Nowadays, working from home is a trendy mainstream. You can hardly find an organization that hasn’t implemented at least a couple of elements of remote working. The main reason for such shifts is definitely pandemics.
It has become a necessity but not the privilege to work remotely. Although the leading companies have been experiencing this mode of work for a long time, it became mainstream only a couple of years ago. No wonder lots of questions have emerged. The most common of them sound like “What is a remote team?”, “How to manage new (and old) workers?”, “What platforms and tools should be used?” Below you find the answers to the most striking questions and helpful tips that help you manage your employees as effectively as possible.
What Is a Remote Team?
Actually, there are two main types of remote teams you may distinguish. The first one refers to outsourcing. It means that a business owner or employer has no intention to hire office workers initially. Then, they contact a special service that picks up the best workers for a definite project or company. In such cases, you are provided with different tools needed for proper communication and task-setting processes.
The second variant implies that a company shifts the mode of work, and instead of being in offices, employees perform their functions from their homes. In this case, managers or business owners have to organize the process in such a way so that workers will be able to communicate with each other, share common files or documents, as well as take part in versatile online meetings. Moreover, it’s not an easy process if you do this for the first time.
It’s of prime importance to understand the difference between remote and virtual teams. The virtual model implies that several specialists work on the same project but are controlled by different managers. On the other hand, a remote team has one management.
Major Pluses and Minuses of a Remote Team
Being a business manager or an HR specialist may be a rather exhausting and challenging experience. It takes lots of time and energy to make people work properly even when they are in one place – in the office. Unfortunately, the remote model is out of the question. There are both pluses and minuses when it comes to managing remote teams. The significant advantages include hiring really cool employees from other sites or even countries.
As for the minuses, a lack of control and relaxed working mode should be noted. Managing a team remotely is rather challenging when you can’t control their movements or actions. No wonder it’s of prime importance to hire only those employees whom you trust.
Remote Team Management: Key Principles
You have to stick to several principles if you desire to make your business bring money. The most crucial elements of efficient remote team management are the following:
- The definite goals and expectations. Managing a team means telling workers what to do. If you do not have clear objectives you desire to achieve, you are unlikely to succeed.
- Proper scheduling and reasonable deadlines. There are copious online tools that allow you to arrange meetings and tasks of hundreds of workers. You are to learn how to set reasonable deadlines and track the staff’s productivity.
- Work-life balance. In an ideal world, the working day lasts from 8 a.m. till 6 p.m. However, the business owner must realize that their workers have other hobbies and relationships apart from the job.
- Social interaction. It’s necessary to understand that you still work with humans but not screens. Effective and active social interaction is a must.
Digital Workplace: How Should It Look Like?
It’s worth clarifying what a digital workplace is. It’s not a single platform but a set of tools you may use to share and process documents, create reports, stay in contact with your workers. The most popular digital workplaces are Interact, Asana, Microsoft Teams, and others.
When choosing an ideal digital workplace that meets the needs and expectations of your enterprise, it’s necessary to pay special attention to security. You have to use only those digital solutions which allow you to keep your remote working files safe and secure.
Cool Tips on How to Arrange the Work of Remote Team
- Clear and correct instructions. It’s your task to provide employees with accurate and comprehensive instructions on what they should do and how. Moreover, nowadays, it’s pretty easy to find effective tools to create video clips, presentations, or infographics to provide the workers with. For instance, Movavi video editing software is good for both beginners and experienced users. It has a user-friendly and intuitive interface. It’s enough to produce a couple of clips to cover the needs of a middle-sized enterprise.
Moreover, it’s of prime importance to use various design resources. They allow workers to navigate the workspace easier and find the needed data faster.
- It’s necessary to teach and drill workers how to operate in new ways. Encouragement is an essential element. It’s a good idea to share with colleagues awesome motivational wallpapers, for instance.
- Available software and online tools. If you know what tools you desire to apply, it’s your task to provide other workers with the needed software. Nowadays, there are both free and paid solutions.
- Comprehensive decision-making plan. Any business is about decision-making. Therefore, it’s of prime importance to define the areas of responsibility for each of your workers. Otherwise, you are to face the problem called “responsibility vacuum.” It means that nobody is responsible for anything. Therefore, it’s up to you to define the algorithms of actions for various operational activities.
- Competent support. Whether you like it or not, your workers will face various problems and difficulties related to organizing the working process, time-management, or proper functioning of the devices.
So, nowadays, a remote team is not something exceptional. On the contrary, it’s a perfect way for many businesses to stay afloat in our difficult times. Moreover, it’s an excellent solution for companies who desire to build the dream team and hire the best workers from all over the globe. The innovative technologies allow achieving such goals.
