How To Assemble A Successful Remote Team
I’ve worked with remote teams in some capacity since 2009. There are many lessons to take away from such an experience, like avoiding distraction, the importance of scheduling, avoiding burnout and so much more. But really, none of that matters a tinker’s cuss if you don’t have the right people on your remote team in the first place.
The lure of a “work-from-home” arrangement is powerful. It’s going to attract many, but only a few will thrive in such an environment. In the years I spent managing an entirely remote team, I learned a few things about identifying the perfect candidates.
The Right People
As I said, not everyone on your team is a good candidate for remote work. Even the shining stars could falter when handed that particular brand of freedom. It starts with hiring the right people for those positions.
In 2016, I explained how to look for motivated self-starters. Words come easy, of course, so scour a potential hire’s resume or CV for evidence of action. Did he start a podcast or blog? Has she launched a website, product or a business? Has this person taken a chance with a startup? The person who has their hands in projects like this typically has the focus and drive to work well in a remote setting.
Perhaps you want to look at your existing teams to identify good candidates for working from home. Consider the workers you trust. These folks are productive and effective without a lot of direction or hand-holding. Of course, trust is a two-way street, so once you’ve given them the at-home go-ahead, honor that trust and leave them to it.
In other words, no micro-managing via internet!
Still, a little guidance will be necessary. Take care of this by establishing (early) how and when you’re going to check in/monitor progress and productivity. If you and your remote team can schedule a day back at the office, great. Take advantage of that. If not, read the next section.
Find Tools That Work
I spent five years in a virtual newsroom with AOL. There was an Editor-In-Chief, a Managing Editor (yours truly) and a stable of full-time writers and freelancers that spanned three continents. Even those of us who were in the U.S. were scattered from New York to California. In fact, no two of us were in the same state. Yet we had clearly-defined “office hours,” a strong work culture and concise, effective team meetings thanks to some fantastic online tools.
Back then, we used IRC as our “office” (decidedly old school), but today my choice is Slack. This simple-to-use powerhouse lets us communicate in real time, share files, take advantage of very powerful search, break off into smaller groups and integrate with other tools like Skype easily. In my experience, Slack is as close to being in a brick-and-mortar office as you’re going to get.
Slack makes use of what it calls “Channels.” Basically, they’re focused chat rooms, each with their own searchable history, members, permission levels and more. Start with a general Channel and then create new ones — committees, departments, etc. — as needed. You can even create temporary Channels to tackle short-term projects, like an annual meeting or event.
In many cases, Slack can replace email and be a one-stop storage solution for communication, assets and a full project history.
Basecamp is another fantastic option, with a focus on recording a project’s history and all relevant communications. You should also consider Skype for meetings (and interviews), and a service like Trello for project assignments and coordination.
Rules, Or Policies And Procedures
As I mentioned earlier, set rules and expectations early. Then, stick to them. Here are a few I recommend.
- If you’re “at work,” you’re in Slack (or IM, IRC, etc.) Email is fine but it can’t beat the immediacy of live conversation. Require remote workers to be in the tool of your choice during their work hours. Get site-based workers in the habit of doing this, too.
- Set monthly check-in meetings. This is a time you’ll all get together, either in person or virtually, to catch up, offer feedback and see where people are at.
- End meetings with identifying action steps and the responsible parties. “So, the action steps are [x]. [Y] will report in a week.” That way everyone, including the “away team,” knows what’s expected of whom.
There’s a big difference between “remote” and “isolated.” The steps above will foster a sense of belonging in your at-home workers.
To build and maintain an effective remote team:
- Identify the right people
- Trust them to do their job while remote
- Install the tools you’ll need
- Get the office-based employees on board with tools as well
- Take steps to make remote workers feel like they’re still a part of the team.
With a little time and attention to these details, you’ll have a remote team that hums right along.
