Tips to Manage and Motivate a Remote Team

With the rise of digital entrepreneurship, the traditional workplace is rapidly transforming, and with it, your role as the business manager and team head. Similarly, many employees are opting to join the remote workforce. This move is a ripple effect of various factors such as flexible schedules, better work-life balance, and cutting the overhead cost. However, as a manager, finding a remote team of qualified employees and getting them on board is one part of the equation. The next most important question is on how to successfully manage and motivate the remote teams for smooth operations in your organization and produce the desired results. Let’s look at proven ways you can do this. 

Managing and Motivating a Remote Team

Be smart with your recruitment

For starters, you need to ensure you get the right team for your business. It starts with getting it right with recruitment from sourcing applications to finding the candidates, doing interviews and then onboarding new employees. You can enjoy streamlined operations as far as recruitment is concerned if you use the right methods and tech tools. Remember, if you don’t get it right with recruitment, you will have challenges handling your team and getting them motivated.

Set clear goals and expectations

Managing and motivating a remote workforce requires that you be proactive as a manager. Besides, you will realize that the goals are not remarkably different from what you would be required to do with the traditional workforce. As a manager, therefore, if you need your remote team to be responsive and engaged at a given time, it is essential to keep them looped in on the schedule ahead of time. Also, ensure that you make the goals of the meeting clear for them to get prepared in advance. That will make the discussions relevant and fruitful.

Encourage transparency among the team members

Your remote team will have members who are not acquainted with each other but also who are required to work towards the success of your organization. It is at this point where you are required to encourage the free participation of members. Urge the workers to open up on any issues that they would like you or other team members to address. Additionally, ensure to engage the team members in all the aspects of the business. Share with them the clear company vision and objectives, and let them purpose to work within the set goals.

You can also encourage transparent interaction where the team can open up about things that are outside work life. That way, you will promote a sense of belonging, and you will have brought together the team as a productive family.

Make sure to hold meetings regularly

The way to receive feedback and effectively communicate to and with the team members is by holding meetings. Although this might appear challenging because of differences in time zones, virtual meetings are ideal as they will allow the team members to be present regardless of where one is physically located. It is advisable to hold meetings once a week, as that will help track the progress and also glue the team together.

Be organized

As a manager, you need to implement a proper structure that will boost your business. To do so successfully, you need to create procedures and implement project management systems to help you fast-track the progress of the projects. You can do so by first organizing all the data, categorizing it, and availing it to team members. You may communicate the information through email for tasks that are not quite urgent. For what you need to be attended to almost immediately, you can use a chat room that is open 24/7. Also, ensure to set clear deadlines and communicate them promptly so that the team members can also stay organized.

Make use of time trackers

Using a time tracking tool is an efficient way to keep your employees on track. You get to review their performance, set clear work objectives, and timelines and increase team productivity. Ensure to introduce the time tracking technology and let the team members use it to their advantage. The main benefit of the tool, however, is the fact that every employee feels that they are in charge of their time. As such, they can spot unproductive activities and weak points in their performance track and work towards improving.

Aim at creating an influential company culture

It would help if you remembered that your workforce team is first, a family, and then co-workers. As such, you will need to encourage the members to know each other, interact freely, and also share ideas amongst themselves. This will help in creating mutual respect amongst the employees, and that will boost the overall company’s productivity.

Trust your team with critical roles

Once you have set clear goals and communicated the expectations to your workforce, trust them to follow through. Once you trust your employees to do the work, they will carry the responsibilities on their shoulders and work to produce results.

Final word

Working virtually allows employees to work with flexible schedules. As a manager, you should ensure that you help them achieve their goals and carry out their duties by encouraging them and motivating them necessarily.