The COVID-19 pandemic has completely limited our workspace to our homes. Globally, managers and leaders are suddenly finding themselves managing remote teams who are working from locations all over the world. This has created challenges for managers, including those from the HR industry. In this article, we have shared some tips on how to manage your remote team.
Setting Up Remote Work Space
Whenever a new employee joins the organization, the manager works on setting up the workspace, which includes assigning desks, providing laptops or desktops, and other important job-oriented necessities. Similarly, when employees are working from home, they need proper tools and applications to make their work easy. Employees should be able to collaborate and interact with each other easily with the help of these tools. Some of the tools which employees can be given access to, are:
- Engagedly: A real time performance management software to manage goals, performance reviews, rewards and recognition, and feedback
- Slack / Zoom / Google Meet: To communicate with each other easily
- Trello / Basecamp / Asana: For project management
These tools will help in improving employee engagement and productivity for remote employees.
Frequent One-on-Ones
Ensure to engage with your remote employees on a daily or weekly basis. Use emails, Instant Messaging, or Video Conferencing tools to communicate with your employees. As a manager, interact with them to know whether they need any support with their remote working. Keep them informed with all the rules and policy changes of the organization.
Also Read: Know How To Conduct One-On-One Meetings Effectively
Video Conferencing
Conduct your weekly team meetings face-to-face over video conferencing tools, instead of conducting it over a call. As per the Harvard Business Review, when employees connect over a video conference, they feel more engaged and motivated. It sets a personal connection with the teammates, and everyone gets an in-office feeling, although working remotely. Tools such as Zoom, Google Meet, Slack, or Skype can be used for the meetings.
Recognize Success
Employee reward and recognition helps in improving employee engagement, productivity, and lowers the turnover rate. With everyone working from home, it is very common for employees to feel disengaged from time to time. As a manager of a remote team, appreciate and recognize your remote employees whenever possible. It is the best way to keep them engaged and motivated. Since traditional appreciation methods are ineffective in the present circumstances, you can do the following instead:
- Feature employees on the organization website
- Gamify your employee’s achievements
- Invest in performance management software that supports rewards and recognition functionality
Also Read: Employee Recognition & Rewards During COVID-19
Team Activities
Organize virtual team-building activities to motivate and engage your remote employees. Team building activities give all the employees a chance to engage and bond with each other. These activities help in building a human connection and trust irrespective of the physical distance. Activities such as a virtual book club, a quiz session, or facts sharing session can be conducted to involve and engage your employees. Make the team activities engaging so that your employees take part in them and not refrain from doing so.
Prevent Meeting Overload
Although connecting regularly or frequent check-in with your employees is recommended while managing a remote team, be careful not to overdo it. Holding too many meetings or check-ins will end up disturbing your team’s productivity instead of improving it. Schedule meetings before-hand and keep them short, preferably under 20 minutes. Group calls should be planned once or twice a week and not more than that. If the meeting is completely unavoidable, try to include small games in your meetings, which reduces the stress of your employees and makes it more interactive.
We at Engagedly value employee engagement and satisfaction, so we include games like ice-breaker challenges in our weekly meetings.
Also Read: Wondering How To Set OKRs for the Engineering Team?
Be Flexible
As everyone is still getting adjusted to the new normal, give your team a certain degree of flexibility to work. Focus on whether the work gets done on schedule instead of stressing on the number of hours they punch or the time of the day when they work. Allow them to take a day off from work if they request one. Some time off from work will reduce employee burn-out, stress and anxiety which in turn, will improve employee engagement and productivity.
Find out more about Engagedly’s Real Time Performance Management Software by requesting for a free demo!
Engagedly is offering a suite of products part of its Remote Work Toolkit free to any organisation, until Sept 30th, 2020.
The Coronavirus has affected the way we work today and for months to come. Unprecedented events require unprecedented measures. We at Engagedly believe it is our responsibility as socially conscious corporate citizens to help equip organisations with additional tools and resources during this time of crisis.
Get in touch with us to know more about the free remote working tool-kit.
