Masterful Management of Your Distributed Team
It’s no secret that remote and hybrid work are the wave of the future. In the second year of the pandemic, jobs on LinkedIn that included the tag “remote work” increased by over 350% from 2020. Meanwhile, a 2021 GoodHire study found that 85% of Americans prefer to apply to jobs with remote work options, and fully 74% of them prefer permanent work-from-home status.
Given that an economic report from Upwork attested that 36.2 million Americans are going to be working remotely by the year 2025, it’s quite possible that you’re already managing a team that doesn’t come into the workplace every day.
Be among the intentional, explicit organizations who are leading the way in this new environment by avoiding these five common pitfalls of the remote and hybrid manager.
Pitfall #1: Preferring (Even Unintentionally) In-Office Employees
It’s common for employers to feel more positively about the staff they see in-person since they’re more traditionally available for brainstorming, small talk and quick asks. The problem, of course, is that this can lead to unfair preferential treatment, whether that’s promotions and pay raises, development opportunities, or just an in-office pizza lunch.
Avoid it!
Take extra steps to ensure that your remote workers are included in the benefits you provide in-office and hybrid staff. That may mean mapping out the development and engagement strategies you use and thinking creatively about how to involve your remote employees. Buying that pizza lunch? Send the remote folks a gift card or DoorDash. Promoting from within? Open the process for all team members if the role can be done remotely.
Pitfall#2: Skipping Set Work Hours
One of the biggest mistakes mangers and organizations can make when working with virtual employees is not setting boundaries around when people work. While this may seem counterintuitive (since it’s a common myth that remote workers are lazier), it’s actually important to set work hours to avoid the opposite challenge: overwork and burnout. Without specific “online” times, it’s too easy for employees to always be working.
Avoid it!
This one’s easy - determine when your team is most likely to be available (factoring in childcare and family dynamics, time zones, etc.) and what your work needs are (those in education may start earlier and end earlier than those in the tech sector, for example), and then set your staff hours around what works best for the greatest number of people. Even better? Align on a smaller set of time that the whole team should be available - say a five to six hour window - and then arrange individual hours for workers based on their circumstances.
Pitfall #3: Underestimating Critical Communication
In some ways, it’s easy to assume that managing a remote team is easier. There are no impromptu coffee chats to derail your day, no open-door policies for teammates to take advantage of. The truth, though, is that in lieu of physical proximity, and with the added distractions of working from home, it’s vital that managers actually over-communicate with their teams. After all, a McKinsey report showed that remote workers with communicative managers were five-times more productive and three-times less likely to burn out.
Avoid it!
Create and keep regular communication touchpoints with your team. Weekly 1:1 check-ins are vital, as are regular team meetings and quick, unscheduled touchpoints. Consistently held, these communication structures ensure employees are aligned on priorities, clear about progress, and are addressing challenges in a timely manner with the right supports in place.
Pitfall #4: Underutilizing Technology
To keep those aforementioned open lines of communication, it’s vital that all employees have the right tech stack to do their jobs. Do not underestimate the ways in which technology can help build team culture and communication, including for employees who are hybrid or physically in the workplace.
Avoid it!
Be thoughtful about the hardware and software that remote employees are going to need to do their jobs well. A computer is necessary of course, but many staff will also need (or benefit from) a printer, additional monitors, hot spots, etc. You’ll also want to ensure that software is established and employees are trained on using it. Easy go-tos include Slack for live instant messaging, Google Drive for sharing files and Zoom or Microsoft Teams for video meetings. Project management software like monday.com is also great for tracking project implementation and tasks among distributed employees.
Mistake #5: Neglecting to Support With Relationship-Building
When remote workers join the team, it’s unlikely that they will be fully taken into the fold without thoughtful planning from the team leader. Given that distributed employees may not immediately meet their teammates, it’s vital for managers to help set up alternative opportunities for networking, collaborating and bonding with others in the organization. Do not skip this step or you risk losing your people before you (or anyone on your team) even gets to know them.
Avoid It!
Ensure that “Connection” is a huge portion of every new employee’s onboarding experience. Set up virtual coffee dates for them to meet others outside of their direct team (bonus points for sending coffee gift cards.) In addition, ensure that there are opportunities for remote employees to interact with executives at the organization via virtual town halls or 1:1s.
Managing a distributed team?
At Agile Talent Consulting, we are 100% virtual, and support teams who are moving in that direction with best practices, revised handbooks and work-from-home policies, and training for managers on best practices for overseeing remote and hybrid teams. We know that virtual work is here to stay and are here to help companies meet the moment with customized supports.
