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We get it. In any aspect that you try to look into, managing people would cost you a lot of time, patience, and understanding. But the real challenge with this is when everyone is facing you, or should I say their own laptops, sitting in their little space at home during the team meeting. Indeed, it's hard to keep a remote team running like a well-oiled machine when everyone has been away from their desks for weeks or months at a time. Managing your remote team is challenging, especially if you don't know how to manage a remote team effectively.
However, there are so many things you can do to make sure your remote workers are productive and happy. Here are some simple tips to help you manage your remote team effectively:
1. Communicate effectively with your remote workers
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Here in RiseUp, hearing out everyone’s side would always be our priority. Ever since we started this team of incredible and diverse people, we always encourage one another to be open and communicate their thoughts with the group. Working with other people, communication is the key when it comes to keeping everyone productive. For a remote team, everyone can use tools like Skype or Slack to help facilitate communication, but it's important to remember that every employee is different—there may be times when one person can't make it in due to time constraints or personal matters, so having a written plan in place will ensure that everyone's needs are met. Always make sure to have an open communication with one another to keep everything organized and everyone informed of the matters going on with each other’s status.
2. Provide flexible work hours
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This is one of the benefits of working from home as people have the freedom to propose their preferred time of work. This is made possible because of different location time zones which enables the remote workers to work during the day or night of their time, whichever they prefer. Many companies offer their employees flexible work schedules or work from home options and RiseUp is one of these. We believe that everyone should have the capability to choose the schedule they’re comfortable with. By allowing them to have this freedom makes them feel more happy with their job which increases their productivity rate.
3. Equal Accessibility for Everyone
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Make sure everyone has access to the same tools, which means that you can use the same software, file storage services and collaboration platforms. Each member of the team should also have the access to the same set of processes, so they can work together effectively. For example, if someone gets an important email while they're still in a meeting with another person, they can check it out and respond without missing anything else happening in their chat or Slack channel or whatever tool they use for communication. This is the way how we, RiseUp, stay on top of things.
4. Use technology effectively
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The most important thing in managing a remote team is using technology to make life easier for everyone involved. The best tools are those that help you create an efficient workflow and keep everyone in sync with each other, so that no one ever has to deal with lost files or missing information—and since most of us use email these days, we'll use email here as an example of what works best for this purpose. In our team, we make use of the most convenient tools that everyone can easily navigate and these are: Slack, Skype, Google Sheets, Google Documents, Google Drive, Google Calendar, Canva, WhatsApp, Zoom, and many more. With these technology softwares, everything was kept organized and accessible to everyone, making all things easier.
5. Create clear expectations
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It's hard to manage a remote team. You're not in the same place, so it can be hard to keep your team motivated and connected. This is why here in our team, we make sure that all parties understand what they're expected to do, so they know what is expected of them and can work towards achieving those goals efficiently. Make sure you have a clear set of expectations for what each remote worker is expected to do—whether it's by talking about those expectations during meetings or giving assignments that outline what needs to get done during the week.
6. Motivate one another
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One person’s productivity is usually affected by the people around them. This is why we value each team member’s efforts and appreciate the things that they do that contributes to the team’s performance. We make sure that our remote workers know how essential they are to the company and their work. So, if you are to build your own remote team with us, make sure to always make your workers feel valued in order for you to push them to work and deliver results at the best effort that they can.
A remote team is a real challenge to manage. But knowing how to effectively manage your people would make everything easier. With all these 6 tips in mind, surely, you’re now capable of having your own remote worker/s to help you with your business. Always remember, even if you're the owner of your business, all the work shouldn’t be put on your shoulder. You don’t have to carry all the weight because all you need to do is to hire your own RiseUp worker that would help you on managing your business. Give some time for yourself to rest, and let your competitive worker do the thing they’re best at! Build your own team with us now and make your goals for your business come to life.