Since Covid-19 first hit over 2 years ago, more and more companies have started to lead remote team full-time or in a hybrid. Obviously, managing a team in person and leading your team while they work from home is quite different.
Here are 5 quick tips that will make employees feel supported while they work remotely.
1. Set up recurring one-on-one connection points
This will go a long way towards helping employees with specific problems they are trying to deal with and allowing them to say something they don’t feel comfortable bringing up in an all-staff meeting. Also, help with developing a good working relationship and providing specific support they may need.
2. Set clear expectations, and then trust employees to meet them.
Here are two crucial parts of leading remote teams effectively. If there are only vague expectations, expect dismal results. Lay out all procedures step-by-step and some ways to troubleshoot problems should they come across them. Remote employees are more productive, partly because they can work at their own pace on their timetable, which means if they know they are more productive in the mornings, they have the autonomy to choose that time to get the work done that requires the most brain power.
3. Use technology to create systems.
Many apps and desktop systems help you manage the process you expect employees to follow. You can set up tasks, due dates, status up dates, chats, and helpful tools to keep the wheels running smoothly!
4. Set (and stick to) meeting time limits
“Short daily scrums versus two-hour-long meetings are helping businesses encourage communication, identify problems faster, work on them quickly, become more agile, and develop a good cadence in the long run.” (Source) It gives you a nice quick face-to-face with everyone, lets you set the priorities for the day, and answer questions. You want people to leave the meetings feeling energized and ready to tackle their goals instead of drained.
5. Celebrate team and individual successes!
“Clarify how you measure success and make sure the metrics focus not only on quality, time, and financial factors but also on personal well-being.” When the team is near a goal, make sure everyone knows it. When you accomplish a goal, don’t go right into the next mile marker without taking a moment to recognize the hard work and effort of everyone on the team who helped accomplish this goal. Celebrating individual successes can be done one-on-one or in front of others, depending on how you think they’d receive the praise best.
When every team member feels heard and seen, it’s not hard to kickstart their productivity towards a common goal. Keep these 5 tips in mind as you plan to improve your leadership skills continually.