Here are some tips on successfully managing a remote team.

1. Be Present and Available

This might seem like a no-brainer but with the flexibility of remote work comes a lot of distractions like children, family members, roommates, pets, the overwhelming list of household chores that never ends… the list goes on. We will always have something going on in our life that will be a distraction from work or will cause a disruption in our normal work schedule. However, it is very important to inform your team about any major changes to your daily schedule so they can be prepared for any possible delayed responses on your end.

2. Set Frequent, Recurring Meetings Each Week

Most people like to look at the upcoming week on their calendar, see any team meetings and plan work or personal time accordingly. We all know that things can change. Work priorities can switch in a moment or a personal emergency can alter standing recurring meetings. But, for as much as you can, keep your team meetings planned for the same day and time each week. These meetings allow for all team members to get together, discuss their work progress, ask you any questions about current or upcoming work and generally just catch up, whether work related or just what they have planned for the weekend. This is a great way to invest in relationships and get to know more than just the “work-side” of your team.

3. Set Up a Form of Collaboration/Communication

Depending on the type of work you do this might not be necessary but even if your team does not need to collaborate, it’s still important to set up a form of communication between you and the team aside from traditional email. Utilizing Microsoft 365 along with Microsoft Teams has become a very popular form of collaboration and communication. You can keep things very simple by utilizing the chat function among your team or depending on the work, you can set up public and private teams and add channels on specific projects and clients within a private team to further deepen the collaboration and communication.

4. Track Team Progress

Creating a formal way to track team progress is a great way to stay up to date on project and task status without having to ask your team members every time you need to know something. Depending on the work, the way you track progress can be very simple and informal, with a daily or weekly updated spreadsheet. Or, you can allow for greater insight and perspective by using tools like Toggl Track, Jira, Trello and Basecamp. Using a project management software tool also allows for your team to have greater control and insight into what other team members are working on, including what is on the horizon. Just remember, do not take advantage of the insight these tools provide and start micromanaging your team!

5. Celebrate Successes

Everyone wants to feel and know that their work is valued. It’s very easy to get caught up in the day-to-day workload and forget about all the things your team has accomplished over the last week, month and year. Acknowledge the value and skill set that each team member brings to the table and celebrate successes as a team and on an individual level. 

Written by Pyvot E-Learning Project Manager Victoria Hymel