If you have a remote team, you know how hard it can be to remotely manage everyone but still maintain a high level of connection. Click here to learn more 43% of Americans say they spend at least some of their time working remotely.
Benefits such as flexibility, a reduced impact on the environment and greater employee engagement are leading this trend.
With so many benefits, however, managers are still figuring out the best ways to manage remote employees.
Trying to remotely manage employees is about more than simply increasing business productivity.
Hint: You’ll need to be a little more personal than that.
Engage in Visual Communication
Remote workers need human interaction, too. One study found that 87% of remote workers feel more connected when they use video conferencing.
To increase your company’s remote workforce engagement, you’ll want to schedule regular check-ins through video chat.
Google Hangouts, Skype, and Zoom are all great tools you can use.
This is a great way to show your remote employees that you care about them and their professional progress. It can also help them stay on track and meet deadlines.
Give them the Right Tools
Managing remote employees means giving them the tools they need to succeed out of the traditional workplace setting.
As part of a remote job on-boarding process, you can give these employees links or access to tools that help increase their efficiency.
Investing in an employee time clock app is a great way to improve accuracy and accountability.
Ensuring they have access to a workflow management system will help them stay organized.
Remotely Manage by Sharing Experiences
Consider using technology and social sharing platforms to engage your employees and make them feel like they’re part of the on-site team.
A platform as simple as Slack allows employees to share photos of their daily remote-working lives, upload photos of their personal successes and communicate in a way that fosters a sense of unity.
Bonus point: your employees can learn a lot about different cultures if your team lives all over the world.
Sync Everything to the Cloud
Figuring out how to manage remote teams lies in never losing connection. We mean that both in terms of human connection as well as the internet.
There’s nothing worse than when employees lose their hard work due to a loss of connectivity. Even worse, there’s nothing worse than a huge company-wide data breach.
To avoid these pitfalls, go with a great cloud storage platform that allows workers to easily access files and encrypt data.
Look for Ways to Improve
It’s not easy to remotely manage a team of employees, especially if they’re spread out over different timezones.
But, it doesn’t have to be difficult, either!
If you’re the manager of a remote team, you can look for ways to constantly improve.
Ask for employee feedback as a way to ensure they feel satisfied. Search for new technology that can improve your working efficiency as well as your employees’ productivity. Always implement the feedback they give you.
If you’re still at a loss, you can check out our blog on how to succeed with a remote-working model for your business.
