By 2025, it’s estimated that roughly 22% of the US workforce will work remotely, or 32.6 million Americans. This prediction suggests a gradual and continuous shift towards remote work.
According to a recent Upwork survey, 57% of businesses intend to hire more remote employees in 2024. In a report, Forbes predicts that 81% of all workers will adopt a hybrid arrangement by the end of 2024.
Studies have shown that remote employees are 33% more productive on average than in-office workers. Remote work also saves them an average of $6,000 or more a year.
This article shares a few excellent practices for managing remote teams.
Create clear expectations
Your expectations for your remote teams should be flexible, yet you need to establish ground rules. Expectations can be about communication, team meetings, and workflows.
Ideally, you’d use different communication channels for different situations. You might save Asana channels for non-urgent communication and update your team on urgent assignments through email.
Connecting is important: in 2024, 75% of remote employees say the companies they work for help them connect with coworkers. Yours should be one of them.
Decide on a time during the day for meetings to take place. Consider different time zones and your team members’ schedules.
Finally, build manual and automated workflows to keep your team on track even when communication fails.
Know how to handle payroll
Determine your remote team’s employment status. It could be different for each member. One might be an independent contractor, and another – a full-time employee. This difference is essential because it determines payment of social security, income tax, Medicare taxes, etc.
Some states have an income tax, while others don’t. A reliable payroll system is key to managing payroll for remote workers. The best payroll service will ensure accurate and timely payments by automating the whole process.
Choose the best collaboration tools
You need to make sure everyone has a reliable computer and internet connection. Neither you nor your team can afford to waste time waiting for files to upload and process. Remote-friendly collaboration tools are a must.
Examples include Asana for project management, Slack for team messaging, Google Drive to store and share files, and Zoom for video conferencing. As of October 2023, 3,731 businesses were using Zoom, with each contributing over $100,000 a year.
Don’t be overly concerned with team input
Getting work done is what matters most, not whether your employees are online eight hours every day or how long they work. Don’t worry about your employees’ input unless they are failing to meet goals or producing poor business outcomes.
Show kindness and compassion
Finally, don’t underestimate the impact of small gestures. During informal conversations or catch-ups on Slack or Asana, ask your team members how they feel and listen to what they have to say. They will start seeing you as a caring manager or employer and believe you are trustworthy as a result.
You could praise an employee’s good work at the next team meeting or pitch in to help someone who is struggling with a personal problem. When your team perceives you as kind and compassionate, they will be more likely to interpret what you say positively. Team members are also more likely to show each other kindness.
A 2023 survey by the American Psychological Association revealed that employees who are kind to each other are 44% more engaged with their work, 36% more satisfied in their jobs, and 26% more energetic!
FAQ
How can you manage remote teams effectively?
- Create accountability
- Respect time zones
- Provide the right tools
- Allow for flexibility
How do you manage your work if your teammates are in a different location?
- Set expectations
- Give team members feedback
- Establish reliable channels of communication
- Consider cultural differences
- Develop clear policies
- Delegate tasks
- Set standardized working hours
What’s the main challenge in managing a remote team?
Maintaining good communication and collaboration is one of the biggest challenges for remote employees.
How do you measure a remote team’s productivity?
Track the net profit and revenue growth rate, timely project completion, the average revenue per customer, and the customer lifetime value. Assess the churn rate or how many customers stop using your business’ service or product.
