Remote managing - How to lead from afar?

Managing a team is quite a responsibility, especially if this team consists of people who work remotely. Good planning and constant communication are crucial; they provide direction and ensure the team spirit.

Remote werken | tips om een remote team te managen - Hays.nl
Read time: 2 minutes | By: Hays Marketing

By sticking to some key practices you might find remote managing more easy. With these tips it's easier to get everyone to gel, and asure the right team spirit amongst remote workers.

Remote managing – 3 tips to lead from afar

1. Prioritise personality

Some individuals need constant access to their manager to feel secure and satisfied. You need to consider this when recruiting for your separate teams. It might be helpful to learn about what questions to ask a candidate who will be working from home fulltime.

Try and source candidates who are self-motivated, dependable, independent and good at communicating. You should be focusing as much on the right personality in your hiring process as ability and expertise. It is important that you can trust individuals to manage their time effectively and deal with the freedom of remote working. Even consider giving priority to personality.

2. Use tools to make communication easier

When remote managing communication is paramount. Be sure everyone has the right tools ánd knows how to use them. With for example Skype, Yammer or WhatsApp Web everyone can stay in touch easily, as well as get the information they need quickly when they need it.

Encourage your team to communicate with each other, as well as with yourself, frequently so they can exchange ideas, share experiences (good and bad), and feel as though they’re part of a greater whole.

3. Don't only talk shop

When talking to employees, it can be easy to only talk about work, but also chat about events local to them or about what they’re into in terms of sport, activities or other interests when they’re not at work Show them that you are interested and that you care.

When remote managing, getting to know your teams on a personal level is important. You'll see it contributes towards higher job satisfaction and productivity levels.

If you can build a good rapport with remote workers it’s great for morale, they’re more likely to open up about any problems they may have, and it encourages a more collaborative approach.

Remote managing is always going to be tricky, and you might find that it takes a while to refine and perfect your own way of doing things. Hopefully the above tips can help you and your team to work remotely in a perfect way.