Tips for Successfully Managing a Team of Remote Workers

Between the coronavirus pandemic and the current recession, many small business owners are looking for ways to cut labor costs while keeping their companies moving forward. Embracing the remote work trend is an excellent way to do this! Remote work offers several great benefits for businesses including the ability to attract and recruit top talent from all over the world. But managing a remote team involves a bit of a learning curve. Here are some tips to help your team and business thrive as you hire remote employees and put them to work.

Business owners have several tools at their disposal to make managing remote teams much easier. Digital tools and services can help you streamline everything from project management to payroll. For example, MasterPay USA provides payroll management services and time and labor management products to simplify workforce management. Collaboration tools like Slack, Asana, and Trello can help you assign projects to team members, monitor progress, communicate quickly, and review your employees’ work easily and effortlessly. Even everyday apps such as Google Calendar and Google Drive can help you keep everyone on the same page. There are countless tools out there that can help you out, so don’t be afraid to try a few until you find the right solutions for your business.

If you’re shifting to remote teams to save money, your business could use some additional funding help. Fortunately, small business owners have access to several funding solutions to keep their companies running during the pandemic. ZenBusiness describes your options in detail, including SBA express bridge loans, traditional SBA loans, the Paycheck Protection Program established by the CARES Act, as well as non-government grants offered by private companies and nonprofits. These financial resources might just provide the funding you need to hire remote workers or launch a digital marketing strategy to get your business going online.

Switching an in-house team to a remote work environment necessitates a shift in how you measure employee performance. Managers often have a hard time trusting their employees to stay on task all day when they’re working from home, but this is something you will have to let go of when managing a remote team. As long as your employees are getting their work done, it shouldn’t matter when or how long they work. Instead of tracking hours or monitoring employee laptops, set some key performance indicators (KPIs) that will let you know whether or not your employees are getting stuff done.

Communication problems make up one of the biggest obstacles of working with remote teams. It’s easy to let simple miscommunications derail big projects, so keeping your team on the same page should be one of your top priorities. Communication and collaboration tools will help immensely. However, it’s also important to set clear expectations regarding your team’s work schedules and hours of availability. You may also decide to hold a daily or weekly video-chat meeting to check in with your workers and discuss project updates.

Although you’re likely focused on the success of your remote employees, don’t forget to evaluate your own ability to work productivity from home. Working from home can be tough to get used to! If you find yourself constantly struggling to fight off distractions and stay on task at home, set up a dedicated workspace where you can shut yourself away from the rest of your home. It’s important to create a clear boundary between your work and personal life so you can prevent the two from blending into one another. This could mean establishing working hours with the rest of your household, installing a separate phone line, or creating an end-of-day shutdown routine to transition out of your work so you can recharge more effectively.

Assembling a team of remote workers is a great way to help your business get ahead without draining your labor budget. While working from home and managing remote employees may take some getting used to, you’ll get the hang of it sooner or later. Keep these tips in mind to ensure your remote team is a success!