What makes remote teams productive?
Remote teams are an evolving trend in the modern workplace. They offer several benefits for both the employer and the employee. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the move to remote working for companies worldwide, showing that successful outcomes could be achieved without having everyone in the exact location.
A remote team is a group of people who work outside their head office, usually alone rather than in a company’s satellite office. They engage with their peers and supervisors using web-based IT – such as video conferencing software and online shared drives.
There are three main components of remote work: infrastructure, organisational structure, and culture.
3 Main Components of Remote Work
1. Infrastructure includes video conferencing software, video chat software, and phone numbers for people to call you back if needed. The infrastructure for remote work can be as simple as a shared computer, internet connection, and phone number.
2. Organisational structures are whatever form of hierarchy that is established for accountability and decision-making.
3. Culture is the set of attitudes, values, and beliefs held by a company and displayed through its policies and procedures that employees are expected to adopt.
Some challenges with remote teams include the lack of face-to-face meetings, less personal interactions, the potential for isolation, and limited collaboration. However, these challenges can be overcome by establishing clear communication and decision-making guidelines.
7 Tips to Achieve Productive Remote Teams
The following seven tips can assist you in obtaining a productive remote team:
1. Provide the necessary Tools. There are a variety of tools that help remote workers be productive and stay in touch with their co-workers. These tools include video calling, project management, and communication apps.
2. Empower your Employees with Communication Tools and Training. Companies must equip their employees with the right tools and training to handle any situation. Communication tools have become a necessary part of the workflow, and there are many different types to choose from. The most popular ones include email, chat applications, video conferencing software, voice-over-IP (VOIP) applications, and social media channels.
Training employees is essential for any company looking to succeed in today’s competitive environment. Training for employees should be done by the company and not just left to the individual. They must be trained on how to use communication tools effectively and how to act when using them.
3. Encourage constant feedback and involvement in projects. A feedback loop is an essential component of any company. It can be a valuable tool for any company to improve its processes and effectiveness in the workplace. The feedback loop goes through three steps: hearing, understanding, and acting on the feedback. Hearing is when a company listens to its employees and tries to understand what they are saying. Understanding is when a company tries to determine the employee’s point and how it can be improved. Acting on feedback means that a company will take action to make changes based on what it has heard from its employees. Feedback loops are important because they allow companies to stay current with what their employees need or want without guessing or asking them directly every time something needs improvement.
4. Communicate Clearly & Frequently about the Direction of your Company. Communication is a critical part of any business. Ensuring that your management team communicates clearly and frequently with staff helps to build trust, increase engagement, and foster a sense of shared ownership.
5. Have an official Communication Policy that is Clear & Enforced. An official communication policy is vital for all companies to have and should cover: the different channels that are appropriate for different types of communications; how employees should address each other; the consequences for inappropriate communications; and the company’s stance on social media use.
6. Monitor your Remote Employees’ Time and establish Clear Goals. For remote employees, it is essential to set clear goals. It is also important to monitor their time and see how they perform against those goals. Remote employees should be allowed to set their own goals and work towards them. They should also be allowed to monitor their time and progress.
7. Use Culture to Increase Productivity & Employee Engagement. Culture is displayed in how your company operates, how you treat your employees, and what you expect from them. Staff tends to be more productive when they feel like they are part of something larger than themselves and have a say in how things are delivered.
Many remote workers are attracted to jobs emphasising work-life balance, which can include flexibility in hours, the ability to schedule work around personal time, and more control over their schedules than their co-workers.
3 Tips for Managers to Support Remote Team Members
To support remote team members, managers should undertake the following:
1. Managers should ensure they are available for their remote team members. This includes, but is not limited to, checking in with them regularly, providing feedback and guidance, and being there as a resource.
2. Managers should make sure they provide clear expectations. They need to be able to communicate what the expectations are and how they will be measured. If the manager has a set of guidelines or best practices for their employees, it can help with this process.
3. Finally, managers should always ask for feedback from their remote team members and be proactive in maintaining the cause for positive feedback while reducing the cause of any negative feedback.
Conclusion
Remote work is becoming more and more popular in the workplace. More and more companies realise that it’s not a matter of whether they should do remote work but how they should do it.
Keeping a positive work environment in a remote team can be difficult, but it is not impossible.
Many factors can affect how a remote worker feels connected to an organisation. The company culture, leadership involvement, and structure of the company all affect how remote workers feel connected to their jobs.
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Author Bio
Deborah Knight is the founder of Xsead Lead with a background in organisational and individual leadership and executive coaching.
As a coach, Deborah aims to create an inclusive and respectful space where individuals and organisations can do the work necessary for growth and change. She is also passionate about helping women be valued for themselves while also contributing and being successful.
Apart from her company which she is deeply passionate about, Deborah also loves bushwalking, reading, travelling, and learning new things.
For any coaching or organisational support enquiries Deborah can be contacted via email: info@xseedlead.com.au or via her company website which is www.xseedlead.com.au.
