Working with Remote Teams: The Top Concerns (Plus Helpful Tips!)

Remote talents are professionals who work remotely either from home or other remote locations. These professionals can work on full-time, part-time, or freelancing arrangements. Remote work benefits both businesses and employees in various ways. But it also has its own set of challenges, forcing organizations to find new ways to effectively manage remote talents.

Why more and more people are choosing to work remotely

The last few years saw a boost in job seekers looking for roles that allow them to work remotely. Why? Here are a few practical reasons:

Workers prefer the flexibility to do... anything

The flexibility that remote work offers is something that a lot of today’s workforce welcome—or even demand. From taking a nap, squeezing in a quick yoga session, or doing their share of caregiving duties, working remotely offers the flexibility that working the usual 9-to-5 at the office cannot. Professionals have more control of their time when working remotely, giving them the opportunity to use the extra couple of hours as they see fit.

Working remotely is relatively cheaper

The savings from eliminating the daily commute alone can be significant. According to a report by Clever Real Estate , workers spend an average of 19% of their annual income on commuting. The amount that employees can save by finding remote work can be repurposed for things like savings, emergency fund, or even vacation funds.

Remote workers can also minimize or completely eliminate other expenses such as takeout coffee, lunches, and office wardrobe. When working remotely, there's more time to make coffee and cook meals at home. And while I don't suggest working while wearing your pajamas, working remotely removes the pressure of having to update one's wardrobe. Workers are free to wear what they're comfortable in without worrying about anyone pointing out that they wore the same outfit last week.

They can create a more productive work environment

Working in an office setup requires a little more compromise than working remotely. People can’t exactly change the thermostat or blast classical music (if that’s what helps you concentrate) when other officemates are around. But working remotely allows employees to make the adjustments they need to bring out their most productive selves.

And not everyone’s most productive hours fall within the traditional 9-to-5. But when choosing to work remotely, jobseekers have the option to pursue remote career opportunities that offer flexibility and allow them to work when they’re most productive. This helps improve business productivity and encourages better use of one’s time.

Top Concerns & Challenges of Working with Remote Talents

Now, it’s clear that a remote work setup benefits employees and employers alike. But there are still business leaders that are on the fence about it. And it’s totally understandable. Working with distributed teams or remote workers comes with its own set of concerns and challenges. Here are three common challenges of the remote work setup:

1. Managing Projects

Leaders who are new to a remote work setup may find it challenging to manage projects. This includes keeping track of progress and milestones, which can affect a project’s timelines. When working in the office, it’s easy to approach a task owner and ask for updates or update timelines.

1. Communication

Managers may also find establishing excellent working relationships with their team members challenging. It’s easy to lose the usual system of timely feedback and reporting when workers are working separately and sometimes in different time zones.

With distributed teams, there are also fewer opportunities for informal chats between teammates, from the “water cooler” talks or impromptu coffee runs. When not addressed properly, working remotely can cause lower employee engagement and camaraderie.

1. Ensuring Growth and Culture

Employees who work remotely can easily feel isolated. Compared to in-office workers, they may sense that their contributions are not as visible to their immediate managers. This can lead to them worrying about whether or not they have the same opportunities for career growth as their peers who are physically in the office and are highly visible.

Other than the lack of visibility, building a company culture that transcends geographical locations can be difficult. This is especially true when organizations don’t adjust their processes to accommodate the evolving work setup.

Helpful Tips for Working with Remote Teams

If you’re a business leader currently experiencing or worrying about the above concerns, don’t worry! It’s normal to have growing pains, not just with the remote work setup but with any type of organizational change. What’s important is identifying pain points and finding ways forward and addressing them.

Ensure Open Communication

One of the main ways organizations can make the transition to working remotely more smooth is by ensuring open communication. First, make sure you have the right communication tools for both synchronous and asynchronous tools. Of course, every team member must have access to the remote work tools they need to do their job.

Organizations should walk the talk when it comes to ensuring that everyone is heard and respected by developing a system for reporting and feedback. This can come in the form of regular virtual meetings, from organization-wide town halls to more specific one-on-one sessions between employees and their immediate managers. And it’s not just managers who need to work on establishing open communication channels. HR experts must also implement employee engagement activities that cater to both in-office and remote staff. It’s also important to encourage more informal work chats as this can help improve employee relations and boost trust and respect between teams.

Develop Clear Guidelines

Another way to ensure there's no disconnect between remote teams is by establishing clear guidelines and expectations. Managers must outline expectations for roles and responsibilities as early as the onboarding stage. When employees know their KPIs and clearly understand what's expected of them, they're in a better position to manage their time well and deliver given the standards they've agreed upon with their immediate manager.

Aside from establishing clear guidelines and metrics, it's also important to have a system for tracking project progress and milestones. This can be done via various project management tools . Such tools let stakeholders know updates about certain tasks or projects, and at the same time, employees know that their contributions are visible to both their managers and their peers.

Invest in the Right Tools and Training

Tools such as communication apps and cloud storage are the most basic remote tools you should start investing in. These technologies will enable better remote collaboration and communication, allowing for improved productivity and engagement levels.

At the same time, it's also important to invest resources in the right training. For example, cybersecurity is the responsibility of all employees, not just the IT department. To keep your organization safe from cyber threats, your teams need to undergo cybersecurity training.

Additionally, managers or employees with supervisory roles must be well-trained to handle both on-site and remote teams. What may work in a traditional office setup may not be as effective when managing teams virtually . It's important for managers to be equipped with the relevant knowledge to help them lead remote teams and help their teams grow.

Conclusion

Opening up your organization to remote talents is an excellent way to grow your business without bloating costs . Yes, it can take some adjusting to. You'll need to invest a little more time and energy in making remote work work for your organization. But just like they say, "Nothing worth having comes easy."