Working from home is becoming more popular than ever, and many companies find that having a remote team works best for their business model. While putting together a remote team has many advantages, there are actually many different challenges that come with having your team spread out. If you’re planning on switching to a remote office, learn what hurdles you’ll have to overcome to be successful below.
Find Effective Communication Strategies
Communication is the foundation of a good work relationship in the office, but this becomes even more true when your team is spread out. While you can observe employees and rely on nonverbal cues in an office, these forms of communication are completely lost when you work remotely. Instead, you’ll rely more on written messages to communicate, with the occasional video conference or phone call to check in.
Even if you email or call regularly, communication may still be hampered when your team is spread out, and that’s just a fact you have to accept. That’s why striving for clear and precise written communication is the key to being effective. If you miss the mark, it can hurt your company culture and ultimately affect productivity.
Phone calls and emails have their place, but in a remote workplace, instant messages can be extremely effective as well. Instant messaging helps replace some of what you lose from in-person exchanges, such as giving one another a heads up as you pass in the hallway. Messaging also helps your team express concerns as they arise, rather than waiting to summarize things with an email.
There are numerous chat apps to choose from, with Slack arguably being the most popular. On apps like Slack, you can create channels for team-wide announcements, project-specific updates, and non-work chatter to organize your communication and keep everyone in the loop.
Don’t Forget to Talk One-on-One
Your team is likely made up of a diverse range of personalities. Some will naturally be more outspoken, while others are less likely to share their ideas or be upfront when they’re struggling. When working remotely, one of the best ways to connect with your team and help them feel supported is to provide each person with the chance to have regular one-on-one meetings.
Develop Work Routines and Expectations
As the manager of a remote team, it’s hard to keep everyone on the same page. While checking in with email, chats or video conferences will help, you might still find it hard to reach your goals without providing more structure.
Setting crystal-clear expectations about your employees’ availability, schedule, conference call participation, and ability to meet deadlines will remove any uncertainty that may be getting in the way of productivity. Being clear also reduces conflict, which is sure to arise if your expectations are ambiguous.
Know How to Find the Right Talent
As your business grows, you will likely need to expand your team. Hiring freelancers is a great way to reach your business goals. It’s possible to find freelancers to fulfill just about any role in your company, such as content creation, design, web development, marketing, and even accounting.
By hiring a freelancer, you can get a one-time task completed or form an ongoing relationship with someone you want to bring back for multiple projects. If you find a freelancer who’s the perfect fit for your team, the relationship may also open the door for long-term employment.
All you need to do is post a job on a freelance platform such as Upwork to find new talent for your team, whether you’re looking for candidates in sales, customer service, web development, marketing, or many other fields. Don’t forget that finding the right person for the job is only half of the equation. FitSmallBusiness emphasizes the importance of having a freelancer contract and meeting your legal obligations, such as getting your tax return documents in order.
Running a remote office is no easy task, but it can be an extremely successful endeavor if you have the right team. Having clear expectations and communicating effectively will help make everyone on the team feel supported and be more productive together.
