With the continuing rise of technology in the workplace, more and more companies are moving their business to a partially if not entirely remote model. From increased productivity to less stress, the benefits of remote work are clear to many informed business leaders. Here are three ways that you can create an effective remote team that is dedicated to growing your business in tangible ways.
Communicate Regularly
It is easier than ever to stay connected while working remotely. A host of communication services have sprung up as a direct result of demand from remote employees. These communication services make it easy to stay in constant contact throughout the day. You should look for certain messaging features when deciding on an app that fits your needs. Many employees find the voice chat and video call features particularly worthwhile if your business model is dependent on collaboration. It is also good to choose a service that allows multiple employees to jump into communications at different times. Many of these communication apps are free but offer enhanced services for an additional price – it’s worthwhile to take the time to research several of these apps ahead of time to figure out which is the best fit for your business.
Set Clear Responsibilities
Working remotely has its fair share of challenges. One of the primary considerations to make when building an effective remote team is how you are going to divide the responsibilities. Setting clear duties will help your employees to understand their responsibilities. This direction is necessary for any type of work environment, but it is especially pertinent when there is not a manager on-site to keep everyone on the right track. With this in mind, it is also important to set clear non-office hours so that your employees do not always feel as if they are on the clock. It’s easy to physically clock out when you have an office to leave at the end of the day, but harder to mentally clock out when your work is available to you at home.
Make Efforts to Meet in Person
A remote workplace can be extremely isolating for its employees. In order to combat this isolation, savvy business leaders will actively find ways for the team to meet in person periodically. Maybe this is an annual retreat that allows you to plan for the year and reconnect, or even several group lunches throughout the year to discuss the quarter ahead. The goal of these in-person meetings is to establish connections and build camaraderie within the group. If your group is located in relatively close proximity to each other, you can make these meetings more frequent in nature.
Remote work is incredibly common today, especially in marketing agencies such as ours where most projects are digital. As technology continues to make rapid advances, you will find that more companies are exploring the remote avenue. The advantages of this type of working environment can far outweigh the obstacles as long as you implement a structure that will make the most sense for your employees, your clients and your business moving forward.
