By Tracie Johnson
Have you just introduced remote working in your business? You have made the right decision because you will save a significant amount of money. Besides, your employees will have more time to concentrate on their projects because they will not be commuting to work. However, it is important to note that the first few weeks or months might be challenging if you don’t know how to manage a remote team.
Therefore, take your time to learn different strategies that will enable your business to become more successful after your employees start working remotely. Here are some measures you can take to enable you to manage and support your virtual teams:
1) Procure quality equipment
Your remote teams might not work well if they don’t have all the needed equipment. That is why you need to provide each team with the necessary appliances. First, each group should list the appliances and software they believe will make their work easier. Then, shop around to ensure that you get the best equipment to enable your teams to work better, ensuring that all your clients are satisfied. You may also consider providing each worker with a couple of devices to enable them to continue working even when one develops a problem.
2) Set goals and share them with your teams
After confirming that each employee has the appliances they need, set goals and communicate them to each team, ensuring that each worker understands targets they need to meet at a certain time. Each team will then discuss their projects to know the strategies they can employ to ensure that they meet the target.
3) Ensure that employees understand their roles and responsibilities
You might not be able to supervise your workers as you’ve been doing in a traditional office. That is why you need to ensure that each employee understands their roles and responsibilities to enable them to work with minimal supervision. It would help if you also emphasized focusing on each project at a time to minimize challenges that may make it hard to meet deadlines. In this case, you might consider dividing large projects into smaller portions, enabling each worker to handle tasks that they can complete within a short time.
4) Allow your teams to communicate using different channels
It is also advisable to allow your teams to use different communication channels when communicating to their colleagues, clients, and to contact you. For example, they can use email when sending official messages and virtual calls when asking questions that require a detailed explanation or demonstration of how to handle a complicated task.
5) Organize regular virtual meetings
Organize virtual meetings regularly to enable you to know the challenges your working staff might be facing. Employees can use the meeting to discuss how to handle tasks more easily. You can also take that opportunity to discuss weekly tasks. You may also designate time during the workweek to hold virtual team-building activities that will allow everyone to take a break and get to know one another.
For example, your workers can participate in different virtual games, which will enable them to relax before continuing with their job. Some games have live hosts who are professional entertainers. They encourage employees to work in teams when playing, teaching them the importance of collaborating on different projects.
6) Invest in the Best Project Management Tools
Project management tools will enable you to boost your employees’ productivity, increasing your business resources significantly. Some tools can even help you monitor and communicate with your teams, while others can make project tracking easy and transparent. You only need to take your time to compare different tools, ensuring that you choose the most effective for your business requirements.
7) Reward workers who do something extraordinary
You can also consider introducing a reward program that will enable you to recognize the most talented individuals. You can also send them messages thanking them for their commitment to the company. Then, buy for them better appliances to enable them to offer better services.
8) Allow workers to rest after some time
Your employees need some time to relax, enabling them to handle their tasks better. For this reason, you need to allow your workers enough time to rest after completing their daily duties. Don’t expect them to be at your beck and call 24/7. Avoid after hours emails and texts.
Summary
Managing a virtual team is significantly different than managing workers in a traditional office. However, the measures above will make your task easier, ensuring that you do everything right. As a result, your team will work efficiently, enabling you to meet your goals.
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Tracie Johnson is a New Jersey native and an alum of Penn State University. Tracie is passionate about writing, reading, and living a healthy lifestyle. She feels happiest when around a campfire surrounded by friends, family, and her Dachshund named Rufus.
