With more than 74% of organisations keeping work-from-home a functional option for employees, the role of managers handling remote and hybrid teams now gets tougher in the long run. Consequently, there needs to be innovative ways to bond teams together, no matter where the workers are operating from.
The challenge of maintaining a sense of cohesion, keeping morale high, and enhancing retention gets more difficult as technology widens the geographical gap. In this scenario, with insights from our executive search and insurance recruitment specialists, here are some tips on managing remote teams seamlessly.
Tip #1: Amp Up Your Communication & Human Skills
Solidify the foundations before anything else. The top skill of any manager is excellent communication, with human skills coming next. Take an extra step in keeping remote employees in the loop on company news. Conduct weekly video calls to keep up the camaraderie. Virtual celebrations, prompt responses, and one-on-one sessions to inquire about their overall well-being. Managers need to make sure none of the remote employees are feeling isolated while keeping a balance between giving enough space to work in solitude and remaining available to solve queries.
Tip #2: Beef Up Tech Tools & Resources
Remote teams cannot function without the right technology tools. Integrate project management software tools that are available in the market. Collaborate on a shared online calendar to bring and ensure everyone is on the same page. You have to ensure all remote employees can access essentials like project timelines, feedback, milestones, and schedules, taking help with centralization apps. In addition to these tools, there has to be a dedicated IT chat representative who can fix and troubleshoot problems when they arise for remote employees.
Tip #3: Foster Trust, More Than You Do With On-Site Teams
Educating yourself on the challenges and struggles of remote team management allows you to prepare ahead of them and maintain an optimum level of employee engagement – something that is highly crucial for organisational success.
Due to loss of direct supervision, inadvertent employee isolation, and friction in information dissemination, cultivating trust can be tricky. In turn, managers end up micromanaging and unnecessarily checking in, and ultimately drive remote employee engagement downhill. From the moment of onboarding, the right recruitment lies in building and fostering trust that shows you have faith in your remote employees and their performance.
Tip #4: Create Virtual Water Coolers & Meet Physically Once
When working with a geographical gap, a water cooler is an analogy to illustrate the importance of humanising work calls once in a while. If you remember, the water cooler in offices is the place where employees go to rest, rehydrate, or just disconnect from work for a few minutes. It might seem trivial, but it’s actually very important for sanity.
For remote workers, create a water cooler in a virtual setting. This can be a 10-minute ‘pet cam’ time where all employees come online with their pets. It can be a time of relaxation where everyone joins in for life updates, impromptu conversations, and even feedback during the beginning or at the end of each video call. Managers should also try to gather their remote team members physically once every two months or so. From sponsoring tickets to arranging high tea in a neutrally close location, it’s always worth the effort.
Tip #5: Promote Career Progression
One of the top concerns for remote employees is the perceived inability to further their careers outside of an office. Work from home is touted as a regressive option for a career boost, which is where a pro manager can step in. It is important for leaders to proactively discuss career goals, and frequently discuss how a report is moving towards a particular career objective. Research states that as many as 82% of remote workers will feel more engaged if their managers regularly discuss their career goals.
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Right International are market leading recruiters to the Loss Adjusting, Claims, MGA and wider Insurance market.
If you are looking to add to your team now or in the near future or are considering your next career move, please contact myself or one of the team.
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Take care, all the best.
Gary
Gary Pike, Founder & MD Right International
