The COVID-19 pandemic has forced millions of Americans to begin, and continue, working remotely for the foreseeable future. Even as states start to ease restrictions, many employees will be reluctant to return to the office for fear of a second wave. A lot of companies are now reexamining the need for a physical office and whether or not that money should be spent elsewhere.

 

It is worth noting that working remotely was a growing trend before the current pandemic swept the country. More and more companies had already begun offering partial or full-time work from home options. Some startups launch their companies with a totally remote workforce, with no intention of ever making their employees commute. The bottom line is working from home is here to stay.

 

While working out of the comfort of your own home sounds great, it can pose several challenges. This is especially true for anyone tasked with managing teams, projects, and outside vendors. If the proper processes are not put in place, it can strain communication and cause things to fall through the cracks. Therefore, we have put together five tips to help you effectively manage your remote team.

 

#1 – Implement A Team Communication Platform

 

The number one complaint that teams have when transitioning from the office to remote work is not being able to communicate with their team members easily. We often take for granted how easy it is to walk to a co-worker’s desk to ask a question or resolve an issue. Now that everyone is in different locations, you are forced to communicate electronically.

 

Internal team communications should not be conducted via e-mail. We advise leaving this channel open for external messages with clients and outside vendors. By implementing a team communication platform such as Slack or Microsoft Teams, you allow your teams to communicate in a clutter-free zone. This will drastically decrease the odds of someone missing an important message.

 

Pro Tip: Create designated chat rooms for conversations regarding specific projects or clients.

 

#2 – Create An Employee Directory

 

As we mentioned earlier, with the option of face-to-face conversations gone, all communication must be done via phone, e-mail, or a messaging platform. If you employ more than a few people, it can be challenging to remember everyone’s contact information. This will frustrate team members who may need a quick answer or have an issue that needs to be talked out.

 

Creating an in-depth employee directory ensures that team members can reach others at any time. Your employee directory should include each employee’s name, position, department, phone number, e-mail, and how to find them on whichever messaging platform you have. If relevant, you can also include the accounts they work on as well. Team members can rest comfortably knowing that everyone has their information if there is an emergency or something that warrants immediate attention.

 

Pro Tip: Have each team member indicate which communication channel they would prefer to be reached on.

 

#3 – Schedule Weekly Meetings

 

As humans, we crave interaction with each other. Working from home can become lonely and make some team members feel isolated. If employees begin working in silos, it can cause miscommunications, missed deadlines, and issues amongst team members. Weekly meetings are the perfect way for everyone to stay connected and updated on what is going on in your company.

 

We suggest scheduling several weekly meetings, depending on the structure of your company. First, you should host a weekly or bi-weekly all-hands meeting with every employee in your company. Use this time to provide company updates, congratulate employees on successes, and encourage employees to continue communicating with their teams. Second, each department should have its own weekly meeting to discuss what they are working on. Lastly, managers should be conducting one-on-one meetings with each direct report to ensure they are feeling connected and supported.

 

#4 – Use Project Management Software

 

If you are a project-based company, you should already be utilizing project management software such as Monday.com or Smartsheet. These programs allow you to track project deadlines and deliverables. They also give team members a clear picture of how the company is doing, the bandwidth of their co-workers, the status of the projects they are a part of, and any future work coming their way.

 

If this software is new to your team, be sure to designate an hour-long meeting to walk everyone through the program. Also, send out training links and request your employees to watch them before using it. If possible, designate someone as the point person for questions and concerns. Most importantly, encourage all team members to speak up if they are struggling to use this new software.

 

Pro Tip: Create a column that designates the main point of contact for each phase of the project.

 

#5 – Use A File Sharing System

 

To avoid unnecessary messages, your team should be using a file-sharing system such as Dropbox or Box for all work-related files. This includes PDFs, documents, forms, images, assets, and anything else that needs to be shared amongst team members. Even if someone has created a material that will not be shared at first, it is best to practice to have this document live somewhere that it can be easily accessible if the person who created it cannot be reached. No one on your team should be storing work documents of any kind on their local drive.

 

If this type of system is new to your team, be sure to supply them with a naming convention process to follow to avoid confusion. For example, if you are creating a folder and subfolders for each client, you would require each folder to be labeled like this: Client Name_Project Code #_Project Description. Each folder should have the same type of subfolders, such as assets, paperwork, communications, designs, sales, and marketing.

 

Pro Tip: Designate one person to create a new set of folders whenever you sign a new client or begin work on a new account.

 

Conclusion

 

Working from home is here to stay. This is not a phase where you can just wing it until it is over. To be an effective manager, you must be able to monitor and motivate your team members remotely. It will be essential that you equip them with the tools, software, processes, and procedures they need to work as seamlessly and efficiently as possible.

 

Let’s Talk!

To learn more about how The HR Agent can help you manage your remote teams, send us a note at connect@thehragent.com

 

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