November 9, 2022
According to the Gallup poll, nearly a third of American employees currently work remotely. And that number is expected to increase in the coming years. One reason is that many companies have realized the significant benefits of remote work. Managing remote teams effectively increases productivity, reduces absenteeism, increases employee satisfaction, and increases engagement are only a few advantages of remote work. Companies like CraftedQ have also been pressured to adopt remote work because of a talent shortage in specific industries. The technology industry, for example, has a high percentage of remote workers because these positions rely heavily on computer code, which can be done from anywhere.
In the future, we will no longer call it working remotely. We will be “un-working” from the office. To put it more accurately, we will be “not-working” from the office. Ultimately, this is the future of remote work. We will be able to “not-work” from anywhere. We will be able to step completely away from work, to completely disengage while still being paid. To do this, we must create fully autonomous systems that can take over our work. Some of the first industries to get this will be the airlines and trucking industries. While managing remote teams in 2023, there will be no pilots or truck drivers. Instead, autonomous systems will be programmed to fly planes and drive trucks.
Managing remote teams in USA requires remote managers to allow their staff members to choose their own work schedules; in fact, it’s recommended. Given that, it’s crucial for managers to establish and convey a broad team “routine” that workers should follow. For instance, you may require everyone to update their responsibilities by Thursday at 5 p.m. EST and schedule team meetings for midday on Mondays. The specifics will vary depending on your team, but it’s crucial to establish some sort of team routine to keep everyone on the same page and organized.
Give your staff the independence and flexibility to balance their workload with the advantages of working remotely as long as you’ve specified the job and performance requirements in detail.
Allow them to plan their workdays or weeks according to what is most effective for them. When managing remote teams in 2023, don’t expect everyone to be online constantly, and encourage breaks throughout the day. Focus on the product rather than worrying about whether the inputs match the typical 9-to-5 schedule since that counts the most.
Expectations for certain positions, objectives, and work output should be made clear. Do not omit any information or leave any topics unclear. Flexibility in how personnel carries out their duties is crucial (more on that later), but it can only be provided if your expectations are unambiguous from the start.
Based on individual company objectives and demands, each team will use a specific collection of software and tools. Resources for project management (like JIRA), Communication (like Slack or Microsoft Teams), collaboration (like Trello or Asana), video conferencing (like Zoom or WebEx), and human resources are all necessary for managing distant teams.
Your team might require different technologies to work remotely. Spend time asking your staff and executives which software programs and other tools would best benefit managing remote teams in 2023
Even though working remotely is sometimes simpler, certain obstacles might arise (like Communication and community-building, as outlined above). Like in an office environment, automating as much of your remote work as possible can help reduce some of the particular difficulties of remote work and free up time for the most important activities.
For managing remote teams, managers must be proactive in maintaining timely and effective team communication. Your software and tools will help everyone keep informed and on the same page.
Additionally, remote supervisors must be accessible for help and direction. Consider holding a virtual “office hours” session on Zoom or Slack where staff members may drop by to talk or ask questions. Being accessible and responsive if an employee approaches you outside certain hours is also essential.
As you are managing remote teams, some managers are overly focused on making sure that their staff members are “performing their jobs,” or the specific responsibilities that are given to each function, without giving enough thought to how each person is contributing to the overall objectives of the company.
Flexibility, trust, and the capacity to perceive the wider picture are necessary for remote management. Considering how well people and teams are achieving their objectives should be the first step in any analysis of job performance. Permit your staff to carry on doing what is effective for them. Else it will be time to look more closely at ways to make specific jobs and procedures more productive.
The lack of a positive workplace culture is a drawback of working remotely, like how we follow at CraftedQ. Prioritizing team-building and culture-building projects that foster camaraderie will benefit remote managers.
You may use your imagination here. Team-building activities need not necessarily involve on-site getaways or neighborhood happy hours. For remote teams, there are countless chances to share virtual experiences.
It is important to ensure that the team is aware of what work is being done and what requires attention. The idea here is not to micromanage because outputs and effectively achieving goals count. This aids the group in maintaining momentum toward its objectives.
While managing remote teams in USA, outline your procedure and expectations for monitoring tasks in detail, and then ask your staff how they think the procedure is going. A system must be in place, and someone must be held accountable for adhering to it. It doesn’t have to be difficult; even something as straightforward as Google Sheets may work.
Employees must have faith in their bosses, just as distant managers must have faith in their staff. Asking for input from your team on the effectiveness of managing remote teams as a remote manager can go a long way toward building trust and demonstrating to them your commitment to executing your job well. In fact, studies show that the managers who often ask their teams for input are the most successful.
You must devise strategies for managing remote teams in 2023 to make sure that none of your team members experience social isolation. The innovative use of technology to foster involvement might achieve this. You may learn from platforms for remote employment like Upwork, which includes a “virtual water cooler” called the Coffee Break where staff members can communicate and exchange news and information.
Additionally, consider assisting in forming employee resource groups (ERGs). These are fantastic venues for fostering community, learning, having fun, and understanding how to construct more inclusive and fair workplaces.
While it’s important to treat every member of your remote team equally, you should also make an effort to reward strong performers and team members who uphold your company’s core values. Be diligent about bringing up this during team meetings and in your one-on-one sessions with your staff since you won’t run into the employee in the hallway, and remember to greet them. Additionally, we encourage team members to acknowledge one another and create a Slack channel just for employee appreciation.
Project management software options have increased in tandem with the development of remote teams. The benefit of a project management tool is that it offers a central location where all team members can decide what stage a project is at.
The key benefit of the majority of cutting-edge project management solutions is that they enable project-based Communication rather than email-based Communication. The software enables anybody with access to follow discussions, which cuts down on time spent looking for information and asking questions that have previously been addressed.
Remote workers are unable to socialize with you informally while working together in the same space, preventing you from providing them with both formal and informal feedback. They can be concerned about their capacity to reach the standard since they may not have the opportunity to see how others are going about things. Managing remote teams in 2023 requires you to be purposeful about giving feedback and to do it frequently and plainly.
Your staff may operate remotely from anywhere in the globe as long as they have the necessary tools, which is one of the major advantages. As a manager, this gives you a chance to link the objectives of the business with those of your staff. For instance, when the opportunity occurs, a worker who has always desired to visit New York may be given the option to work on a project there. While managing remote teams, knowing your employees’ aspirations will make it simple to relate them to the company’s goals. Engagement, work happiness, and loyalty are benefited from this.
The future of work is remote work. And to ensure that your company thrives in this future, you must efficiently manage remote teams. This means you have to put a lot of effort into communication, building trust between team members and managers, and ensuring that team members are focused on the correct KPIs. Remote work has its challenges, but a company that effectively manages a remote team will be able to thrive in the future as employees increasingly want flexibility in their work. For more information on IT staffing and team management assistance, get in touch with CraftedQ today!
