Managing Remote Teams: Overcoming the Struggles

The rapid shift to remote work over the past few years has presented managers with a new set of challenges. While remote work offers benefits like flexibility and the ability to hire talent from anywhere, it also makes it harder for managers to oversee their teams on a day-to-day basis. Many managers who were used to in-person management styles are struggling to adapt to managing employees they rarely or never see face-to-face.

What exactly are the pain points managers face with remote employees? Here are a few key issues that we are seeing from the companies we are working with: 

Lack of visibility into work: Without being able to physically see who is at their desk working, it’s harder for managers to have visibility into when and how work is getting done. They can’t simply glance over at an employee’s screen or walk by their desk to get a sense of their progress. This makes it more difficult to provide feedback and course-correct workflow issues when you can’t see the work happening.

Communication challenges: Communication is more purposeful and less frequent when teams are remote. The casual chats by the coffee machine are replaced with scheduled calls and messages. This can make managers feel out of touch with their team’s morale, challenges, and needs. Non-verbal cues are also missing, making it harder to interpret tone and meaning.

Distractions at home: At home there are myriad distractions from pets to kids and Amazon deliveries. Managers can’t tell if remote employees are actually heads-down focused on work or caught up with home demands. This lack of visibility can often lead to mistrust and micromanagement tendencies.

Feeling “always on”: Flexible schedules and working from home can quickly lead to burnout if boundaries aren’t set. Managers may feel pressure to be available outside the usual 9-5, and employees may also feel hesitant to switch off work mode. This culture of being “always on” can harm productivity and morale.

Collaboration challenges: When working remotely, employees lack the social interactions and casual collisions of the office. This can make collaborative problem solving and innovation more difficult. Meetings tend to be more transactional and focused on deliverables, rather than big picture strategy discussions.

So how can managers overcome these hurdles? There are several tactics and approaches that we can recommend:  

Set clear expectations: Have regular one-on-one meetings with each team member to set goals and metrics for success. Make sure expectations around work hours, communication, and productivity are set out clearly.

Implement project management tools: Platforms like Asana, Trello, Monday and Basecamp give managers visibility into work progress and status. They help keep your team on task and allow employees to gain better insight into where their task fits into the overall project.

Conduct daily stand-ups: Host short daily video chats for your team to report on what they accomplished yesterday, plans for today, and any blockers. This keeps all team members in the loop on work progress.

Enable informal interaction: Don’t let all remote conversations revolve around deliverables. Allow time in meetings for personal updates and chit chat to foster relationships. Occasional virtual happy hours also let teams socialise.

Embrace async communication: Async communication like email and ‘Teams Chat’ gives employees flexibility. But ensure there are still opportunities for live collaboration when needed, via video calls. 

Measure outputs, not activities: Focus on evaluating remote employees based on their results and impact, not just being present online or working 8 hours per day. Measure what matters.

Model work-life boundaries: As a manager, make sure to take time off, disconnect after work hours, and take breaks yourself. This demonstrates leading by example for work-life balance. 

Train on remote best practices: Invest in training around remote work skills for both managers and employees. Cover topics like effective collaboration, communication, and time management when working from home. 

While managing remote teams does come with its own set of struggles, with the right approaches and effort to build culture, provide support, and enable productivity, managers can turn these obstacles into opportunities. By implementing these practices, managers can continue driving strong results from their remote teams.

At 1850, we have lots of experience and strategies in helping equip managers with remote team management. Contact us to find out more.