How to control a remote team

Home-office work has long been the norm, but not everyone can effectively manage a team spread across the globe. Let’s find out how to control remote employees and keep them productive. By following our recommendations, you will definitely be able to create a powerful team. 

Clear rules and tasks

All participants should understand what management expects from them and what role their work plays in the company’s overall strategy. Define key performance indicators (KPIs) that will be used to evaluate each team member’s performance. Hold weekly meetings to discuss progress, goals, and potential problems. Clearly established rules and controls help employees feel accountable for results.

Communication tools

Effective communication is key to the success of any team, especially a remote one. As practice shows, lack of regular communication almost always leads to miscommunication and reduced efficiency. The most convenient tools for communication: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Google Meet are suitable for quick communication, creation of thematic channels and video conferences, help to maintain personal contact and promptly resolve issues. 

Versatile project management, communication and collaboration systems – e.g. Trello, Asana, Jira, Basecamp allow you to create boards, tasks, set deadlines and track task progress.

Regular reporting

Regular monitoring keeps your work high quality and allows you to make timely adjustments. Set the regularity of reporting – daily, weekly or monthly. Determine the format of reports – tables, graphs, presentations.

Maintain engagement and motivation

Motivation is one of the keys to the success of any team. To keep remote employees from feeling disconnected from the common goal, it is important to keep them engaged and motivated in every possible way. Feedback based on monitoring results motivates associates to perform better.

• Publicly recognize associates’ accomplishments in weekly meetings and point out areas for improvement.
• Provide constructive feedback on a regular basis.
• Organize internal contests and offer bonuses for achieving certain results.
• Periodically discuss an employee’s career development opportunities in a face-to-face conversation.
• Focus on results, not time commitment.

It is not good when the management introduces not just control, but total control. It rather demotivates the team, reducing productivity. It is much more effective to motivate employees to achieve common goals in an atmosphere of trust.

Support and training

Regular professional development helps employees perform their tasks efficiently and stay up-to-date with the latest trends. Provide them with training opportunities:

• offer participation in specialized courses;
• hold internal workshops and trainings to improve skills and share experiences;
• assign experienced employees as mentors for new team members;
• provide remote workers with the tools they need;
• create a support system where all employees can get answers to their questions promptly.

Analyze results

Regularly monitor the team’s performance and make adjustments as needed. This will ensure transparency in performance, track progress and identify problems in a timely manner.

P. S. Effective supervision of “remote workers” requires a balance between control and trust. Use modern tools, set clear goals, maintain regular communication and don’t forget to motivate your partners.