Businesses have had to adapt very quickly in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. One of the significant changes that has had to be made is the adjustment to remote working – while many businesses had some staff working remotely beforehand, few had entire workforces operating remotely, which creates huge challenges for managers. There are actually many perks to remote work for all parties, and many plan to continue after the pandemic has ended. Still, in order to get the most out of WFH employees, you need to know how to manage remote teams effectively. With this in mind, here are a few tips that should help.
Avoid Micromanaging
Perhaps the biggest mistake that managers are making when it comes to managing a remote team is micromanaging and constantly checking in. This is understandable, as when you cannot see your team, it is easy to imagine them slacking off, but many businesses have found that WFH actually increases productivity. This is why you need to outline your expectations and then trust your team to do the work.
Understand People’s Preferences
Following this point, you are likely to find that everyone has different preferences for ways to stay in touch when WFH. While some will want to be in touch regularly throughout the day with calls and videoconferencing, there will also be those that prefer to be left alone, with emails being the best way to contact them. A good manager will know each team member’s preference and cater to them.
Be Wary of Isolation
There are many perks to WFH which staff can enjoy, but one of the major issues and something that you need to be wary of is isolation – this is particularly true in the pandemic where people are limited as to what they can do. This is why you need to touch base regularly, engage in friendly conversation, and consider informal videoconferencing calls, such as replicated after work drinks on a Friday.
Use Live Captioning
Videoconferencing is incredibly useful when it comes to remote work, but everyone knows that it is not perfect, and it can sometimes be difficult to understand what is being said. This is why Verbit’s live captioning solution is a fantastic investment because it will provide live captions during meetings so that people always know what is being said and do not have to ask the person to repeat themselves.
Use Screen Sharing and Recording Tools
It is also worth using screen sharing and recording tools, which can make communication much easier. While there are many perks to WFH, it does have challenges with communication being one of these. Screen sharing and recording tools can help to overcome this issue and make it much easier for people to understand you, which will help to streamline and make sure that you are not being held back by not being in the office together.
WFH can bring many benefits to both employers and employees, but it does have a few challenges, and hopefully, these tips will help you overcome these.
This is an article provided by our partners’ network. It does not reflect the views or opinions of our editorial team and management.
Founder Dinis Guarda
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