Do’s and Don’ts for managers while managing team remotely

Managing a team can be really tough for managers, especially when it has to be done remotely. A few days or a few weeks are manageable and doable but for an entire year and even years, now that’s a whole other story.

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus has changed the world drastically, especially the world of work. In order to maintain social distancing for everyone’s safety, we now have to work remotely with minimal physical contact. Our homes have become our new offices. No one was prepared for this sudden change -neither the employees nor the managers.

One common challenge that many team leaders and managers face is effective team coordination. They are forced to abruptly change their management styles and techniques in just a short amount of time. While some have found their rhythms, some are still struggling to manage their team remotely for successful teamwork.

Has the team productivity decreased since remote working started? Are you struggling to manage your team remotely? Well, you are not alone.

In this blog, we are going to share with you some dos and don’ts of remote team management.

Dos:

• Communication is key for the success of the team. Ensure that the information you give to your team is understood by each of them. Set up a daily video conferencing session with your team or connect with them individually either via phone or video calls.
• Create a group on WhatsApp or Skype adding all the team members so that they could use it to easily communicate with each other and help each other when required.
• Be patient because everyone needs time to adjust to the new rules and changes.
• Always be positive because during these challenging times when the daily news is unpleasant, tensions and stress can get high easily, which will only decrease productivity
• Always encourage and show each member your gratitude when situations call for it. Employee appreciation is a must to motivate them. Other than just saying “thank you”, you could also continue with the reward system.
• For instance, you could give them e-gift cards.

Don’ts:

• Do not waste both yours and the team members’ time by calling them every hour for updates. It can get frustrating to the point that they lose their focus and their productivity decreases.
• Don’t get short with them if you can’t get in touch with them in a few tries. Not everyone has the same workspace with good network coverage.
• Don’t exclude them from important updates or information given out by the bosses. You need to be transparent with them for them to trust you. You need to make them feel that you are in this together and that they are not neglected.
• Do not disregard their work-life balance because even though they may be closer to their loved ones, they still need to spend time with them giving them their undivided attention.
• Do not expect everyone to follow the normal office working hours. When working from home, you will be needed by your family every now and then and you will not be able to sit on your chair at your workplace for the office working hours religiously. You will have to accept that distractions will be there and that they will cut some time.

We hope the above-mentioned information helps you in successfully managing your team remotely.

And remember, we all need time to adjust to this new norm of work and that challenges will come every now and then. This is new for everyone and we are all still learning to find the right rhythm.

We will leave you here with our best wishes.

Good luck!