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How to effectively run a remote team

Over the course of the last decade, remote working has exploded in popularity. As of 2019, the number of companies with a remote workforce is getting bigger — 66% of companies allow remote work and 16% are fully remote. There’s no way we can deny it: year on year, more and more people are craving the autonomy of working remotely. Let’s look at the key reasons why you might want to allow your staff to work remotely occasionally or even full time: Productivity – Many surveys have found that employees who work remotely report increased productivity. Cost-effective – Allowing staff to work remotely occasionally can help you save on the overhead costs by enabling you to reduce the size of your office. Alternatively, running a fully remote team means no office rental costs. Balance – Professionals seek the ability to balance their professional and personal lives. A healthy work-life balance saves employees from isolation and stress and helps them refrain from sacrificing aspects of their personal lives. If you want to build a fully remote team you might be worried about a number of things. Below we have listed out top 10 tips to help you effectively lead a remote team.

1. When hiring for a fully remote position, test new staff with shorter projects so you can be sure they’re productive and trustworthy
2. Use time tracking software to track hours worked
3. Use communication tools to communicate with staff i.e. Slack or Whatsapp
4. Create a team feeling by keeping in contact with staff. Use group chats to keep the team motivated and to help the team build relationships with each other
5. Set weekly goals to track work output
6. Set monthly meetings to review staff progress
7. Phone staff instead of sending emails back and forth to limit time spent on internal communications
8. Set weekly video calls to help build your relationship
9. Use an effective document collaboration tool so that everyone has access to the stuff they need. I.e. Google Drive
10. Use a project management system to help you manage your virtual teams’ projects. Our personal favourite is Asana.