Working with remote teams is different and is often tough. Mainly if you are used to working in an office. You need to use new ways to communicate and document work, and find new methods to build strong teams.

In this guide, we’ll help you make this transition smoother and show you how to manage remote teams virtually and more effectively. We’ve included important tips so you know how to manage remote teams. We’ll also share advice from top experts in communication and team-building.

What are Remote Teams?

Remote teams are group who work together from different places around the world, just like a traditional office team. This way of working has grown popular due to better technology and the COVID-19 pandemic.

A remote-first approach lets your company hire the best talent from anywhere. So if your question is how to manage remote teams, here is the answer:

– Gain new cultural views

– Get local knowledge

– Expand into new markets

– Work across different time zones

How to manage remote teams?

Communication Gap

When employees work in the same place, many interactions happen naturally which doesn’t happen with a remote team.

You and your remote team members also miss out on non-verbal cues, like body language. This is an important part of communication, and misreading someone’s tone can cause tension and hurt productivity.

Without clear meeting and communication rules, you and your team might struggle to decide what needs a virtual meeting or a direct message. Being in different locations means it is easier to interrupt someone’s focused work.

Sense of Clarity

How to manage remote teams? It can be a big challenge. To keep your teams happy and productive, you need to make sure they understand:

– Purpose: 

What their actual duties, work output, and goals are.

– Procedure: 

The procedures and code of conduct for their work.

– Quality: 

What a job well done looks like and the standards they need to meet.

– Company culture and values.

Day to day, this can show up in different ways. For example, a meeting might have an unclear agenda, making it unclear who needs to join and what topics will be covered. There might be no single source of truth (SSOT) for team members to refer to, leading to confusion and inconsistency.

Connection Building

One of the hardest things to manage is whether your remote employees feel like part of a team. Even with an employee satisfaction survey, you might not see the whole picture. Over time, feeling disconnected can lead to turnover and poor performance.

So, if you ask us how to manage remote teams? This is very hard to do with a remote team. It can be challenging just to have everyone online for meetings at the same time, let alone for team bonding events like online lunches. One solution on how to manage remote teams is to organize annual or quarterly meetings. 

Instil Trust

This is maybe the most major challenge in managing remote teams. There are two levels to consider: 

• Trust among peers
• Trust between managers and their direct reports.

Building trust as a remote team manager has its own challenges. Your employees need to trust you, and you need to balance control and delegation. This can be tricky when you are learning to manage a remote team and want to avoid micromanaging.

What’s Needed to Manage a Remote Team?

Selective Hiring Process

Effective hiring is important for any business, but especially for remote-first organizations. If you hire the right people who are open to working remotely, everything else becomes easier.

During the hiring process, make sure you assess if candidates are suitable for remote work and if they can be flexible and adaptable. Remote working needs different skills and is not for everyone, so give yourself the best chance by hiring the right people from the beginning.

Encouraging On-boarding experience

This also applies to the on boarding process. You need to give new hires all the information they need to start, and make sure they feel supported, welcome, and happy with their decision—all without meeting in person.

You also need to quickly familiarize them with your processes. For instance, if a hire has never worked asynchronously before, they may need time to adjust. Here’s how to ensure a positive remote on boarding practice:

• Create a self-serve process for new hires to reduce manual work.
• Don’t overload them with details.
• Assign them a “buddy” to help them settle in and answer common questions.
• Encourage a culture of ownership and trust early on.

Clearly-Defined Communication Channels

As mentioned on how to manage remote teams? Communication is key in remote teams. It is better to over-communicate than under-communicate, but clear guidelines are still needed. As a starting point, consider the following:

• Don’t use communication tools like Slack too much to avoid codependency.
• Turn off phone and email to allow time for focused work.
• Document your meetings.
• Standardize information storage to make it easy to find.

Less Meetings

How to manage remote teams, you ask? Meetings can help reinforce your team’s goals, boost performance, and remove obstacles, but they can also be a hindrance.

Here are some tips to manage meetings better:

• Don’t organize a meeting just to share information. Instead, use asynchronous communication tools like email, chat, or a public board such as Notion. If you need a personal touch, record an audio message.
• Replace meetings with experiments. Try different ways to communicate and see what works best for your team. You could swap a call for a recording, turn to weekly emails, or do a text-based Slack stand-up. If it doesn’t work, you can always return to discussions.
• Create a plan for every meeting and set time limits. Keep meetings to a maximum of 25 minutes. Use a route that includes all key points and a short Q&A session if needed.
• Plan recurring meetings wisely. Organize recurring events only if necessary. Reevaluate your need for meetings regularly and reduce their frequency if possible.

How to Manage Remote Teams Effectively?

Async Communication

How to manage remote teams? That, too, effectively? Asynchronous work is not just about using tools like Slack or Notion correctly. It is a work culture that everything else should be built around.

Async communication makes it easier to handle time zone differences and removes the need for everyone to be online at the same time, even during traditional working hours. This can greatly improve your team members’ work-life balance, allowing them to work when they are most productive.

·         Use the most appropriate message format (written, verbal, or video).

·         When in doubt, over-document.

·         Provide context for your message.

·         Be clear about what you are communicating.

·         Use a suitable tone of voice.

·         Provide any resources that are needed.

·         Decide on the next steps to keep things moving forward.

·         Write down the communication or use tags to organize it.

Have Clear Expectations

Software Devs Team never doubts the value of remote work. Despite lots of evidence proving that it has the capacity to increase output. It is key to set precise goals for how your staff performs and work schedules if you want to manage remote teams effectively. And to prevent miscommunication or disagreement. Here are some starting points:

·                 Discuss and confirm your expectations for each employee.

·                 Inform employees of any deadlines for their goals.

·                 The goals you set must be realistic and achievable to keep everyone motivated.

·                 Establish core working hours where possible, considering different time zones.

Track performance, Not time

How to manage remote teams? In many offices, employees are judged by their hours rather than their output, often using clock-in sheets and cards. With a remote team, focus on results instead of hours worked.

Don’t use invasive software to constantly watch your employees.

Shows you don’t trust them and will drive your best people away. People are productive at different times, so as long as the results are good, let them work when they feel most productive.

Be a Leader

According to Adam Grant on how to manage remote teams, he says leaders are “culture carriers,” meaning it is crucial for you to lead by example. This is especially important in remote work. If you ask people to follow certain processes but don’t follow them yourself, your team will notice and may not adhere to them either. Accept and enjoy the benefits of remote work, face the challenges, and always set—and follow—the standard.

Give Team Members Responsibility and Accountability

At Software Devs Team trust starts on day one. This means you should assign accountability from the start.

Be realistic about how to manage remote teams; no one will be an expert in three weeks. Create 30, 60, and 90-day plans with milestones for your new hires. Encourage existing employees to take ownership in their areas of expertise. Without someone constantly overseeing them, it is easy for team members to lose direction and focus. Encourage them to be proactive and take initiative without fear of being punished for mistakes.

Focus on Cross-Team Communication

So how to manage remote teams? Transparency should extend beyond your own team to interactions with other departments in your company. For example, consider the overlap between a design team and a software development team. The design team creates visual and functional outlines for a website, while the development team brings it to life. Ensuring these teams communicate openly helps prevent hidden biases and siloed work environments.

1:1 Meetings

We’ve already talked about reducing the number of meetings. However, 1:1 meeting with your team should rarely be canceled unless there’s a valid reason, like an emergency. So how to manage remote teams? With meetings that are useful. As it shows your team members that you care about them and their concerns. 

Protect Your People

How therefore should remote teams be managed? Some leaders ignore their team because they get caught up with getting things done. It is hard to spot signs of stress when working remotely. Regularly check in with your team in group and one-on-one situations. Stopping burnout is the best way to avoid it. Your crew will burn out if you overwork them and establish excessive expectations. As everyone should be in charge of their own health, make sure they are all taking care of themselves. You might have to intervene if you witness someone working excessively long hours, checking in on vacations, and responding to messages while taking time off.

Life-work balance

On how to manage remote teams. Strict working hours don’t work well for remote teams. If your employees feel like they must be available all the time, it can cause stress and burnout. Some may not speak up because they fear looking less dedicated. 

Remote workers often worry about mixing home and work life. To help, promote a culture where people can work at different times and encourage them to turn off notifications during their rest hours. Remember, remote work should improve work-life balance, not make it worse, so make sure your team takes advantage of this benefit.

FAQs

1.  How do you manage a remote team successfully?

To manage a remote team successfully:

Communicate Clearly:

Use tools like email, chat, and video calls to keep everyone informed.

Set Clear Goals:

Make sure everyone knows what they need to do and by when.

Use the Right Tools:

Use project management and collaboration tools to keep track of tasks and progress.

Build Trust: Trust your team members to do their work and give them the support they need.

Stay Connected:

Have regular check-ins and team meetings to keep everyone engaged and connected.

2.  How do you effectively work with remote teams?

To work effectively with remote teams:

Communicate Often:

Stay in touch with your team regularly to avoid misunderstandings.

Be Organized:

Use tools to manage tasks, deadlines, and schedules.

Be Flexible:

Understand that team members might work in different time zones and have different schedules.

Encourage Collaboration:

Use online tools to help team members work together easily.

Provide Feedback:

Give regular feedback to help team members improve and stay motivated.

3.  How do you manage remote project teams?

To manage remote project teams:

Define Roles and Responsibilities:

Make sure everyone knows their tasks and what is expected of them.

Create a Project Plan:

Outline the project steps, deadlines, and deliverables.

Use Project Management Tools:

Use software to track progress, manage tasks, and communicate.

Have Regular Updates:

Hold regular meetings to check on progress and address any issues.

Support Your Team:

Provide the resources and support they need to complete their tasks.

4.  What’s your experience with managing remote teams?

My experience with managing remote teams includes:

Using Various Communication Tools:

Which means using email, chat apps, and video calls. All to stay connected with team members.

Setting Clear Expectations:

Have defined goals and tasks clearly so everyone knows what to do.

Building a Trusting Environment:

Build trust within your team to manage their work and offered support when needed.

Encouraging Team Collaboration:

Use collaboration tools to help team members work together effectively.

Adapting to Challenges:

Be flexible and adapt to different time zones and work styles to keep the team productive and happy.