While the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an all-time high of employees telecommuting, remote work had previously been growing steadily, and likely will continue to expand in the coming years. While many of the same principles of leading effective teams remain in place, organizations can take steps to ensure that remote teams are performing at a high level and employees are feeling engaged in their remote roles.
Challenges of Leading Remote Teams
Managers should be prepared to face a set of challenges that are unique to remote teams. According to the Harvard Business Review, challenges remote employees face include:
Lack of face-to-face interaction
- Social isolation
- Limited or lack of access to necessary information
- Distractions within the employee’s home
Managers should acknowledge
these challenges and develop solutions to help employees overcome them and take
advantage of the potential benefits of working remotely.
How to Effectively Lead Remote
Teams
Effectively leading remote teams begins with defining objectives
and creating clear plans to attain them. By outlining details of roles, responsibilities,
timelines and expectations, employees will feel less stressed about what’s
expected of them. To best lead remote teams, leaders can consider the following
practices:
- Schedule
daily check-ins—This could be an individual or team check-in—either way,
employees will be comfortable consulting with managers if daily meetings are
part of a scheduled routine. Daily check-ins also make sure that all team
members are able to share their ideas and stay on the same page. - Utilize
different communications channels—Video calls can provide benefits when
working remotely, such as minimizing isolation within teams. Consider how your
team can use video, instant messaging, project management tools and more to
both stay on track and build engagement. - Don’t
always keep it professional—Creating virtual events for non-work
conversations can help build team chemistry and replace water cooler or happy
hour conversations.
Providing Support for Remote Employees
As employers consider how scheduled meetings, virtual events and
new technologies can be introduced, managers can also think about how they can
best support their teams as a resource. An effective management strategy should
include offering emotional support and providing encouragement to both
individuals and teams. Asking open-ended questions to employees will allow them
to speak their minds, and managers should focus on being good listeners. While
it may be easy for a manager to pick up on social queues in the office, even
the most effective leaders remain more distant in the remote environment. While
these challenges persist, being intentional about providing support to
employees can help remove any barriers.
Boosting Productivity for Remote Teams
While, in some cases, remote work is being adopted out of
necessity, many employees feel confident in their abilities to fulfill their
roles remotely. The Harris Poll conducted a survey on behalf of Glassdoor among
nearly 1,000 employed adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results indicated
that 60% feel confident in doing their job efficiently from home, even if it
means doing so indefinitely. The same survey also revealed that 50% believe
they would be equally or more productive working remotely.
When utilized effectively, remote work can
provide advantages for both employers and employees. These can often include:
- Boosted productivity
- Increased flexibility
- Increased retention
- Reduced greenhouse emissions
- Broadened talent pool
Remote work presents advantages and challenges to the way
companies do business. With increased utilization of telecommuting, employers
can plan ahead for how they can best accommodate remote teams and increase
productivity.
Plan Ahead for Remote Success
Every business is different, so there isn’t one right way to best
lead remote teams. Create practices that work best for your organization and
are accommodating to remote and non-remote employees alike.
For additional resources regarding best practices for utilizing the remote workspace or more information about employee benefits, our services and products, please contact HANYS Benefit Services by email or by calling (518) 431-7735.