Many businesses have moved to remote or hybrid work in the past few years, and there are no signs of the trend going away. However, this has left many business owners struggling to find effective ways to manage their teams when not in the office.
Whether you own a completely remote company or have recently transitioned to a hybrid or remote model, the following tips can help you be a great boss and maintain the company culture you aspire to.
1. Set Expectations
Managing a remote workforce is all about setting expectations. People can’t stop by your office or grab you at lunch to ask what you need or which project they should start on next. Instead, you have to clearly communicate what their job duties are, what outcomes you expect, and what they’re responsible for. This helps to foster more productivity and a sense of ownership in their work.
2. Be Flexible
Micromanaging is stressful in any environment, but especially in remote work. You need to demonstrate that you trust your employees to get their jobs done without needing strict structures or rules from you. Be mindful that people are in their homes and working alongside their everyday tasks. Any extra leeway you can give will be greatly appreciated.
3. Resist “Death by Meetings”
Working remotely can make you feel disconnected from your team, which might make you think you need more meetings. However, the more meetings you schedule, the less time your team has to focus on their work.
Try to keep your meetings to a minimum and always be mindful of who you invite. Jeff Bezos uses the “two pizza” rule — only invite as many people as you could feed with two large pizzas.
4. Communicate
Many remote businesses find that over-communication is the key to success in this work environment. You need to ensure that everyone is on the same page so details don’t slip through the cracks and the final project is as expected.
It helps to have a messaging tool and a project management tool so you can keep records of conversations and questions about projects if you ever need to reference them again.
These are just a few ways that you can better manage a remote team. If you’re struggling to unify your remote team, use these tips to start creating more cohesion and coordination among your staff. You just might be surprised how well these tactics can work!
