Remote working

Remote working brings with it so many benefits. It’s why it has increased in popularity by 173% since 2005, as tools have made seamless collaboration possible from home, and organisations have looked to better promote employee wellbeing and work/life balance. Not to mention, COVID forced nearly all organisations to operate remotely for the better part of a year, possibly for the first time.

But even now that restrictions are lifted, and organisations can return to the office, remote working is still a popular choice. 92% of people expect to work from home at least once per week. While 80% expect to continue working remotely at least three times per week. And, even more interestingly, 98% of people would choose to work remotely, at least part-time, for the rest of their careers.

With remote working likely to far outlive this pandemic, how can you better manage your teams remotely, ensuring maximum productivity from your staff while also promoting greater employee engagement and satisfaction? 

Set your expectations

Critical to any business success is everyone being on the same page. And this becomes even more crucial when working remotely. You’re all probably communicating less, talking more via text or email, and can be more prone to miscommunication.

This is why it’s so important to set your expectations. Communicate exactly what you want from your staff. How will you continue to work as a team remotely? How often do you expect to communicate with your team? What’s the best way for someone to communicate with you if they’re unsure of what to do?

This being said, it’s also important to remain flexible. Your remote working setup could change at any given moment. So continue to check in regularly with your team, discuss what’s working or not, and make changes to suit the individuals as well as the wider business.

Give your team some agency

Productive remote working requires trust in your team. Trust that they have the skills to complete their job to a high standard. Trust that they’ll readily communicate with you if anything goes awry. And trust that they’ll be able to plan their own time and meet deadlines.

The last thing you want to do is micromanage. All that does is stifle your team by demanding they do it your way and not giving them the space to make their own choices.

Try to acknowledge that we all work differently. What works best for you won’t necessarily work for everyone else. As long as you feel in the loop, and work is getting done on time and to a high standard, allow your staff the freedom to schedule their own time and find a remote working setup that suits their circumstances.

Still make time for social interaction

Isolation is a big problem for remote working. While the flexibility and freedom working from home is great, sometimes it’s natural to miss the buzz of the office and the little pockets of social interaction we’re used to breaking up the working day.

Why not inject some of this social interaction back into your team’s day? Schedule a 15-minute meeting to start every day or week where you don’t necessarily talk about work. Rather, make it a quick catch up to check in on everyone. Or schedule a virtual happy hour to end the week on a Friday afternoon. Again, give them the option to take part – not everyone is into the idea of “work-mandated fun”.

You never know what someone is going through behind the screen. The more you can continue to show up for your team – both professionally and personally – the better. 

Maintain an open-door policy – from a distance

Out of sight, out of mind is not a mindset you want to get into while working remotely. Your team still needs you to be on-hand and easily accessible should they need your guidance or support. Otherwise, you’re opening yourself up to a litany of errors.

You don’t want your team having to jump through hoops to try and get in touch with you on a daily basis. Instead, clearly communicate how best to reach you at different times of the day. Set your own boundaries of how you want to be approached, bearing in mind that everyone communicates differently.

It can also pay to uphold some structure with regular one-to-one check ins. This way, everyone continues to feel seen, heard, and supported.

Remote working can be brilliant, providing your staff with greater flexibility and freedom to take control of their working lives. And technology has made collaborating from a distance easier than ever before. But there’s still key considerations to make when making your remote team as productive and streamlined as possible.

Inform People helps to make the working day simple. With reliable, intelligent communication tools to boost productivity, clear task management, and seamless information sharing, we empower every member of the team to take ownership of their professional life. To find out more, get in touch with us via email or on +44 (0)161 713 4104.