Beyond Location: The Essentials of Effective Remote Team Management

The changing organizational infrastructure is affecting the mindset and behaviors of the employees as well. When it comes to managing remote teams, organizations must treat it as same as before rather than differently. Online or offline, what makes a great team and how to motivate people to deliver their best relies on the same fundamentals.????

Based on proven metrics, practice these tips to ensure your remote and distributed workforce is well-connected and resilient.??

Improving connection and communication?

1. Meaningful meeting hours? ?

Conducting everyday standups or meetings helps facilitate collaborations between the teams. Too much of meeting hours can hamper the work hours of the distributed teams.???

According to various studies, reduced meeting hours can boost productivity, efficiency, communication, engagement, and job satisfaction. Therefore, conducting meetings that are enough to connect the employees digitally can only reduce wasting hours.

The studies show:??

• An employee on average spends three hours weekly in meetings and wastes four hours to prepare for it.???
• Almost 71% of meetings are not productive enough.??
• It costs around $37 billion annually.??

2. Effective collaboration sessions??

Better meeting hours ensure it consists of:??

• Necessary??
• Have proper agenda??
• Engaging every participant??
• Ends with clear follow-ups?? ?

Make sure for the virtual meetings, each employee is connected well and aligned towards the achieved goals. It should be more like a workshop.??

3. Be synchronized???

Organizations are focusing on making it important, keeping the team members connected with each other beyond the work matters. They must conduct out-of-work activities like mentorship trips, mini-retreats where direct teams can spend working together, organizing day outs, and more. Be assured that everyone in the remote teams can participate suitably.??

Efficiency and productivity-increasing activities???

1. Performance appreciation??

To innovate and grow, employee performance evaluation and appreciation is a must for organizations. People-centricity and appreciation help to move forward the businesses. In the remote setup, employees might have to work extra and the management must recognize those employees conducting various performance evaluation programs.???

2. Recognize the results? ?

More than focusing on worked hours, quantify their task. Make sure the work hours are properly used to avoid the productivity concerns of the remote teams.?? ?

You must focus on setting proper performance goals, providing feedback, and making sure the employees are not micro-managed. Focusing on an outcome-based approach can maintain autonomy at work and ensure high-performing teams.??? ?

3. Transparent performance tracking tool?? ?

Transparent performance tracking ensures that both you and your team members have equitable access to the necessary information for success. This is especially vital for remote teams, where individuals often work independently for extended periods. In traditional office settings, we might rely on physical presence to gauge urgency, but in remote environments, clear and accessible goals are essential. Transparently monitoring performance goals enables everyone to track their progress toward objectives effectively.?

4. Conduct training and coaching?

Investing time and effort on the employees is the best to get the best out of them. Managers must know the need for the hours of the teams, as well as the higher management, should know upper employee’s requirements.??

They must organize training sessions for the employees who need to get trained on certain skills that can help to improve their performances.???? ? ?

5. Check teams frequently??

Regular check-ins on both individual and team performance are essential for identifying issues early and providing ample learning opportunities. By conducting these check-ins frequently, teams can quickly identify any issues that may arise, allowing for timely intervention and resolution. Additionally, these check-ins provide valuable learning opportunities for individuals and teams to reflect on their performance, receive feedback, and make necessary adjustments.?? ?

Explore new Fundamentals??

1. Making team agreements?

According to research by Microsoft, only 28% of organizations practice team agreements.??

A team agreement serves as a framework of guidelines outlining how a team can collaborate effectively, particularly when team members have varying preferences regarding work methods, locations, schedules, and motivations. This agreement proves particularly valuable in the context of a hybrid work schedule. Establishing a team agreement involves addressing essential questions such as the purpose of our work, the timing of our work, and the location of our work. Additionally, it involves clarifying communication preferences and identifying instances when it's best to refrain from interrupting team members.?

2. Ensuring psychological safety??

Psychological safety indicates the shared belief among the teammates and makes them understand interpersonal risk-taking is worthy.??

Having a state of mind that ensures the employees are safe around each other and also can do their best can boost creativity, productivity, and employee retention rates.???

3. Invest in One-on-one sessions?

Regular one-on-one meetings between managers and employees are crucial for remote teams, serving to cultivate trust, mitigate feelings of isolation, promote alignment, and offer valuable feedback. To conduct more effective one-on-ones:?

• Schedule and prioritize these meetings to ensure regularity and importance.?
• Communicate expectations beforehand to maximize the meeting's effectiveness.?
• Engage in active listening, ask insightful questions, and provide constructive feedback during the sessions.?
• Establish goals and support personal development initiatives to facilitate growth.?
• Follow up with team members after the meetings and offer ongoing support as needed.?
• Utilize tools like Meetgeek to automate meeting notes and maintain a structured template for continuous employee coaching and development.?

4. Listen to the team members????

Assure two-way communication among the employees and management. Both sides must have a clear concept of what is expected from the teams and what actions can the management take to ensure those goals are achieved. This is advantageous to build strong and confident teams by making them feel included and engaged.??