Remote working has become an integral part of the corporate world, as a result of covid, globalisation and the rise of the digital nomad, and a re-thinking of the impact of work practices on health and wellbeing.
This has naturally changed the relationship between employers and the workforce, as well as instituting a realignment of values and expectations on both sides. It has also meant that managers and team leaders have had to learn and develop new ways of overseeing staff in this new, increasingly virtual workspace.
In particular, the way in which teams communicate has changed and is continuing to evolve, in terms of how, when, and how often communication takes place.
As a consequence, it is those organizations that most quickly and effectively develop and adopt best practice in terms of communication who will be the ones for whom this greater emphasis on remote working will prove most successful and beneficial.
Therefore, the most important questions that leaders need to ask themselves are about a) what value they place on the role of trust in the management of remote teams, and b) what tools and techniques they can use to create a remote work environment where effective communication and a sense of mutual trust prevails.
1. Use internal and company communication channels
Although emails have been ubiquitous in the corporate world for a very long time, effective communication with and in remote teams requires more. Emails are forgotten, neglected and ignored, and the delays and problems this can cause are exacerbated when teams are working remotely, particularly if members are in a range of different international time zones.
Establishing communication channels with tools that enable (virtual) direct or face-to-face conversations, briefings and meetings are therefore essential.
Whether it be via Zoom, Teams, or Slack, or group chats on other platforms, remote teams do need to have opportunities to talk to each other in ways other than email, where tone, clarity and meaning can so easily get lost. Speaking more directly can help to mitigate this risk.
-
Create appropriate follow-up processes
Leading on from this, it is also important to have effective follow-up procedures in place. However, the challenge when managing remote teams is to make sure that it is genuinely a follow-up, and not a check up.
There is a subtle but important difference between the two. A follow-up will generally be (and be seen as) a collaborative process, one that invites feedback, discussion and open communication. It is an opportunity to discuss not only performance, but next steps as well.
A check up, on the other hand, is much more of a one-way street. It implies that there is only room for one voice in the conversation, and is only being used to tick off items on a list, rather than being a collaborative process for moving forward.
Therefore, how well your remote teams perform can to a large extent depend on the nature, frequency and context of the follow-up procedures you put in place.
3. Consider using global payroll management software
From a manager or team leader’s perspective, global payroll management software can greatly simplify the management of remote teams.
Having access to unified data in a simple, easy-to-use format means that this important element of administering a remote team is made significantly more straightforward, freeing up time for more important task-oriented engagement with teams.
Likewise, remote workers appreciate having these sorts of systems in place because they are always able to access private, personal information, making it a quick and easy process for them to monitor or update.
4. Provide an employee portal
In a similar vein, providing access to an employee portal such as offered here enables your remote team to check and access the data they most frequently need (such as payslips), or manage aspects of their own schedule, such as PTO, more easily and effectively.
Access to a portal like this also helps to create a sense of mutual trust and open communication, while at the same time relieving both employers and employees of the time consuming burden of many routine administrative tasks.
5. Facilitate and encourage social communication
It is entirely possible for two people to be members of the same remote team and doing the same work for extended periods of time with our ever once engaging or communicating with each other on any level. For some remote workers, this is not an issue, but for others the feelings of isolation this induces will not only impact on productivity, but on health and wellbeing as well.
Facilitating and encouraging social communication, i.e., conversations outside of the confines of work, can help to foster a more open, collegiate environment. This can have a range of benefits, both personal and professional.
For instance, opening these channels of communication between members of the remote team may lead to previously unconsidered opportunities for collaboration. It can also produce less tangible benefits, such as creating a more inclusive environment in which remote workers do not feel so isolated and so are happy to commit to the team, both in terms of their levels of engagement and longevity of service.