How to do Remote Management Or Work From Home
Today, even more than before, “telecommuting,” managing remote teams – remote management – or working from home – has become more than a trend. It is necessary, even vital, and it is now essential for companies regardless of their size (very small businesses, SMEs, large groups).
This implies a flawless organization of companies. Thousands of managers and team leaders suddenly manage a remote and teleworking team. In contrast, the pace was more “direct,” and the way of managing went through a “physical” presence with sometimes weekly meetings to steer the activities.
Also, this is the first time you have to do it, and you probably haven’t had much time to prepare. I have written several articles, including why and how to transform your business in the digital age, the steps to define your digital strategy, or how to manage change management with digital. Today to learn more about how to manage effectively from a distance? I offer you a complete article: read on:
What is Remote Management?
Beyond the particular period that we know when managing your teams remotely has become, in fact, vital, there are several reasons why this trend continues and will continue to grow. Moreover, beyond this period, where remote management with digital is developing, companies will undoubtedly be more and more “tempted” to set up teams and hire remotely. :
Remote Management: Why Did it Happen?
The rise of so-called “nomadic” work: many choose to live and travel the world with the Internet instead of living in the same place.
Rising Cost of Living in Cities: With many cities seeing the cost of living skyrocket, businesses can make big savings by hiring someone who lives somewhere cheaper.
The development and access to global communication tools: with Skype, Zoom, Slack, Trello, Google Drive and Hangouts, Wetransfer, Doodle, for example, and many other online tools, communication between cities, and countries do have never been so easy.
Today, in the end, the distance is no longer one.
As a company and as a leader, it will and “must” be essential to think about a strategy for recruiting and managing employees remotely with so many talents accessible all over the world. There are advantages, and we will see it in the management of remote employees, but also obstacles, and it is not always so easy for managers.
What are the challenges of this new way of working and managing your teams? “Companies that will be able to manage their teams remotely thanks to digital will survive, not the others.”
The Challenges of Remote Management
Remote management forces us to think about the internal organization in the company. In addition, there are many challenges, including 5, for so-called “virtual” remote team management.
1- Communication Problems
This is the cause of almost all other management and management problems, especially from a distance.
Managers are the pilots of projects and the team, so they must be highly efficient in communicating the strategy, issues, and company vision and understanding what is happening within a team.
Effective communication is the keystone of any successful group and team and is particularly crucial for remote teams.
Coordinating the virtual team members can be difficult, and communication can be a big hurdle for many companies trying to set up remote recruitments.
When communication decreases, a number of problems arise. Of course, work progress suffers, but employees can also feel isolated from the team and the company. As interactions and discussions become less frequent or slower, it tends to lower morale. It is, therefore, crucial to prioritize communication in all its forms.
2- Organizational Difficulties
Working with a remote team offers the potential to increase productivity, but managers must also overcome some inefficiencies associated with the “virtual”. For example, one of the most difficult challenges is managing workers in multiple cities, countries, or even multiple time zones.
Remote management: When all of your employees, virtual or otherwise, are in the same geographic region, it’s easier to set clear expectations for hours worked. However, if your remote employees are located around the world, coordinating work time can be more difficult.
Plus, it can be hard to tell if your team is performing well. Do they regularly connect to company tools to work on their projects? Are our customer support questions answered? Waiting for a virtual employee to respond to a crucial email quickly results in unnecessary downtime and lost productivity.
3- Linguistic and Cultural Barriers
Dealing with a globally diverse workforce can be a challenge
These differences can affect how employees interact with each other, how they prioritize project tasks, what they see as success, etc. Managers must learn to deal with these differences to reap the full benefits of a global remote team.
“Virtual” teams should be particularly aware of management issues such as favoritism. This means preferring “specific personality types” or “communication styles” that appeal to them and avoiding others or creating extra distance with employees who are less close to you.
It’s natural to have an affinity for someone with similar work habits and processes. Small companies are often concerned with efficiency and getting things done, so people tend to choose their default preferences to complete tasks sooner.
Over time, this will result in resentment and an overall decrease in your team’s productivity. A habit of favoritism also excludes people from different cultures, which could limit the number of people you can hire, taking away one of the main advantages of remote teams.
4- Monitoring Employee Performance Remotely
A significant challenge in managing employees remotely is ensuring they complete all of their tasks on time, efficiently and according to your company’s guidelines.
For some remote employees, it will be just a matter of ensuring all their projects are completed and delivered on time.
For others, it is more important to engage in work for a fixed number of hours per day. Either way, tracking their performance can be difficult.
This leads to two main challenges for leadership in virtual teams: ensuring that all work is done and that virtual employees use their time effectively, efficiently and appropriately.
Lack of Trust and Cohesion Within your Team
Face-to-face interactions and daily communication create feelings of belonging and connection within the group.
With a remote team, you don’t have the same advantage, which can lead to a decrease in trust and cohesion between you and your employees and even between the team members themselves.
The most important are team building and trust building exercises.
Managers must trust their employees and give them a lot of freedom.
If you are prone to “micro-management,” you may never feel comfortable with the freedom teleworkers have to complete projects at their own pace and in their own style of working.
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Read More:
REMOTE MANAGEMENT – IS IT POSSIBLE FOR COMPANIES TO PERFORM BETTER?
5 IMPORTANT TIPS TO MANAGE REMOTE TEAM OF WORKERS
6 ESSENTIALS OF AWESOME REMOTE MEETINGS
