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6 tips for managing remote teams more effectively
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08 February 2016
Managing people remotely is hard work. Why? Because remote teams are often isolated from the day-to-day communications that the rest of us take for granted.
While everyone might be clear about a project at the start of the week, by Friday the work may have been clarified, discussed, refined and massaged into something very different. Without access to these conversations, it’s no surprise that your remote team members can be five steps behind everyone else! We assume they’re on the same page, but in reality they’ve been left out and robbed of the opportunity to add value.
As global recruiters, we have found that the secret to effectively managing teams remotely is simple: When in doubt, communicate! Here are six ideas that we have implemented to stay better connected to our teams across the world:
1. Create a daily summary
At the end of each day, have a member of the team compile discussion points around key projects. This way, if the team talked about processes, issues, concerns, or made any decisions during the course of the day – it’s documented, filed, and sent out to other remote team members. That way, nothing gets lost in translation, remote members feel more included and informed, and fewer errors are made.
2. Give them clear goals, tasks and deadlines
Role ambiguity often kills engagement. Remote team members should not be made to feel like they’re isolated from the rest of the team, and are waiting around for work. It’s critical to let them know exactly what I want them to achieve over the coming month/quarter, so that they can feel empowered, independent and in control.
Have regular catch-ups where managers and team members can verbally agree on tasks, KPIs, short and long-term milestones. Document these conversations and then refer back to this on an on-going basis. Checking in regularly to see how remote team members are doing is critical, particularly for those that are shy/uncomfortable about bringing up issues.
3. Recognise their efforts publically
Remote teams often don’t get the verbal “Good job!” that people offer in passing at main offices, which is why managers should make an effort to regularly recognise their contribution publically, such as in a team meeting or team email. This helps them to feel like their efforts are acknowledged and valued – and that they’re part of the team.
Don’t always wait for something “big” to happen before recognising them. It could be as simple as telling them they have written a good email, or thanking them for completing a task proactively.
4. Get them involved in team building/celebrations
Celebrating together and creating shared memories is one of the best ways to bring my remote and local teams together. For example, a client we worked with completed a major global project last year, and was given budget to take their team to lunch as a congratulations.
Instead, they bought a cake in Sydney and organised a team meeting via teleconference. While on the line to Singapore, the remote team received a knock at the door, and were surprised with a cake of their own (which our client had organised through their office manager).
Everybody enjoyed in the cake celebration as a team, and it’s a memory that our client's team in Singapore still recounts to this day. Since then, our client's team has made it a point to do the same for holidays – whether it’s exchanging Christmas cards, chocolates for Valentine’s Day, lanterns for Diwali or envelopes for Chinese New Year – if it happens in the main office, they make sure it happens for their remote team members. For a small cost, these things go a long way to making people feel included.
5. Schedule meetings within their time zone
Another simple consideration: Try to avoid dragging colleagues into a meeting over lunch or before/after work unless a major crisis has erupted. It’s important for managers to demonstrate that they value their team members' time.
6. Slow down meeting agendas
Phone conversations are tough, even if language issues aren’t a factor. For people on the receiving end it’s often difficult to hear, hard to interject, and impossible to interpret social queues. It’s critical to avoid rushing through the agenda. Remote teams need a chance to weigh in and respond, as we can’t see perplexed looks or confusion. They need to feel they’ve had a chance to listen and participate. Here’s how you can structure each discussion point:
“Does anyone in Asia have any questions?”
“Does anyone in Australia have any questions?”
“Asia team – before we move on from this topic, do you have anything more to add?”
This gives remote teams ample opportunity to have things repeated, clarified or explained. Meetings should ideally be minuted and distributed, then followed up with a personal phone call to ensure everything was understood, and to give remote teams a chance to clarify things privately.
When it comes to managing people remotely, out of sight doesn’t need to mean out of mind. By making the effort to (over)communicate and include them as part of the team, managers and team members both win – the business leverages their top talent, and employees feel like an engaged and valued member of the team.
Summary:
More and more employees are working remotely, and sometimes entire teams are separated from their manager, which can lead to feelings of isolation and disconnection.
The most important things to do is maintain regular, consistent communication with remote workers and teams, and to have clear parameters in place to ensure no communication is misinterpreted.
