The coronavirus has upended countless workforces around the world, forcing many teams to adapt to remote work in order to maintain business operations. That being said, even six or seven months into the pandemic, it is still a challenge to deal with leading a team and handling the daily struggles associated with the isolating forces of the pandemic. It seems like just as businesses are adapting to COVID-19, their employees and customers are shifting their needs. Here are five essential tips for effectively managing a remote team that can ground you during this unprecedented time.
1. Give your team access to the cloud-based tools they need
Part of ensuring that your team will be productive working at home or in the office is giving them the tools they need to do their jobs. Thankfully, many technologies have migrated to the cloud, meaning that they can be accessed anywhere as long as your employee has access to the internet. That being said, whether you’ve got employees working with Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure, not every user needs access to the same tools. This is where something like Turbot can be incredibly helpful.
Turbot offers guardrails and governance to help you manage your company’s cloud users. From handling the management of credentials to defining and implementing user permissions across multiple accounts, Turbot makes it easier than ever for large enterprises to manage their remote workforce and the tools they have access to. This not only helps you delegate control but can also help you protect your resources and data, adding a layer of security to your remote workforce. Whether you are managing a team at a large corporation or a smaller startup, using Turbot will help streamline things and make sure that each team member has the access they need to meet your company’s goals.
2. Align your staff to the same goals
Project management becomes even more important when you’re dealing with a remote workforce. Since you don’t see each other in person as often, it’s crucial that everyone is on the same page about what the major priorities of your business are each week. This is where the OKR methodology can help you define your strategic priorities. OKR software helps you clearly define your objectives and convey which key results need to happen in order to achieve that objective so that everyone on your team can work in alignment with your main strategic plan.
Workboard OKR software is just one of many options for tracking your OKR progress and getting real-time data about how you’re progressing each quarter. It’s also worth noting that Workboard’s OKR platform also makes performance reviews much easier since employees understand their own accountability in regards to how certain objectives are reached. When it comes to goal setting during a pandemic, having clear metrics and goals can be a lifesaver for your productivity.
3. Be understanding of workers navigating a new normal
Just because your employees are working from home doesn’t mean that their domestic responsibilities magically disappear. Because of the pandemic, many parents are also having to help their children with e-learning or are dealing with other home maintenance projects during the workday, too. Being understanding of employees who are juggling multiple responsibilities is going to go a long way when it comes to helping your staff stay focused and avoid burnout.
4. Don’t overload employees with meetings
Part of giving your employees time to succeed while working from home is keeping their schedules free of unnecessary meetings. Since you’re not in person, you might be tempted to schedule frequent video conferences in order to feel like your staff is connected. However, not only can that strategy backfire by eating into your staff’s work time, but it can also cause Zoom fatigue, making it more challenging for workers to perform their job responsibilities.
5. Ensure your staff has the resources they need
Resources go beyond technology when your employees need to outfit their homes to be offices, too. Whether it’s offering to help them buy a desk or getting them a lumbar support cushion for sitting at their kitchen table, these sorts of resources go a long way in boosting staff morale in the middle of a pandemic.
