent communication pattern
People cope with their daily routine as it is some kind of a ritual and this principle must also apply to their work. The most important downside of remote working is that employees feel like no one cares about them. They feel left out and cut off from the company simply because they never get asked how they are doing. So, plan weekly or monthly meetings, or whenever you think it is necessary, where you will chat with your team and pass them the vibe that you are there and you care about them. Setting up a communication routine and sticking to it, will help you boost the communication with your employees and make them feel more comfortable and safe.
Respect each person’s uniqueness
Every person out there is unique and behaves in a different way. You have to be aware of that fact and treat each person accordingly. In order to achieve that, firstly you need to detect the particularities that each team member has and adapt your communication style to their needs. It is a hard task that takes time, but you will see that your team will be more productive and efficient this way, just because everyone will have understood in the right way the message you want to convey.
Be very specific when it comes to tasks
Tasks and how you divide them amongst your team members are very important for the smooth and coherent function of your team. Of course, there will be times when you will make mistakes when assigning them, but this is part of the plan. Just keep in mind that since the distance between you and your team is increasing, this will also happen with mistakes, so keep an open mind and be more understanding. Establishing a clear task division will help people know exactly what they have to do and will also help them know all the several other things they are able to do till you communicate again with them.
Managing a remote team is a daily struggle and something new will come up every day, but all you have to do is stay positive, trust your team, communicate with them and the result will pay off.
