Home-based work is one of the recent trends that is shaping the global labor market scene, as the reliance of large and emerging companies on remote work teams has spread; In an era when technology has taken hold of the commercial scene, as an effective way to boost its productivity, the idea of establishing and managing a team made up of a group of people, geographically dispersed over a number of countries, on different continents, might sound frightening.
Managers are undoubtedly facing huge challenges in managing a team work remotely, because assuming leadership of a geographically dispersed team is different from managing a work team in traditional work offices. However, the benefits that small business owners derive from hiring a remote team far outweigh the potential difficulties.
If you own a company and you are considering establishing a remote work team, and you are concerned about its management and leadership towards achieving the company's goals; make sure that the primary key is to hire the right people, who believe in the idea, are passionate about work and have full commitment and ability to harmony and cohesion.
How to manage a team remotely? Tips for small business owners:
1. Have a clear plan
As an entrepreneur, you must realize that planning is always at the top of the agenda of any manager, and it is a fundamental pillar of any business, no matter how small, it is said that those who do not plan are in fact planning for failure and this is absolutely true. If you don't have a remote team management plan, you will get into an endless mess of wrong actions and decisions. A business plan is the roadmap to your success.
2. Choose the right team
Choosing the right team is one of the most important secrets of your success in managing a remote team. If you fail to choose the team, it is foregone that you will fail in managing it. Building a team from scratch is not an easy matter, but freelance platforms as a freelancer offer great opportunities for project owners to communicate and deal with hundreds of freelancers in the world, and they allow you to choose between skills and know the efficiency and quality of freelance work, choose your team members by assigning initial projects Small for freelancers, so you can communicate with them closely. A lot needs to be taken into account while choosing your team members; Choose people who provide high quality work and deliver tasks on time, have flexibility and the ability to harmonize virtually with their colleagues, are willing to communicate openly with you, and most importantly they are willing to work remotely and that the idea of self-employment for them is not a casual idea.
3. Communicate with the team regularly
Hiring a remote work team does not mean that you will not have to communicate with it. On the contrary, one of the strongest reasons for the success of remote work teams is to open a qualitative and effective communication space with the team. Your remote employees are right now uncertain about a lot – what kind of tasks do they need to work on, will they be able to work effectively and achieve their metrics, how long they will be working remotely, – and you can be most helpful to them by maintaining regular communication. So, schedule regular meetings with your team to encourage collaboration and reduce feelings of isolation. Also, check in with each member of your team to set expectations and find out what they need from you and go over their work and challenges.
4. Assign tasks clearly
Clarifying roles and responsibilities enhances the system and company culture of your team. Unclear instructions or miscommunication creates many problems, so clarification of roles and responsibilities is inevitable, so that everyone has a complete perception of the role they will play in the team.
When you do things like manage expectations for consistent communications, create a project management system, build out your information sharing processes and tools, and foster familiarity among team members, you’re setting yourself and your team up for success in remote work.
It’s not always the most ideal situation, but when it’s all you can do, it’s important to make the most of it by coming together through better communication and stronger collaboration.