Mistakes Not to Make When Managing Your Remote Team
If you have a remote team, you should know that they are only as productive as your capability to manage them. Losing track of your remote team members or handling them ineffectively is pretty easy to do. Let’s go over three remote working mistakes most companies make and how to avoid them.
Not Correctly Supervising Your Remote Team’s Performance
They need motivation, and a scheduled performance checkup has value when it comes to productivity. Here are some effective performance management tactics that The VA Hub uses that you can use, too:
- Daily touch points
- Weekly feedback
- Quarterly reviews
- Weekly/monthly teleconferences
Not Conveying Clear Expectations
If you do not get your expectations across effectively, you are doing harm to your remote team. The efficiency, competence, and deadlines of your workforce can only be fruitful if you have clear, succinct instructions in place.
It can occasionally be less systematized than the conventional goings-on of an office, but it positively doesn’t need to be. By having clear set of expectations in place, your remote team, no matter the location or time zone, will have the structure and procedures to be successful. Set strong expectations during onboarding, and continue all throughout their employment. Performance management is handy here. Expectations of your remote team should include:
- Regular (daily or weekly) task deadlines, where to find those tasks, and team members assigned
- Manageable scheduled monthly/quarterly goals to exceed
- Budding a sense of project ownership
- Clear support structure for questions, requests, problem-solving and others
- A reachable higher support
- A contact tree with all team members, their positions, and contact information
Not Exhausting Platforms for Remote Workflow
Do you want to develop all of the above? Finding workflow management systems that fit well with your team is the key. These platforms will make tasks and projects seamless your company. You don’t need to use just one platform! There is a variation of workflow systems and apps that can enhance the efficiency and success of your remote team. Consider the following:
- Google Drive
- AceProject
- OneDrive
- Bitrix24
- Dropbox
- Microsoft OneNote
- Evernote
- Zoho
- Asana
Using online workflow systems is certainly a powerful way to keep tasks and projects advancing, especially for your remote team. However, it is equally important to keep an open line of communication with the, too. This can be a major drawback in any remote managing strategy. Managing your remote team with communication means:
- Using comms apps: Google Hangout, RingCentral, Skype and WebEx are excellent tools to connect with your remote team
- Taking it social: Social networking platforms you can utilize for more social management include Facebook Groups, MangoApps, FaceTime. These are also effective for when you need to be mobile.
Cannot find the right potential candidates in your talent pool? Establishing a well-organized remote workforce could be the answer. You could even weigh working from home as a way to boost your bottom line. The workforce of the future wants to be mobile, and you can meet that demand with a streamlined remote management. Resisting change should never be an option for any organization. So let’s manage this change in an organizational context.
