How to Be a Good Leader When Your Team Is Remote
Flexible work arrangements and working remotely have become permanent aspects of today’s business world. As companies navigate the transition to work-from-home setups, managers play a crucial role in providing direction and support. To help out, we’ve gathered tips on how to be a good leader for a remote workforce.
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Leadership tips for managing remote teams
November 2024 figures from WFH Research’s Survey of Working Arrangements and Attitudes (SWAA) show that 34.4 percent of employees want to work from home five days per week. Additionally, 21.6 percent of in-person employees have negative feelings about their jobs, compared to 12.9 percent of those fully remote. For hybrid employees, the corresponding figure is 17.4 percent.
Hybrid and full-time remote arrangements put different pressures on leaders as they manage workers from afar. Here are ways you can adjust your leadership to keep your team connected and productive while everyone works from home.
1. Have regular “face-to-face” meetings.
Consistent, open communication is a common difficulty with remote teams. So, you must put in a little extra work to make people feel connected when your workforce is distributed across locations and time zones. Put at least one weekly video conferencing meeting on the calendar; you can call it a check-in, an update or a status meeting. Devote that time to project management. Provide your team with any pertinent updates, see how they are doing professionally and personally, and take questions.
Phil Libin, co-founder and CEO of mmhmm and co-founder of Evernote, suggested making meetings as efficient as possible. In some cases, he said, replacing meetings with other communication sometimes is best. “Keep meetings moving, or avoid them altogether during the run-up to the holidays and other times when you and your teams are distracted,” Libin said. “Send a video summary of meeting topics, goals and what you will present ahead of time.”
2. Gather feedback.
Acknowledge that you and your team are all navigating a different dynamic. Seek out feedback on any new practices such as weekly check-in meetings. Make your employees aware of all avenues they can use to contact you — like email, Slack or text — and try to implement their suggestions where possible.
3. Create opportunities for fun virtual connections.
Socializing is a huge part of work. So, working remotely may be difficult for team members who feel isolated and cut off from regular social interactions. As a leader, you can create opportunities for remote socializing. Use apps and collaboration tools like Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and other instant messaging platforms to help your employees stay connected remotely.
“Happy hours, WIGs (Wildly Important Goals), Zoom backgrounds, virtual yoga, extra town halls and cooking classes are all helping keep everyone connected,” said Paul Rubenstein, chief people officer at Visier. “We rely heavily on tools like Slack and Zoom to be social outlets.” [Check out our 8×8 review and Ooma Office review, as well as our Zoom review, for helpful communication software recommendations.]
If you’re looking to create a more personal connection with your team, dedicate time in meetings for casual conversations and icebreaker questions. Ask open-ended questions that allow your co-workers to share about themselves without being too personal. This practice creates the opportunity to build stronger relationships over time.
4. Make context a key part of your communications.
A lot of meaning can get lost in an email. A terse “yes” response from a team member to your three-paragraph query might come off as frosty to you. But, it may simply mean the responder was short on time.
Train your staff in collaboration and overcommunication while also emphasizing that they should try not to make assumptions. A simple miscommunication between employees can lead to resentment and offense, which can seriously impact your team and company culture.
5. Have individual and group check-ins.
Check in with each individual on your team to clarify what you need from them. Also, see what they need from you and understand their personal expectations for the weeks ahead. Individual meetings are more effective than repeating in every group meeting that anyone can speak up; remote workers won’t feel they are wasting others’ time and may feel more comfortable speaking in one-on-one conferences.
Cheryl L. Mason, CEO of Catalyst Leadership Management and author of “Dare to Relate: Leading with a Fierce Heart,” said that, alongside individual check-ins, group meetings should also be a priority. “Depending on the type of work, check-ins among team members may need to occur daily, at the very least weekly,” Mason said. “These should be scheduled at times that work for the entire team, not just the leader. Suggestions, solutions, and concerns should be encouraged and openly discussed.”
6. Remember everyone on your team.
If you manage a large team or are responsible for your entire organization, make sure you are checking in with everyone — not just the people you interact with daily. This may include administrators, IT personnel and support staff. This will go a long way toward boosting morale and give you insight from every level of your company. [Get ideas for creative perks for improved morale.]
7. Be flexible about how the work gets done.
Keep in mind that many employees have a lot of stressors when working from home. For example, you likely have employees who have to work around their kids. Make it known that you are allowing more flexible scheduling. Ask employees to consistently communicate what they need to maintain productivity as remote workers, and do your best to meet those needs. If you need to adjust your time tracking or project expectations, do so in a way that still accomplishes your goals.
8. Offer more technology options to your team.
Never rely on one single technology to interact with employees. For instance, email is often considered the least engaging way to build up teams. Virtual conferencing works best, but consider meeting in small groups; large virtual conferences can quickly become confusing and unproductive. Audio conferencing calls are great for quick meetings. But, if any sensitive data needs to be shared, take the personalized approach of video calls. Time-sensitive communication should be handled via live chat apps. Slack, notably, can execute all three functions. [Read related article: How to Use Slack for Workplace Communication]
9. Create an agenda before a meeting.
Video meetings can be ineffective without preparation. Create an agenda at least a couple of hours before the meeting and share it with all the invitees. You can allow deviations from the agenda and then use it when you need to get the discussion back on track. Also, carefully consider whether every meeting is truly necessary. There is a case to be made for canceling meetings that get in the way of productivity.
“Meetings should be used for team-building, getting to know one another, conflict resolution and things that require the human touch,” Libin said. “Day-to-day items and a lot of recurring status meetings could be better handled with an email or message. … If more than half the people on [a video call] are checked out, not looking at the screen, it’s something we could have … handled by email.”
10. Hire for cultural fit.
Excellent remote leadership extends beyond your current employees; it also involves carefully selecting new team members with similar values, priorities and work styles. New hires should fit a company’s culture to keep peace among employees, maximize productivity and preserve a positive culture. These three factors are all hallmarks of a successful remote team. “Hiring based on values attracts the right people, reduces micro-management and ensures a better fit,” said Olivia Tapper, co-founder and COO of DTC SEO Agency.
You can effectively manage your remote team and keep communication open in many ways: through regular group meetings for updates and project management, feedback surveys, virtual social events, and individual check-ins.
Challenges of managing a remote team and solutions for leaders
Remote teams can work together effectively, but the dynamic poses some unique challenges. Anticipating issues before they arise will help you make better decisions for your team.
These are the top challenges of managing a remote team and their solutions.
Communication
In remote work environments, communication is often confined to written exchanges. It lacks the spontaneous face-to-face interactions of an office setting, like bumping into co-workers in the break room. Interactions can further be challenging because everyone is navigating geodiversity issues, working different hours and using different communication tools.
Solution: To enhance communication in remote-work settings, it’s essential to use shared online calendars for easy scheduling. Also, purchase the best video conferencing software for your business. In addition, you should create a remote work plan with clear guidelines regarding communication methods and hours. In separate interviews, Tapper and Mason individually suggested that this plan requires employees to keep cameras on during video meetings to improve relationship-building and participation.
Trust
Trust is crucial and the foundation for a successful remote-work arrangement. However, it can be difficult to build and maintain in such an environment. While some companies use the best employee monitoring software to track their remote staff’s productivity, not every business is comfortable with employee monitoring. Ideally, you naturally trust that your employees are working, and doing their jobs accurately, when they say they are — regardless of physical location and whether you’re using monitoring software to essentially spy on them.
“Trust in the workplace is generally defined from the employee perspective,” Mason said. “To employees, trust means that leaders listen and hear them, that the leader supports and values them and their work through tools from technology to downtime, and that the leader champions them. … If employees do not believe that the leader trusts them, then there is a good chance the employee will not reach out for assistance because they don’t believe the leader or the organization has their back and respects them and their opinions.”
Solution: Building trust begins with assuming positive intent and implementing trust-building activities. You can create a trust agreement, set clear goals, be open and transparent, and communicate trust from top leadership. Mason also suggested encouraging employees to reach out with questions, problems or issues. You can eventually gain the trust of your employees through consistent actions and genuine vulnerability.
Productivity
Many employers considering remote work worry about the productivity levels of their employees, especially when leaders are unable to monitor them daily. Although many remote teams are more engaged than office workers, some may struggle without having direct supervision and require additional support and tracking methods.
Solution: Implementing strategies like the “Clarity, Responsibility and Accountability” model of leadership can help unite your team around one vision and purpose. When everyone understands what you’re working toward and their individual role in achieving that goal, they are more likely to be motivated to do their part. You can also use a shared calendar. Or, you can conduct regular one-on-one check-ins to foster collaboration and maintain visibility into remote employees’ activities — without the worry that they’ll feel micromanaged.
Clear expectations
Transitioning from the office to a remote setting without giving employees clear guidance and directives for understanding their job responsibilities will affect their ability to be productive. Furthermore, it’s easier for someone to be accidentally left out of the loop when you’re not all working in the same location and at the same time.
Solution: Effectively managing your team involves regularly setting clear expectations for priorities, milestones and performance goals. Establish well-documented procedures, boundaries, and ensure realistic expectations for meeting attendance and after-hours communication. These practices can help you promote productivity and work-life balance for your team.
From the real world to remote work
Work-from-home setups aren’t without their challenges. But, since remote work is here to stay, you’ll need to face its obstacles head-on with robust solutions. Get creative and try other strategies that align with your company culture, and give employees the independence and trust they deserve. Your productivity might go up in tandem. And, with that, your business is heading in exactly the right direction.
Max Freedman and Lauren Kubiak contributed to this article. Source interviews were conducted for a previous version of this article.
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