Working Remotely: How to Manage a WFH Team

Working remotely used to be a trend that some organizations were experimenting with and others hadn’t quite made up their minds. Then along came COVID-19 and suddenly working from home became a necessity not an option.

But because it had to be implemented overnight, many managers didn’t have time to put systems and procedures in place. The result was that working remotely has been hit and miss for some organizations in terms of efficiency and productivity.

Fortunately, there are steps managers can take to facilitate the smooth running of a WFH team. So if you’re in charge of remote workers and finding it tough going, this article may help.

Challenges of working remotely

Working remotely offers great benefits to employees, such as not having to commute every day and to employers in being able to downsize facilities. But it also comes with a number of challenges including;

• Lack of interaction – managers often fear employees won’t work as hard without face-to-face supervision and employees can feel a lack of managerial support.
• Lack of information – not being able to talk normally with co-workers can cause problems with interpersonal relationships and can slow down even the most simple work-related tasks.
• Social isolation – without the social interaction of the office environment, remote employees can feel lonely and isolated and over time, less loyal to the company.
• Distractions at home – unless employees have a dedicated work space at home (i.e. a study), family and home demands can impinge on their ability to work efficiently.

Tips on managing a WFH team

To overcome these challenges and build a more cohesive and effective remote working team, try these management tips;

• Over-communicate – talk to your team a lot. Explain everything in detail and keep them in the loop regarding information they would normally glean from their fellow workers.
• Be consistent – be consistent in everything you do, including adhering to the same days and times for meetings, one-on-ones and other team activities.
• Hold regular meetings – try and have a one-on-one with every team member every day by video link and a team meeting at least once a week.
• Manage expectations - clearly explain each member’s tasks and the reasons behind them so that everyone understands how you will be measuring their success.
• Focus on outcomes – rather than focusing on hours worked, measure success by the results they achieve both individually and as a team.
• Respect work hours - just because they’re working from home doesn’t mean you have 24/7 access to your team. Respect their privacy outside of work hours.

Other things to get right

As well as providing clear working guidelines for your WFH team, you also have a responsibility as their manager to ensure your team receives support in other ways.

Because they are relying on technology to work remotely, you should ensure they have the best tools available, including the best hardware, software and Internet connectivity.

In particular, strong mobile connectivity for a remote workforce is essential. With the 5G network being rolled out across Australia, it’s common for businesses to presume that this is the ideal solution, however while it has a number of benefits it’s still early days for the network and so a redundancy solution (4G or mobile broadband) should be provided as well.

You should also make every effort to support your team’s emotional wellbeing by providing opportunities for social interaction. This could include setting aside a few minutes before Zoom meetings for catching up on a personal level. Or having a virtual office party where each person is sent a party pack to open together during the meeting.

Even just asking someone how they are coping with working remotely can bring to light stresses or concerns that you might not know about otherwise. The important thing is to ask the question and then do your best to remedy the problem once you are aware of it.

Leading by example and regularly affirming your confidence in your team are also good ways to show your support and keep everyone focused. As is celebrating individual efforts and team wins at every opportunity.

With the pandemic now dragging on into its second year, working remotely is becoming par for the course for many organizations. And knowing how to effectively manage from a distance is becoming a must-have in every team manager’s skill set.

If you’re used to being there for your team more in a physical than emotional sense, you may be finding it difficult to maintain productivity and morale from afar. If so then some of the advice offered here will hopefully help to bring you and your WFH team together on the same (virtual) page.