The Challenges of Managing A Remote Team
How to Overcome the Challenges of Remote Teams
Work arrangement has begun before the evolution of Homo sapiens along with tools, a more complex brain structure, and linguistic communication, the division of labour (job specialisation) may have been responsible for starting the human conquest of nature and differentiating human beings from other animal species.
In the earliest stages of human civilisation, work was confined to simple tasks involving the most basic of human needs: food, child care, and shelter. Today work has changed and companies are always in the search for new ways to increase productivity and sales.
Over the past 10 years, the number of people working primarily from home has grown 115 per cent, and remote work has grown faster than any other commute method.
A remote-based lifestyle has many advantages to both organisations and professionals, but it has its own set of challenges which are unfortunately often used as an excuse to not allow remote work in some organisations, despite being solvable.
Below are some of the most common challenges of working remotely and ways to overcome them.
TERRIBLE TEAM COMMUNICATION
Efficient and effective communication is the cornerstone of any functioning group is like the engine to a car, without it, it just won’t run. A company that is experiencing a breakdown in communication cannot flourish and ultimately fail.
When working remotely, a fluid online communication among team members is key to achieve results, since it is not possible to pass by your coworkers’ desks to clarify any potential misunderstanding or confirm ideas.
Solution to Improve Communication
One way in which many remote teams overcome this is by setting clear communication protocols and channels to facilitate a clear and fluid exchange between their team members when working remotely, right from the start.
Take advantage of cloud-based collaborative technology: Use tools such as Slack, Skype, and Google Hangouts to facilitate constant and open two-way communication, and try focusing on these more collaborative channels rather than on email. Cloud-based project management software such as Trello or Jira can also help scattered teams stay on the same page and work together effectively.
However, it’s critical that organisations provide clear guidelines and policies on how to use these tools and when to communicate, as well as when to get other team members involved, to make sure that their specific needs are effectively met.
I DON’T KNOW WHO IS DOING WHAT WHEN
When you can’t physically see your employees every day, it can be difficult to track the amount of work they complete daily.
To hit big targets, you’ve got to make sure all the smaller tasks are getting completed in a timely manner. Keeping track of the progress multiple remote workers are making on a daily basis can be a daunting prospect.
How can you keep track of progress on individual tasks while also keeping a keen eye on project-wide progress?
The Best Way is to Track Work and Productivity
Well, project management tools will help you do that in a reactionary sense. In other words, they’ll show you when team members have started tasks and finished them.
Track Tasks
In terms of maximising productivity, the first thing you want to know is how long tasks are taking. Toggl has this covered for you by tracking the time it takes to complete tasks, which you can use as benchmarks to maintain and improve turnaround times, as well as pinpoint issues getting int the way of productivity. If you are working on software projects tools like GitHub, Jira Software and the like are very helpful for tracking tasks.
Do Daily Stand ups
Daily stand ups (which should take a maximum of 15 minutes) are the best way to track what your remote team is doing. It’s a daily team meet up that involves all team members (not the entire company) working on the same project. During a typical standup team members present the progress of their work on a daily basis. You can break down each session with three questions
- What did you do yesterday?
- What challenges did you face and how did you solve them (if you did)?
- What are you doing today?
This will allow a project manager to evaluate team’s input and solve delays/barriers/challenges in time.
DIFFERENT TIME ZONES & LOCATIONS ARE A PAIN
Working with a remote team offers the potential for increased productivity. It also give businesses the ability to hire talent from around the world. The downside is, much of this talent can be working in different time zones, which can put your team out of sync.
In some cases, parts of your team could be snoozing while other parts are trying to get things done on the other side of the world.
Finding a time that works well for everyone requires knowing where your participants live and their general schedules.
Same Time For Everyone in Your Time
There are tools you can use online to help make scheduling a call, video conference, or meeting with remote teams easier. From a simple online poll that lists selected dates and times that team members can choose to calendaring apps that pull everyone’s schedules into a single place.
It also helps if team members’ schedules are flexible since some time zones don’t line up well with traditional working hours.
Also it is very important for a recruiter to consider hiring team members that have a time difference of less than 4 hours at least. This will increase productivity.
DIFFERENT LANGUAGES & CULTURE BARRIERS
When you’ve got a remote team of workers from around the world, you’re also likely going to have a rich mix of language and cultural backgrounds coming together on projects.
These differences can impact how employees interact with one another, how they prioritise project tasks, what they deem to be a success, and so on. Establishing and nurturing relationships between everyone in the team is a great way to retain employees, and increase productivity and overall happiness levels.
Hire an Account Manager
While you will of course need a technical team that deploys codes or implement your requirement, we have learned the most important person in the team is the Account Manager. An account manager is the go-to person who makes sure everything works between your company and your service providers. Other service providers will provide an account manager for you to make sure they run a smooth operation. Among other things, the account manager is responsible for communicating between all involved parts, to ensure everyone is on the same page and speaks the same language. The account manager will reduce cultural frictions and translate requirements for the team as well. We, at Ellipsis Digital, have decided to provide an account manager to every client (free of charge) to make sure things get done.
Maintaining cultural differences
Managers must learn to navigate these differences in order to fully enjoy the benefits of a remote global team and be in a position to recognise which aspects of remote working are more difficult for certain members and help them overcome them.
As part of a team-building exercise, allow remote employees to share insights and details about their cultures and geographic regions.
At Ellipsis Digital we have created a tendency of asking our clients about the temperature and if anything major has occurred since our last daily standup, it comes naturally at this point. It eases our meet ups and brings a sense of familiarity for both sides and reduces cultural-related misunderstandings, and it strengthens bonds among team members.
Finally, be particularly clear about project goals, deadlines, and expectations. If your employees all know what you’re after, you’re more likely to get the results you need, even if barriers and differences exist.
Building/Maintaining Trust
Trust is key in any relationship. When employees trust their managers and believe they’re working toward a shared vision, collaboration and engagement happen naturally.
But it’s hard-won in an environment where face-to-face interaction is a rarity. A shared mission, collaborative spirit, and strategic team building can help instal trust in remote and onsite workers alike.
While many of the personality traits and behaviours required for telecommuting can be vetted during the hiring process, you never really know if their personality is a good teleworking fit until someone comes on permanently.
The funny thing about trust is it takes a leap of faith and this means remote managers must be comfortable trusting their employees and giving them enough freedom to prove their trustworthiness.
Build Your Remote Team Around Your Company Culture
All in all while employees do enjoy the flexibility of remote work, it doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy being part of office culture. Remote workers have fewer opportunities to develop that sense of camaraderie with colleagues, and they have less visibility into overall company missions and values.
As a result, some employees experience isolation, loneliness, and dissatisfaction with their roles. While not an easy task, it’s important to help remote workers feel that they are a part of the larger company culture as much as possible.
Creating a healthy company culture with a remote team that reflects your business’s values requires a plan, much like any other project or initiative. It starts from the top with how the manager or business owner interacts with workers.
For instance, if you want to foster a culture of open communication, remote team members need to be able to communicate with everyone, including the CEO, with a virtual “open door” policy. If you want a company culture that’s fun, try scheduling fun get-togethers, gift cards for employees to go bowling together, or organise team-building activities.
Before managing a team, it is always wise to lay out an idea about how it operates. On the surface, remote teams appear to be different from traditional teams. However, if you look closely, they rely on the same principles — working on clear visions, supporting a sense of community, having the right team leaders, sharing teamwork, indulging in goal-oriented strategies, etc.
While hiring a remote team member, it is essential to ensure that the candidate can successfully implement self-directed job roles. He/she needs to be equipped with skill sets that include initiative, independence, and self- discipline.
Discover how you can hire remote software developers from Africa via Ellipsis Digital by visiting here.
