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4 effective ways to manage a team remotely

Working from home creates a sense of loneliness and isolation. When possible, create one-on-one session. 

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Working from home creates a sense of loneliness and isolation. When possible, create one-on-one session. 

Photo credit: Andrea

Managing a team takes a lot of hard work and commitment. With the current situation, supervising a remote team can be challenging. As much as there is technology, it’s a whole new playing field. Organizations and employees are taking advantage of the opportunity to work remotely through virtual teams. The General Virtual Team Statistics estimates that globally 63% of all departments in an organization have team members who work remotely. It also indicates that 88% of corporate employees say that virtual teams are critical to their productivity. So how can you manage a team remotely?   

Create a communication strategy

First, there needs to be a strategy on the communication process which will enable the team to collaborate efficiently. This includes weekly formal report-ins and guidelines about daily needs of the organization. The use of communication tools are a simple yet operational way to keep everyone involved. Some of the tools include Zoom, Google’s team hangouts or whichever you prefer. The tools make it easy to provide feedback and set the agenda required.     

Focus on goals

While it is important to keep track of your teams’ activity, you can’t manage every aspect of the work done by a remote team. Trying to do that will only frustrate you. It is better to concentrate on what is being accomplished. As long as goals are being met then that’s progress. Therefore, establish clear deliverables for team members.

Technology interaction

Most employees are used to an office environment where they interact with their fellow colleagues. But now, one of the hardest things about working from home creates a sense of loneliness and isolation. When possible, create one-on-one session e.g. video calls, phone conversations or email. This can be weekly or monthly. You can use tools like Weekdone, which has helped teams to stay engaged and productive.   

Build trust

Reasonably many companies or businesses aren’t willing to embrace the remote workforce because of the concerns on whether the work will get completed in time. Not to mention working from home requires discipline and commitment. Constantly looking over their shoulder can lower their performance in their work. To build trust you need to be proactive, reliable and responsive. Provide the necessary tools like software or high speed internet connection so that the team gets the work done.   

Written by

Kelvin Mokaya


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