Lifehack logo

The New world of work: The remote work manager

As the workforce grows increasingly remote, managing teams becomes more difficult.

By Deladem KumordziePublished about a year ago 7 min read
Like
The New world of work: The remote work manager
Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

As the workforce grows increasingly remote, managing teams becomes more difficult. The days of having all your employees in one office are gone, and that means managers need to adapt their approach to management. In this article, I'll outline what managers need to do if they want to succeed as a remote work manager.

Remote work is the future.

The future of work is remote.

- Remote work is not going away. It’s the new normal and it’s here to stay, so let’s talk about what it means for managers in this brave new world.

- The future of work is remote: We can all agree on that point, right?

The world of work is changing, and the future is remote. Whether it’s because you want to work from home, your job requires it or you’re just tired of commuting, more people are choosing to work remotely.

It's not just a passing trend.

The remote work trend is here to stay, and it's growing. Remote work has been on the rise for decades and shows no signs of slowing down.

The benefits of remote work are clear: it allows employees to live where they want, reduce their time spent commuting, and have a more flexible schedule that allows them to balance their family life with their professional goals. But as with any major shift in business culture, there are challenges too—challenges that need to be addressed by leaders who want their teams working together as efficiently as possible.

It's not going away.

We've all heard about the new world of work, but it's not just a passing trend. It's here to stay. Don't believe me? Just look at how many companies are embracing remote work and how many workers are choosing it for themselves.

Some statistics:

- 46% of people say they would be open to telecommuting if their job allowed it

- 50% of professionals report that their workplace has a flexible policy on working from home (and this is growing)

- 80% of the workforce would consider leaving a job for one that offered more flexibility

Remote work is better for both employees and employers.

Remote work is a great way to attract top talent. If you are trying to hire the best person for the job, regardless of their location, remote work becomes an ideal option.

Employees who enjoy flexibility will find it easier to stay motivated and productive if they can work remotely. The fact that employees are able-minded enough (and want) to take on this responsibility shows how much they value your company as an employer and how much trust they have in their manager or leaders at all levels of management.

Employees tend to feel more connected with coworkers when they aren't physically present together every day at an office—especially those in different departments or on different teams within an organization. This type of connection helps keep morale high throughout the organization because it creates a feeling among everyone that no one person's job is more important than anyone else's—or wait... maybe just slightly more important than someone else's?

But it's not without its challenges.

The New World of Work requires new ways of thinking, new approaches to communication and a different mindset. It takes time for remote teams to get used to working remotely (and it’s not always easy for them or for you). Your team may need help adjusting—and so do you!

To make your remote work experience as effective, productive and efficient as possible:

- Be honest with yourself and your team about what expectations you have of each other. Make sure that they understand what’s expected of them, what their roles are in the company and how their efforts will contribute towards its success.

- Communicate clearly with one another – both online and offline – so everyone is aligned on tasks, priorities and deadlines. If anything changes during the course of a project, let people know as soon as possible so they can adjust accordingly (or re-prioritize) while still being able to meet deadlines.

It requires a new mindset for managers.

Some managers are able to make this shift easily and with only minor adjustments, while others struggle. The important thing is that you understand the difference between managing and leading, and that you know what skills you need in order to be a good leader.

Managers who successfully manage remote teams have a clear contract with their remote employees about their expectations and responsibilities. They also establish trust by being transparent about any changes or decisions that affect team members' work lives.

Managers need to shift from managing to leading.

In the New world of work, you cannot afford to be a manager who just manages. You will fail and your teams will fail. Your job is to lead your team to success. If you want to lead them successfully, then you need to focus on creating an environment where they can succeed by putting their goals ahead of yours and helping them get there.

This may sound like a lot of work, but it’s not. It is simply a matter of changing your mindset and perspective on what management means in the New world of work.

The first thing you need to do is stop thinking about yourself. The old-fashioned view of management was that it was about getting people to do what you wanted them to do. But in the New world of work, there are too many unknowns for this approach to be effective.

In the old world of work, you could hire someone and expect them to do what they were told. But in today’s rapidly changing environment, If you want your team members to succeed, then it’s up to you as a manager to create an environment where they can do so.

Managers need to establish a new contract with their remote teams.

In the old world of work, managers had the luxury of being able to set the tone for the office and establish a clear framework for expectations around performance, behavior and communication. But now that most people have become more mobile and flexible in how they work, this is no longer an option. Managers will need to adopt new approaches when managing their teams from afar because there are no physical boundaries between them anymore.

This doesn't mean you should abandon all formalities like performance reviews or communication protocols—but it does mean that if you want your remote employees to feel like part of the team, you'll need to start by establishing these kinds of guidelines from scratch.

They must be clear about what they expect of their team members.

The first step to being a great remote manager is to be clear about what you expect of your team members. This can be tricky, because you don't actually have any face-to-face time with them, so it's easy for their work habits and productivity not to match up with the expectations that you set in place. It's important to set goals and objectives for each person on the team so that everyone knows exactly what they need to do every day in order for things to run smoothly. You should also let people know where you stand: are you available 24/7? Or perhaps only during certain hours of the day (for example, if you're still sleeping)? In addition, when someone asks for help or guidance on something, make sure they understand clearly whether or not this has an impact on their performance review—and if yes, how much of an impact it will have.

And what their team members can expect of them.

As a manager, you need to be clear about what you expect of your team members. What can they expect of you? This new world of work is not going to go away anytime soon. Managers need to establish a new contract with their remote teams; one that's based on trust and respect, but also accountability and clear expectations.

Effective remote work management will be an essential skill in the future of work

Remote work is not a trend. It’s the future of work. The need to manage remote teams will become essential in the coming years, and managers who can’t manage remotely will be left behind.

While some managers may see this as an opportunity to slip into a less-demanding role with fewer responsibilities, effective remote work management requires an entirely different mindset than traditional management models. In order for your team members to thrive and grow with their careers, you must shift from being a manager who “manages” employees toward being a leader who leads them.

Effective leaders recognize that the most important thing they do is establish trust with their people—and that requires both listening and communicating honestly with them on all levels of engagement: emotional, intellectual and physical (when necessary). Effective leaders also understand that they are not expected to be perfect; instead they strive for progress over perfection by building relationships across cultural divides every day through patience, honesty and transparency about expectations.*

Conclusion

The remote work revolution is here. It's not going away, and it's only going to get bigger. But with its challenges also come significant opportunities. Managers who are willing to adapt their mindset, establish new contracts with their teams, and learn new management skills will be rewarded with highly motivated and productive employees who work from home or anywhere else in the world!

how to
Like

About the Creator

Deladem Kumordzie

Challenging everything I know, unlearning & relearning⚡️ A rare breed of business and technology. Business Planning || Branding || Front End developer || Graphics || Entrepreneur || Interested in Venture Studios

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.