While remote work has its many, many advantages for both employees and employers alike, telecommuters can also present a unique set of challenges to the managers who oversee them.
If you manage a remote workforce, there’s a good chance you’ll (at some point) face some or all of the common hurdles below. We’re sharing some advice on how to handle each of them, for if/when that time comes.
Tips for Handling 5 Common Challenges as a Remote Manager:
Scheduling can be a nightmare.
One of the biggest benefits of having a remote workforce is that you can tap talent from anywhere in the world. The disadvantage: competing time zones that don’t always mesh with all of your workers’ schedules. One option is to make a policy to have your workers work a 9-to-5 schedule in their time zone. While it might not always allow everyone’s schedules to overlap (and have your entire team on together at the same time), knowing that an email will be answered within a certain time period, or that a project should be completed by a certain time, can make scheduling easier.
Keeping company culture alive can be difficult.
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Every company has a heartbeat. It’s not just the products you promote or the services you sell. The company culture is a way of life that your employees relate to. After all, that’s what makes them want to work for your company. But how do you create a cohesive company culture when no one is in the same office—or even the same time zone? It’s achieved by sharing company information, showing how your business is contributing to the greater good, and investing in employees to bring out their personal best.
Make an effort to show your workers why their roles are integral to the company’s success, and applaud them for a job well done.
It can be hard to track employee productivity.
Although you might be a big proponent of work flexibility, as a manager, you might always have that slight sinking suspicion that your remote workers aren’t actually working as much as they could be. Some remote companies have employee monitoring software (such as Time Doctor, Teramind, Hubstaff, VeriClock, and so on) that allows them to track productivity, time, and even location and keystrokes.
But if your company is set up as a R.O.W.E (Results Only Work Environment), then setting specific measurable goals—complete with clear deadlines—can be the easiest way to determine if work is being done on time or not.
Keeping communication open requires extra effort.
Back in the day when you had all your workers in one office all the time, all you had to do was swing by someone’s cube to chat up your team, talk about your weekend plans, or see if they were working or not. But with remote employees, that’s just not feasible. Luckily, having good communication with your remote team isn’t all that hard. You can try speaking with each member of your team to determine what their favorite style of communication is, whether it’s instant messaging, emails, video chats, or simply good old fashioned phone calls.
Then, offer various tools and programs that fit best with the communication needs of your team. But keep in mind that none of that matters if you yourself aren’t a strong communicator. So model good communication from the start—answer emails in a timely fashion, be friendly when reaching out to your workers—so that they will be strong, effective communicators, too.
Gaining your employees’ trust can be tough when they never see you.
Regardless of job, job level, or industry, every employee wants to feel like their employer has their back. They want to trust you as their manager, and in turn, will work harder and be more productive. The opposite—having a staff that doesn’t trust you—can be disastrous, as they could leave your company for a competitor. Try to maximize every interaction you have with your remote workers to start building a level of trust with them.
Congratulate them on a job well done, schedule meetings with them to see how they’re enjoying working for the company, see where their pain points are, and take an interest in them outside of the office. Make sure that you help them resolve any issues that they might have professionally to bring out the best in your remote team.
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