Managing remote and hybrid teams can be challenging, especially when it comes to keeping them on track with their goals and performance. How do you ensure that your team members are aligned, engaged, and productive, regardless of where they work? Here are some tips to help you improve your performance management skills for remote and hybrid teams.
One of the most important aspects of performance management is to communicate clearly and frequently what you expect from your team members, and what they can expect from you. This includes defining the scope, deadlines, quality standards, and deliverables of each project or task, as well as the roles and responsibilities of each team member. You should also establish how you will measure and monitor their performance, and how often you will provide feedback and recognition. By setting clear and realistic expectations, you can avoid confusion, frustration, and micromanagement, and foster a culture of trust and accountability.
Managing remote and hybrid teams requires a multifaceted approach that emphasizes clear communication, goal alignment, efficient use of technology, and a supportive team culture. By setting clear goals and expectations, utilizing communication tools, leveraging technology, and establishing effective project management processes, you can guide your team toward success. Regular check-ins, accountability, and recognition ensure that team members remain engaged and motivated. Furthermore, team building, a flexible work environment, adaptability, and leading by example foster a cohesive and productive team dynamic. Remember, remote and hybrid teams thrive when they feel connected, valued, and empowered to contribute their best work.
In my experience, where the manager is accountable towards the organisation for WHAT their team delivers, the team is more effective when they agree together HOW they best work, including balancing the benefits and drawbacks of remote, hybrid, and asynchronous teamwork. So the manager can ensure that the team continuously adapts and improves, by facilitating discussions on “the way we work”, and reviewing together what we learn on successes and challenges.
Another key factor for successful performance management is to use the right tools and systems that enable your team to collaborate, communicate, and track their progress effectively. This may include project management software, video conferencing platforms, instant messaging apps, document sharing tools, and performance appraisal systems. You should also ensure that your team has access to the necessary resources, training, and support to use these tools and systems efficiently and securely. By using the right tools and systems, you can streamline your workflows, improve your visibility, and enhance your team's performance and engagement.
Investing in technology is vital for seamless collaboration. Choose collaboration and project management tools that suit your team's needs. Platforms like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Asana, Trello, and Monday.com streamline communication and task management. Video conferencing tools facilitate face-to-face interactions that build stronger connections among team members.
Feedback is essential for performance management, as it helps your team members to know how they are doing, what they are doing well, and what they need to improve. You should provide regular and constructive feedback to your team members, both individually and collectively, using a mix of formal and informal methods. For example, you can use performance reviews, check-ins, surveys, or polls to give formal feedback, and use phone calls, emails, or messages to give informal feedback. You should also encourage your team members to give feedback to each other, and to you, to create a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
Regular touchpoints keep everyone informed and aligned. Set up daily or weekly stand-up meetings where team members share progress, challenges, and upcoming priorities. One-on-one meetings foster personalized communication, enabling managers to address individual concerns and provide tailored guidance.
Recognition and reward are also vital for performance management, as they motivate your team members to perform well, and show them that you value their contributions. You should recognize and reward your team members for their achievements, both big and small, using a variety of ways. For example, you can use praise, appreciation, incentives, bonuses, or promotions to reward your team members. You should also celebrate your team's successes, and share them with the rest of the organization, to boost your team's morale and reputation.
Constructive feedback drives improvement. Provide regular feedback on performance and projects to help team members learn and grow. Similarly, recognizing and celebrating achievements, whether large or small, boosts morale and motivation. Thanking everyone should be inculcated in Daily practice to share values and kindness.
Finally, performance management is not a one-size-fits-all approach, and it requires constant adaptation and adjustment to meet the changing needs and preferences of your team members, and the evolving goals and challenges of your organization. You should regularly review and update your performance management strategies, tools, and systems, based on the feedback and data you collect from your team members and other sources. You should also be flexible and open-minded to try new ideas and methods, and to accommodate the diversity and individuality of your team members. By adapting and adjusting as needed, you can improve your performance management skills, and keep your remote and hybrid teams on track.
In hybrid teams, acknowledge that team members might have varying work schedules. Allow for a flexible work environment that respects individuals' work-life balance. Provide the necessary resources and support for remote work, including guidance on setting up a productive home office and offering reimbursements for internet expenses. Flexibility is key. Be open to adjusting strategies and processes based on feedback and changing circumstances. Continuously assess what's working and what needs improvement in your team's workflow.
As a leader, you need to have the support and resources to trust yourself. Trust that you understand the work, trust that you know your team, trust that you can lead work you may have never done. Often, it's our longer-tenured leaders who are trying to adapt the most with the least support. Bad habits, and old models of leadership can be very hard to break. But have confidence in these leaders, invest, and that will improve their bonds with colleagues and peers.
Trust is essential to good teamwork. Remember the cliché trust exercise of falling backwards from a table into the arms of your team mates? We need to invent new ways to create deeper team bonds, so that even when remote and asynchronous, team members feel that the team is there to catch them if they need. In time, we will all become more subconsciously competent at building trust through remote meeting and instant messages. But for now, these communication channels don’t deliver as well as regular, face to face contact: it’s just the way our brains work! So we need to put in more effort and time into it. Trust me, trust works ??