Are you leading a remote team?
Maybe you’ve been managing a remote team for years or perhaps the pandemic made you switch to online work. (Which you thought was going to be temporary, but now it’s the best way for you to run your business!)
How do you cohesively bring these people together as a team, from each other’s home offices or even across different countries?
One of the best things you can do is to listen to and address your employee’s feedback. In that spirit, I wanted to share the systems that my remote team values. Here are their tips:
Communication System
“Have a good communication system! That way everyone on the team knows how to connect with each other or get updates on the status of ongoing projects and where they can help. Whether it be daily 5-minute meetings just to share what everyone’s working on or having a slack chat, a communication system that everyone can follow will help to manage a remote team and stay connected. This communication system would benefit from being a space where respect and openness (to ideas/feedback) are encouraged.” – Jennifer, Project Manager
Organization System
“Being organized online is very important. Further than keeping your physical workspace organized, this includes:
- Keeping personal and work files separate on your computer
- Using different browsers for work and personal. I find this improves the separation between work/personal life.
- Documenting who files/passwords are shared with.
- Having software/applications (Like Basecamp) for communication and sharing files, instead of only email threads.
Online organization greatly improves the efficiency of your team!” – Carley, Lead Admin
Company Culture System
“Set scheduled times to check in with each other. This helps increase workflow and motivates employees. It can get lonely working from home by yourself. It’s nice when we get time to chat about life over zoom as well as address work tasks. Your employee still benefits from having a positive work environment, even if they aren’t sharing the same physical space. Being conscious of your company culture can make a positive impact on your remote team.” – Avery, Creative Director
What do you think about managing remote teams?
Have you done it before? Or are you thinking about starting? What’s one of the most important take-aways you’ve learnt?
Until next time, enjoy your Entrepreneurial Journey!