Managing a Remote Team

As working remotely either part time or full time becomes increasingly popular, its important for managers and business owners considering flexible work environments to have the tools and practices in place for effective management. Having managed a small team that spreads across DC, New York, North Carolina, Atlanta, and Minnesota, I've learned a thing or two about managing people remotely over the past year. Below are five quick tips that have.  

1.) Its important to utilize tools that keep the entire team organized. Traditional email communication works fine, but if your team is sending out dozens of emails every day, its easy for things to get lost in the shuffle. Using a tool like Slack, where communication can be broken in to different channels, is a great alternative to email for internal communication. It keeps important tasks from getting lost, and allows for far greater efficiency and organization than traditional email. For example, in Slack, you can have a general channel for things that everyone needs to know, a "random" channel for goofing off, and a project specific channels limited to specific employees. This way, both the casual water cooler conversations and the conference room meetings of the physical office are digitized. 

2.) Project task trackers like Basecamp and Trello are also great tools for keeping teams organized. These products essentially function as digital whiteboards, making to do lists and project trackers easily shareable with both teams and clients alike. If your team isn't filled with Excel pros, consider these tools as an alternative. I've also found personal to do list tools like Omnifocus very useful in keeping myself focused on what I need to get accomplished when no one else is around to remind me.

3.) Weekly, scheduled meetings over conference calls, Skype, or Google hangouts are also tremendously useful. Often times, there are long form discussions around issues where Slack is inefficient. When there isn't a clear answer to something, and seriously collaboration is necessary, sometimes a Skype meeting is the best solution. While there is no real replacement for face to face interaction, Skype comes pretty close. Sometimes things just need to be communicated or expressed visually, and that is where Skype is really useful. It's also necessary for emotional and performance issues to be handled over the phone or Skype when a face to face discussion isn't possible. 

4.) There are also certain practices team members have to consistently implement in order to be effective and valuable remote workers. Constant communication is key. If you aren't good or don't like constantly communicating with other team members, its really easy to get behind or fall out of the loop. It also becomes really easy to ignore bad news or sweep things under the rug when communication isn't constant. In order to be successful, you can't let this happen. People need to be communicating every single day, and there has to be a lot of transparency. If someone on the team is slow at responding to emails, or disappears for days at a time, they probably are not good fits for a remote working situation. Infrequent responses and limited visibility from one team member can affect the entire team. 

5.) Managers and executives should give their teams feedback on a regular basis. It keeps people motivated, and morale high. Many people think silence means they aren't doing well enough, or allow themselves to become complacent. When things are going well congratulate everyone on a job well done. If there are problems, make sure to reach out to employees as soon as possible. Managers also need to know when meetings are needed, and when they are interruptions. Those capable of remote working situations usually have independent personalities, and like being able to work productively on their own schedule. If constant, unnecessary meetings are disturbing employees work flows, as a company, you are losing time, and by extension, money. Efficient communication does not mean constantly interrupting people. Balance is necessary for success. 

 

As long as you prioritize communication, keep employees organized and on schedule, hold everyone accountable, and create a work environment that brings out the best in everyone, there's no reason your team can't work remotely and be successful.