Remote team management is full of challenges and the pandemic has only made it more complicated. With the social distancing norms mandating that employees work from home, a lot of managers have suddenly found themselves in an unknown territory.
With no experience of handling remote employees, a lot of managers are struggling to stay on top of things. This process has been made easier with the help of tech tools and softwares that allow managers to keep track of their employees.
One of the most vital tasks for a remote team manager is ensuring employees are provided L&D opportunities. It allows employees to perform their jobs better and stay productive. The management of training courses becomes a breeze with tools like the Learning Management System (LMS).
Being a cloud-based platform, an LMS allows employees to access training content from anywhere at any time on all kinds of devices. If you have not invested in an LMS yet thinking it’s an expensive purchase, let us tell you that it is in fact one of the most cost-effective tools.
Moreover, there are various LMSs available with different pricing structures. For instance, the Absorb LMS pricing structure is very flexible and scales as your organization grows. If you are managing a remote team for the first time, here are 5 tips to help you get the most of them:
1. Plan your day in advance:
It may seem insignificant, but planning your day in advance helps you stay aware of what all you need to accomplish. Relying on your memory is never a great idea when you have a whole team looking up to you for work delegation.
Make sure you have all the tasks listed out in order of priority so you can allocate them to the right resources. This helps in planning work better and reduces confusion amongst your team members. This will eventually lead to work getting done faster.
2. Make use of technology:
With so many powerful digital solutions available today, managing a remote team can be made stress free. Tools like time tracking apps can help managers monitor employee activity without being nosy.
This allows you to be aware of how much time an employee is spending on a task. This will give you an idea about when a resource will get free so you can organize and schedule upcoming work accordingly.
Read next: Boost Employee Morale While Working Remotely
3. Conduct meeting with an agenda:
Remote work relies heavily on virtual meetings, but it is crucial to keep these meetings short and crisp to prevent employee time from getting wasted. Create and share the meeting agenda beforehand to ensure employees are prepared for the discussion.
Additionally, make sure you only add those to the meeting whose presence is absolutely necessary for the discussion being held. This way the meeting will be productive and everyone will get a chance to voice their opinions.
4. Prioritize outcomes:
It is quite tempting to get lost in the minute details and forget about the big picture. Instead of fussing over the number of hours being put in by an employee, divert your attention to the results being generated.
As a remote team manager, you need to give your team the autonomy to decide how to plan their day. Set clear expectations and tell them what you need from them within the given time frame.
Read next: Compliments for Team Leader
5. Support your employees:
Remote work leads to feelings of depression due to lack of social interaction. Stay in regular touch with your employees and be on the lookout for signs of burnout.
Make sure your employees know that they can reach out to you for all kinds of issues. Showing them support for their mental health and helping them build a better work-life balance will help you build better connections with them.
Conclusion:
With the right strategies, remote team management can be made unchallenging for first time managers.
