Remote teams require just the right touch from managers
Photo by Joseph Gruenthal on Unsplash
Nearly 48 percent of the U.S. workforce works from home, or another remote location, at least once per week. Technology has made it possible for people to conduct their jobs from a distance, and it’s not uncommon for remote teams to work together across the country and around the globe.
These long-distance work relationships can help companies recruit top talent from almost anywhere. In addition, employees who work in off-site locations tend to remain more loyal to their companies and report higher levels of job satisfaction than on-site workers. For those reasons and more, virtual work will continue as a trend that benefits both employees and their organizations.
That said, checking in with direct reports has become more complicated than simply walking down the hall and popping your head into someone’s office or cubicle. Managers and executives who lead remote teams need to develop the following skills in order to successfully manage individuals and teams who work from home:
Use a Variety of Communication Strategies
In-person meetings happen infrequently for remote teams, which means few opportunities for face-to-face interactions.
While you might continue to host weekly virtual meetings, don’t rely on those as your only means of communication. Those all-hands-on-deck meetings are great for status updates and questions that affect the whole group, but they don’t serve to forge a bond between manager and employee or between team members.
Check in individually with each person, and try to use the form of communication that seems to work best for each one. Quick phone calls, emails, instant messages or video chats can help you get a better feel for individual personalities and needs within the team.
Importantly, remember to make time to learn about your team as people. Just as you would while passing in the halls at a physical office, be sure to ask about their families or recent vacations. Relationships and trust are built on authentic interactions, and you won’t get to know what motivates your staff if you only talk about work updates and deadlines.
That said, because you will likely contact each person more frequently, keep each touchpoint short and focused. Have a goal in mind for each interaction. Whether it’s straightforward rapport-building or helping the individual reach new career milestones, that goal will help you sharpen your communication and tailor it to every team member.
Finally, make it clear that your people can reach out to you as well, and encourage them to communicate with each other as needed. Check in with your team to ensure this is happening regularly.
Creative Team-building
Remote teams can’t easily go out for happy hour together every Friday, but you can create ways for colleagues to interact more casually to strengthen the team’s bond and working relationships.
Employee intranet groups or internal social media platforms provide a place where teams can gather virtually. These groups should not serve purely as project management portals – keep the project and social functions of the site separate. Instead, allow employees to use these virtual meeting places to share personal interests and get to know each other better.
Revive Social writes:
“As important as it is to share progress updates and ask questions, workers should also be encouraged to use these networks to bond. Workers may have a conversation about the latest movie they saw or their plans for the weekend. These daily personal communications make working relationships stronger, which can lead to the overall positive environment that has been proven to make teams more productive.”
You can use corporate social media platforms like Workplace by Facebook or Slack to create locations for these daily personal communications.
As a manager, make use of these social platforms to host discussions and spark conversation on both business and more lighthearted topics. This site offers a few specific ideas for how to create meaningful virtual interactions.
When you do have an opportunity to gather in person, make sure that you incorporate some social and team-building time. A dinner out together – or even group cooking class or round of bowling – can help people feel more connected and less isolated as remote employees.
Finally, if your team members live near regional offices, encourage them to attend events and meetings hosted there so they feel more connected to the organization and company culture.
Coach Remotely
Remember that your remote direct reports need coaching and career goals as much as any other employee. Make time each month to connect with employees individually to discuss their progress, their career aspirations and the resources they need. Connect them with training resources for advancing their skills and careers, either through the company’s online training platform or through local organizations that offer certifications and courses.
If your work travels bring you close to a remote employee’s city, schedule time to meet in person for coffee or lunch. That one-on-one time with a manager, either virtually or in person, goes a long way toward making an employee feel valued and supported.
Learn more techniques for managing the modern workforce by partnering with me as an HR consultant. I offer companies of all sizes on-site consulting, live seminars, workshops and more. Contact me today for a free initial consultation.