Teams with flexible working options are happier, more productive, and more adaptable than their office-bound competition. To realize those benefits, however, managers must anticipate and plan for the unique challenges that come with running a remote team .
Even if you have spent decades in leadership positions, the best practices you worked so hard to develop may not translate well to a remote environment. Different employees thrive in different ways. It’s up to you to provide them with the support and guidance they need, no matter how far apart your desks may be.
What makes remote team management different
Effective remote management relies on a foundation of proactivity. Passive management practices, like a lack of scheduled check-ins with employees and casual open door policies, do not make remote teams feel heard or supported.
Think about all the small conversations that happen within offices. People see each other in the hallways, stop by desks to chat, grab lunch together, and sometimes talk in the parking lot before heading home for the day. All these interludes add up to create feelings of trust and companionship between managers and team members.
Small moments like these don’t happen by accident in remote working environments. Managers must deliberately reach out to team members to ensure they feel heard, schedule one-on-one time to build relationships, and fill in the gaps created by distance.
The pandemic created thousands of first-time remote team managers who will likely be responsible for distributed team members for the rest of their professional careers. No matter how you ended up as a leader of a remote crew, be careful to avoid some of the more common mistakes that come with the job.
