How to Deal with a Remote Team from Afar
In today’s work environment, it is perfectly possible for a team of people to work together closely, even though members are in different parts of the country, or even in different countries altogether. However, despite the varied types of communication available, including email, instant messaging, contact via social media, video conferencing and the telephone, it still requires an effort on everyone’s part, particularly the group leader, to ensure that everyone is working on the same page. A number of communication tips for dealing with a remote team at work should be considered.
Clarify expectations
When team members are working remotely, it is vital thatmanagement expectationsare clarified, so that each person knows exactly what his or her responsibilities are. It is all too easy for one person to go off on a tangent, or to overlap with someone else’s role and cause offence. However, if the group leader is very clear about everyone’s roles and clarifies them on a regular basis, it should be easy to avoid this happening. Of course, regular meetings will also help to ensure that everyone is clear about what they are doing, particularly if new projects are frequently introduced.
Make an effort to get to know people
In an office situation, there is usually a certain amount of socialising, either around the water cooler, at lunch-time or after work. Obviously, that cannot be replicated in a remote team. However, team members can still get to know one another via the various communication routes available. No-one should rush in with all guns blazing and expect to share life stories after a week of working together, but by gently introducing one’s background and family life, hopefully colleagues will follow suit. If not, then perhaps a stronger working relationship needs to be built up first.
Raise and discuss issues during telephone/video meetings
Arguments can often be misinterpreted when carried out via email, instant messenger or some other form of written communication. If one person has an issue with another member of staff, they should either pick up the phone and call him or her, or wait until there is a generalconference call, during which people can hopefully iron out any problems with the minimum of fuss. No-one is always going to agree with colleagues and vice versa; that is fine. The critical thing is how the issue is dealt with and this should be discussed honestly and respectfully in a call.
Be flexible with work schedules
When dealing with colleagues who are in different time zones, it can be very hard to find awork schedulethat suits everyone. There is the added complication that people who work remotely may well fit in their work around other commitments, such as child minding or other jobs. If it is vital that everyone is online at least part of the time, this needs to be made clear right from the start. However, it is far better to be flexible, allowing everyone to work when most convenient and therefore at their best, unless there is a conference call that everyone needs to attend.
Share information
When working in the same office, it is very easy to pick up on issues that perhaps don’t involve everyone directly, but that are useful to know, either for future reference, or to understand how the company works as a whole. That is not so straightforward when working on a remote team. Thesharing of informationand documents is therefore all the more important. If the company doesn’t already have a way of sharing files remotely, then check out Google Docs and Google Calendar. These tools should ensure you always have access to the latest files and that managers can follow everyone’s schedules without having to ask for repeated updates.
Communicate regularly
Just because team members are working remotely and can spend all day in their pyjamas if they want, it doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t take their job seriously and communicate regularly. They will still have clear goals to achieve and if they don’t meet productivity levels, they will be caught out sooner or later. Each person is a cog in a wheel; if they don’t complete their part of the assignment, there will be a knock-on effect for the next person. It will also cause bad feeling with other members of the team and, even though people may not have to deal with each other face to face, it still won’t be a pleasurable experience. Communication is vital at all times.
Being part of a remote team can be enormous fun if everyone communicates well and makes an effort to work as if they are a real team. Then there is no reason why a remote team should not be successful.
