Although telecommuting, or working from home, has been around for a while as a means to manage distributed teams, it has seen a dramatic increase in recent years. Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, businesses all over the world were steadily shifting to remote-first or remote-friendly arrangements, whether to reduce costs, diversify their talent pool, or lessen their impact on the environment.

As more companies make this shift, the landscape of the modern workplace has inevitably transformed. And while some businesses have opted for remote work unexpectedly because of the pandemic, a considerable percentage of businesses have now weaved remote work into their policies, either in permanent or hybrid setups. In fact, in the U.S., it is estimated that by 2025, close to a quarter of all workers will be working remotely, according to Global Workplace Analytics.

Productivity and Remote Work

Remote work has numerous benefits for employees. They can avoid the hassles of daily commutes to the office, enjoy more work-life balance, and self-manage their tasks, all from the comforts of their own homes.  Remote workers can use their Comcast email login to access work emails and files from anywhere. Previous doubts about remote work centered on productivity—given this set-up, would workers be more productive compared to when they’re on-site?

A study conducted by McKinsey found that, after nine months of working remotely during the pandemic, there was a general increase in productivity among employees.  Meanwhile, human resources firm Mercer discovered that 94% of employers, out of 800 surveyed, believed that productivity was the same or higher after shifting to a remote setup.

Managing Remote Teams

Whether out of necessity or not, it is clear the future of remote work looks positive, with more and more firms jumping aboard. From a management perspective, overseeing remote workers does not exactly come with a brand new set of expectations, but it does have its own set of challenges—from preventing employee burnout to managing pay for remote workers.

In general, many aspects need to be recalibrated to ensure that teams perform to the maximum efficiency and productivity—all while keeping every member satisfied with their job.

Here are some ideas for managing a remote team, along with a few exercises to build a sense of teamwork among employees working outside the office:

Set Clear Expectations

Company values provide a good baseline of guidelines for remote workers to ensure they’re on the same page with the team regardless of where or how they work.

This also means clearly delegating tasks and responsibilities, as well as outlining precise standards for productivity. Ensure that tasks are covered by each employee’s scope of responsibilities to avoid overloading them. Likewise, setting key performance indicators, timeframes, and task milestones are useful for measuring productivity.

Dial up on Communication

Good communication practices are crucial when working with remote teams. Though it’s ideal for remote workers to be able to manage their work independently, it is also easier to lose grip on communicating on both sides. Communication channels should be open across all parties to minimize this potential issue.

Begin by deciding which communication channel best fits your team—whether it’s through email, calls, video calls, chat, or an intranet channel. All team members working remotely must have access to the communication software, through which managers can easily check-in or catch up. This also means communicating expectations, such as project deadlines and turnaround time. Sara Waisglass, a remote team manager, believes that regular check-ins and communication are essential for maintaining a strong team culture.

Be Supportive

It is all the more important for remote workers to feel they are given the support they need, be it in the form of IT infrastructure, benefits like flexible schedules, or simply being heard out. Apart from that, you can find information here about auto window tinting near me. Instead of an office workspace, remote workers must have access to the right tools and equipment to comfortably perform their responsibilities. This includes computer units, VPNs, net subsidies, and remote work software that make it easier to collaborate.

Meanwhile, as remote work could mean the blurring of lines between work and play for some, it is a must for managers to become sensitive to overworking and overloading. Encourage taking breaks, give team members the space to self-manage, and listen.

Gather feedback from colleagues on processes that work and what they would like to improve upon. At a time where day-to-day relations are limited to virtual connections, all members of the team should practice empathy.

Foster a Sense of Community within Your Team

It might be easy for some team members to experience employee isolation or a sense of disconnectedness with the team, especially teams that are new to the remote work setup. Thus, coming together, albeit virtually, is key to maintaining good relationships among team members.

If the team is comprised of people from different backgrounds and cultures, it is a perfect opportunity not to shy away from cultural differences and varying viewpoints.

Encourage sharing, giving positive feedback, and touching base with colleagues. Having get-togethers, whether an office dinner, party, or outing, is ideal once in a while, but if they’re not possible at the moment, there are many small activities or team building exercises to try.

Here are a few examples:

• Work location tours. Team members can do a quick sharing over video of their personal workspaces and homes.
• Sharing sessions. Allocate a pocket of time for each team member to take turns and share about any special topic they wish—a trip, the last book they read, a special interest—while others listen.
• Getting-to-know-you games. Whenever the team gets together, even via a group chat window, everyone can participate in games like 2 Truths 1 Lie or I Know You to learn more about each other and have a few laughs. You can also try several games online.
• Virtual classes and workshops. Anyone on the team who’s into yoga? What about a calligraphy session or a crash course into coding? The possibilities for these sessions are endless. While they shouldn’t be made mandatory, it’s a great opportunity to learn together for the team.
• Team meals. Though this might be a little harder to pull off, surprising team members with food deliveries is a great way to make them feel appreciated and a chance for team members to connect.

Staying Connected

Remote work is here to stay. Whether or not it’s a permanent part of your company’s policies and culture, it proves to be an opportunity to overcome the challenges of staying connected amid geographic and cultural divides. Proper delegation of responsibilities and setting expectations, keeping communication lines open, and fostering an empathetic community within teams are a few ways to keep teams productive, efficient, and content.

Author Bio:

Regina del Rosario is from Booth & Partners, a Seattle-based company with operations in the Philippines. With a solid background in conducting interviews with multiple candidates to identify the one with the most potential. Hired over 100 applicants for positions in dozens of industries and campaigns, at levels ranging from interns to upper-level management.