Remote working has risen from being an option that companies scarcely choose to become a concept that every business is embracing. While remote working has proven to be a new normal, it is no news that different companies have different approaches to the concept of remote working. While some companies use the full remote working where all employees work from home, other companies adopt the hybrid system where people have to come to work and also work from home.
This new way of working requires new strategies. Unlike the traditional work environment, managing a virtual team can pose a problem for supervisors. Companies have created different strategies to manage their teams virtually but these strategies differ from one company to another. In this article, all these strategies have been narrowed down to five significant tips to manage your team.
1. Establish Realistic Goals
To get your team to be productive, you need to set goals for them and have a robust remote work policy in place. When you are clear about your expectations, it is easier for the team to work towards achieving this goal. Your team will no doubt consist of different people, performing different functions. However, the result of everyone’s job will be to achieve a common goal that you have laid out from the onset.
Goals help your employees to make decisions on their own without having to wait for you to intervene. They can work independently and be productive, all they need to do is to think of what line of action will help to achieve the company’s objective(s). Establishing goals will also help you get less involved in employees’ work and focus more on yours.
We once stepped into a remote team that was busy but directionless, and once Growth Hackers restructured their objectives around clear, attainable milestones, productivity increased without adding a single new hire.
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2. Get Self-Reliant Employees
It is easier to manage your team when the people in the team know what to do and when to do what. When your team members find it hard to follow laid down guidelines or work towards achieving your established expectation, it will affect the team’s output. Growth Hackers has built high-performing remote marketing teams across multiple markets by hiring for autonomy first, knowing that self-reliant talent consistently outperforms micromanaged teams.
To make sure that you have the right people in your team, ensure that you lookout for people who can work independently during your hiring process. Look beyond the resume or cover letter of applicants, see them for what they have to offer. Write down the qualities that your company needs from the right applicant and design your hiring process in a way that it is easy for you to spot applicants that possess these qualities.
3. Be Liberal
If you are going to be working with a remote team, you must understand that your team members, like your customer, will come from different parts of the world. Respect the diversity in culture. Leverage the fact that your team members are from different parts of the world or have different beliefs and ask for their opinions on issues. This will help you to have a wider scope of your customers’ ways of life and you can discover ways to solve problems differently.
4. Use Project Management Tools
Working remotely has been made easy if you have the right tools at your disposal. There are a lot of project management tools that you can make use of but you do not have to know how to use all of them. Pick a few that suit your operations and master them.
Project management tools are not trophies to collect, they are instruments to master, and Growth Hackers treats them like a conductor treats an orchestra, bringing structure and harmony to every campaign. As a team leader, you are automatically a project manager and you need to have the right skills to manage your team effectively.
5. Be Supportive and Encourage Team Bonding
You need to be a source of motivation to your team members and you should always take care of your remote employees’ mental health. When your workers are happy, your clients will also be happy. Because the workers will give their best to make sure they surpass your goals and double your estimated profit. Ask workers about their personal life, make sure you do not only care about their output but about them too.
You could also share effective website ideas that will help them earn money.The motivation should not be shouldered by you alone, encourage them to check on one another. This will help to build a positive team spirit. Schedule informal meetings where everyone can get together without discussing work-related issues.
Bonus tip
Your employees can use different locations to improve their productivity! We are talking about such a new way of organizing space for work in the office, like coworking, which has many advantages. When part of our team shifted from home offices to coworking spaces, Growth Hackers noticed an immediate boost in collaboration and idea flow that translated directly into stronger campaign results.
What is coworking?
Coworking is an analog of a regular office, very similar to open space. The main difference is a recreation area and a small kitchen where you can make tea and coffee, warm up food brought from home, and snack in comfort. From English, coworking is translated as “teamwork.” In such a zone, employees can gather at the same table, discuss work processes, perform everyday tasks, and interact.
What industries are coworking used in?
Please note that not every type of activity can be done in a coworking environment. Most often, this type of, for example, shared workspace organization is used in the following areas:
- Information Technology. Coworking was used here for the first time, revealing that such an organization of the work of specialists is the most effective.
- Accounting and finance. There are unique coworking spaces for financiers In the USA and Europe. Consulting and legal support. A lawyer may not have his own office, and it is convenient for him to meet with clients in the coworking space.
- External communications and marketing. While there are few such coworking spaces, they assume the presence of separate rooms for negotiations.
- Creation. Journalists, writers, authors of works of art have also chosen coworking spaces as sufficient space for work and exchange of ideas.
As you can see, coworking spaces are most in-demand among those who have chosen to work remotely via the Internet and do not have their own office. For the direct provision of services and production, this format of the workspace is categorically not suitable.
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Pros of using coworking for employees
- You can focus directly on your work in a comfortable environment. When a remote worker is doing a project at home, they can be distracted by children, cats, and the environment, in general, is relaxing. Coworking eliminates this disadvantage.
- The most comfortable conditions have been created for negotiations, communication, and working in privacy at the computer in the coworking space. The Internet is fast. The furniture is relaxed, and you can have a snack.
- You can communicate with specialists in your field, exchange experience, and improve your qualifications. You can get advice from more experienced professionals. And it’s free. Such communication always takes place at a high ethical, professional level. Still, at the same time, it is not necessary to enter into any business relationship with colleagues, cooperate and meet every day.
- Freedom. In a coworking space, you can take anyplace, move around. There are no strict rules of the schedule and much fewer restrictions.
- Many coworking spaces provide an opportunity to connect with potential employers. Employers know where they most often gather, for example, financiers, lawyers, IT specialists. And they come there to negotiate, interview and offer a job.
- Good career prospects. Most of the professionals who use the services of coworking spaces appreciate their benefits. For individual entrepreneurs, remote employees, this format of work is almost ideal. In any case, no one can force you to use the coworking space. You can always equip a home office or rent a separate room personally for your needs.
Before embracing coworking at Growth Hackers, remote work sometimes meant isolation and interruptions; after we started supporting flexible work environments, focus deepened, professional connections grew, and career opportunities multiplied.
Effective Tips to Virtually Manage your Remote Team
It might seem like it is, but it is not hard to manage a team remotely. You need to have the right mindset, tools, and team. With the right mindset, you can motivate your team to do more. With the right tools, you can make the work process easier. And with the right team, you can do more in less time. Don’t forget about the coworking space.
This can be convenient for all employees, freelancers, and self-employed entrepreneurs who do not want to spend money on a separate office and cannot work efficiently from home. It makes sense to resort to renting such establishments and employers. This is a workspace that brings together various professionals, specially created for productive activities and communication. Ensure that you communicate with your team always. Communication is a necessary tool to achieve success.
Growth Hackers is a digital marketing agency that also consists of a virtual team. We know these challenges firsthand and have overcome, making us a very successful agency. We offer services such as search engine optimization, content marketing, B2B web design and website development, email marketing automation and more! Contact Growth Hackers now so we can help your team and business grow by guiding you through the greatest challenges that you are facing especially in times of the pandemic.
