While the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, neither employees nor organizations anticipated that they will have to work remotely. Meanwhile, during the early pandemic phase, a Harvard survey stated that 41% of leaders struggled to manage their remote teams, while 40% were unprepared for this drastic change.
This report also showed that only 40% of employees working remotely reported that they felt supported by their seniors. After almost three years of the pandemic, remote work is still in trend.
Another survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta regarding Business uncertainty shows that the working days at home can increase in post-pandemic time from 5% to 20%.
Along with certain advantages of remote working, there are a few disadvantages too. Effective team management is crucial while working remotely. Especially for team leaders or managers, it is quite challenging.
If you are a manager whose team is working remotely then how will you manage your offshore team? In this article, we will share nine secret tips for becoming a great remote manager. Let’s dive into the article then.
Here are the steps to follow for becoming a great Remote Manager
Becoming a remote leader is not easy. Handling remote teams can sometimes get out of control. Trust in your team is always required. The trusting process requires a balance of giving them space then too staying connected. Below we will discuss some ways to stay in touch with your team.
Explain accurate goals and expectations to your team
A remote manager needs to set accurate goals & expected outputs for his team. Every member of the remote team has to be clear about what has to be done and by whom.
When the team is not clear with their role expectations, it can be frustrating for them. If they are not clear about their roles, it can cause disaster while and when the app is developed.
For instance, if you are handling the team, give them their roles. Developers should know what they have to develop, UI/UX designers should know the designs to be made, etc.
Managers can allocate tasks to each member using a collaboration tool like Trello, and communicate through tools like Slack, Skype, etc. They can also have a small meeting every morning with each team member and discuss with them what will be their task for today.
Stay visible
“It’s not the time to disappear and hunker down behind the screen.” this is said by Suzanne Bates, CEO, of Bates Communication. Managers can have a one-to-one video call, or even chatting can help here.
You, being a manager, can ask your team about what they are working on, whether are things going well, whether they are learning anything new, etc. Not only this, you can offer them help whenever they need it. Ask them if they are stuck in any issues and not able to solve them.
Try to solve their issues immediately, as it will encourage them to be in touch with you more. Suzzane also says- “Visibility also creates systematic lines of communication.”
So, when you are visible, no matter through the screen (and not in person for that particular time) it’ll let your team know that someone is there to guide them.
If you want to become a successful IT leader, you should regularly check with your team members and ask them whether they are facing any errors, or if is there anything they want you to solve for them.
Building Relations Between Employees
As a manager, you can try to build a strong and defined team culture as a business priority. However, this process is even more essential while working with remote teams.
A remote manager has to become the support system of the team while maintaining the balance between each team member. Gaining their trust by implementing transparent and frequent communication keeps the employees ensured that they are working in a safe place.
Proper relations between the team can be beneficial in making the project more effective and easy to develop.
Try to stay lighthearted
The managers who are not connected with their team are considered to be strict and stern. However, being strict each time takes you nowhere. Hence, the everyday discussion should be easy and lighthearted.
While communicating through chat or email, it’s sometimes hard to show specific emotions and it can sometimes be misunderstood. That’s why one should write small and clear sentences.
In a remote environment, even informal communication should have formal touch. Managers can organize informal chat sessions up to a certain extent, and develop an atmosphere where team members can feel comfortable telling what is bothering them; or what they think about their roles and the organization.
Plan some one-day outings or get-togethers
Based on your team members' location, this step can be easier for a few members. If your team belongs to the same place or nearby locations, you can schedule timely meetings or get-togethers and enjoy and discuss further toil in person.
Get-togethers like coffee meeting a month, weekly outings, and quarterly dinners.
However, if your team is dispersed in far-away locations, managers can try to have weekly 1-to-1 calls, or even plan a get-together once a month or once after two-three months.
When managers meet the team in person, it makes it easier for them to build a reliable connection and relationship for making your organization work well.
Show that you care for the team
There’s no need to break your budget or send too expensive gifts to show that your company cares for the employees. However, one can send a little holiday voucher as a gift, or some freebies like gift cards, t-shirts, etc., for them.
You can always try to keep your team away from burnout by not overburdening them with work. Make a comfortable space between you and them where they can speak openly about what is stressing them. Provide them with psychological safety to take care of them.
Make and maintain a particular home office
Working from home can be a tough thing when you do not have a sound space at your home from where you can work peacefully. In such a situation, one can prefer to work from co-working spaces.
Sometimes even if you have a special room for working, if you are not organized, you might end up losing your things. So, instead of making all these struggles, you can create a little office setup at your home.
Make sure that you keep all office requirements in the same place and hence you will not end up losing things. Make a home office for easy remote working.
If there’s a spare room or portion of the house, an attic, or even the hallway, these areas can be used for setting up a remote office. Another important factor is that you should properly maintain your home office and clean the space regularly.
If you are working in co-working spaces, it might cost you some bucks but will provide you with many facilities like free Wi-Fi, electricity, and table and chair setup, that will make you feel like you are working from the office.
Give priority to work-life balance and health
Remote managers can sometimes not see the signs when their employees need a break and are going through a tough phase. This is because they cannot see the facial expressions of the employees daily.
Managers can estimate whether the remote employee is in a burnout mood based on the quality of work they submit. If they are regular in submitting high-quality work, and sometimes they aren’t attentive enough, do consult them.
Hence, when the team is working remotely, make sure you are not overburdening them. They have their life other than corporate life. They also suffer from problems, family issues, etc. So, allocate them work as per their capacity. It will also be beneficial in a way that employees will work on their mental peace and provide qualitative outputs.
Take help from popular management apps
Tons of apps are available in the market that can help managers connect with their teams working from different places. Such task manager apps help the remote team take a close look at what their tasks are. They can also set the progress level of their tasks, along with taking a look at which task belongs to whom.
As per the study of SurveySparrow Trello, Slack, etc., are some of the awesome apps for maintaining the remote team easily. These apps have free and paid versions. If free features aren’t enough for your team, then you can also purchase premium services. Paying money for such features is worth it.
Final Verdict
These are some of the techniques which when followed will help you become a better remote manager. You can effectively manage your remote team and create trustworthy relationships with them.
You can make the team feel that they are an important part of your company and they are valued. Ultimately, employees stay where their work is valued and their self-respect, and work-life balance are maintained.
If you are a modern tech-savvy person, you can visit us regularly. Till then, happy reading!
