How to Increase the Productivity of Your Remote Team
Working with a remote team is a smart choice for savvy entrepreneurs. When you hire remote employees, you do not have to pay for a larger office or extra overhead costs. More importantly, you provide employees with the flexibility and convenience of working from home, which can make them more productive.
While there are many benefits associated with remote teams, there are also unique challenges. By addressing these issues, you can make sure your remote workers are as effective as possible. If you want to boost your company’s productivity, the following tips can help.
Invest in Management Software
Whether you need support with project management or accounting, the right software programs can help. Today, there are software programs that help with time management, communication, and workflow issues.
Programs like Wrike and Teamweek help you delegate tasks, track progress, and manage multiple projects. Some, like Wrike, have a free or premium version, so make sure you look into the different Wrike pricing models available. Because these programs are offered online, team members can use them from any location in the world that has an internet connection.
Create Quarterly Goals
Employee development is important for workplaces of all sizes and types. Your remote workforce needs on-the-job training and continuing education just like your in-person staff members do.
One of the ways you can encourage your team members to learn new things is by setting goals. Quarterly goals help promote accountability among your team members. They also help remote workers follow a consistent schedule for achieving a set deadline.
Work with your team members to set reasonable, achievable goals. Instead of setting a major deadline and hoping for the best, break up big objectives into smaller milestones.
Use online platforms or software programs to track employees’ progress toward their goals. If someone begins to fall behind, follow up with them before it becomes a major issue.
Have Video Conferences
From time to time, it is important to reach out to your remote workers and have an actual conversation. While messaging platforms can help, a text or email is not always enough. With a video conference, you can communicate directly to your employees and get a feel for the worker.
Video conferences are ideal for onboarding and interviews because they allow you to see if the worker is a good fit for your team or company culture. In addition, regular video conferences can also help your team bond with each other.
Instead of feeling like they are finishing off a to-do list at home, your workers will feel like they are actually working together as a part of something bigger than themselves.
Respect Their Time Zone
When you hire a new worker, you should consider the time zone they are in. If you live in Estonia, a worker in California will be asleep for all of your normal business hours.
While a night owl or early bird could still achieve some overlap with your work schedule, it is not fair to expect every worker to do this. Because of this, you should be cautious about hiring a worker with a totally different time zone if you plan on talking to them during business hours.
If you can communicate through just messages and do not need immediate responses, you can hire a worker from anywhere in the world. You should respect your worker’s time zone as much as possible.
When you onboard a new employee, ask them about what hours of the day they will be available. Then, limit your emails and calls to only those hours. No one wants to be stuck working after their day has already finished, so avoid badgering your employees outside of their normal work hours.
Invest in Team Building
Unfortunately, many bosses forget about the importance of team building when they hire remote workers. Even though you cannot actually see or talk to these people in person, you still need to make them a part of your team.
Team building helps encourage your employees to achieve more and work harder on shared goals. It inspires your employees to become more productive so they can support the goals of the team.
To start team building, try using group calls or in-person meetings. If you provide employee wellness options like Fitbits, you can offer fitness challenges for each team to take part in.
By involving your remote workers and making them a part of your team, you increase their productivity and boost your retention rate.
Offer Incentives and Rewards
Another way to boost the productivity of your remote team is through rewards and other incentives. You can offer gift cards, vacation time, or other options as a reward for achieving certain goals.
For remote teams, gift cards and vacation time are two of the best choices. Depending on your company, you may also offer wellness options like gym memberships, cooking classes, sports equipment, or massages.
When you give employees an incentive, it inspires them to work harder so they can achieve a certain goal. Incentives are also great for building team spirit. If you have multiple teams working on similar goals, you can get the teams to compete against each other.
This encourages everyone to work harder while also enhancing team bonding. In addition, these rewards also show your employees how much you appreciate their hard work.
Give Feedback
Learning how to offer feedback in a positive way can be challenging, but it is an important tool for every manager to have. Feedback helps your employees learn how to improve their methods and skills.
Most workers want to develop their skills and advance in their careers. The only way they can do this is by learning new ways to improve. If you do not give your employees useful feedback, you are hindering their career progress and personal growth.
Don’t Neglect Your Remote Team
From rewarding employees for putting in extra effort to using management software, there are a number of ways you can improve the productivity of your remote workers.
While you may not be able to see your employees all of the time, they are still an integral part of your company’s success. Adopting these tips will help you boost your productivity and encourage a sense of team spirit among your remote workers.
