How to Support Your Remote Team Effectively

Over the course of the year, remote workers have become a much more important part of the workforce, which has posed a challenge for HR directors and managers who have had to reevaluate how to provide their team with the support they need to succeed. As a manager, here are some of the best ways to support your remote team.

Frequent Communication

Remote workers often feel lonely or alienated, especially if they have been used to working around a lot of people in the past. An effective way to support your remote team is with frequent communication. Remote employees need human interaction, so taking the time to check with them at least once a day can help them feel like they’re still part of a team.

Reliable IT Support

To succeed, remote workers need functioning devices, reliable Internet access, and fast tech support. Employees especially need dependable access to conferencing and communication tools like Gmail, Zoom, and Slack. Not only does this type of support ensure remote employees have the tools they need to perform their work, it helps ensure remote teams stay engaged and allows for smooth onboarding of new employees.

Stay Flexible

One of the best ways to support remote workers is to give them the flexibility they need to succeed in a remote work environment. Typically, remote workers experience more distractions and have more non-work-related responsibilities than employees who work at an office. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have high expectations for your team. But by giving remote employees flexible schedules, they are better able to balance the different responsibilities they have while still performing at a high level.

Set Clear Expectations

It helps both you and your team to regularly sit down and discuss expectations together. Your team needs to understand what their role is and what their responsibilities are. They also need to understand the company’s goals, how you define success, and what criteria you will use to measure performance. These types of conversations reduce misunderstandings and encourage trust between you and your team.

2020 has been an interesting year for remote work. Many managers are overseeing remote teams for the first time, while employees in the field are working from home for the first time in their careers. Leadership has had to adjust their management style abruptly, while reevaluating what it means to be a supportive manager. Frequent communication, transparent expectations, and reliable IT support can help give teams the support they need to thrive in a remote environment.

by Ruben Moreno