The Difficulties and Opportunities of Managing a Remote Team

Working from home has eased since it spiked during the pandemic lockdowns, but remains significantly more common today than before 2020. For employers, remote teams hold a lot of promise, empowering them to create a dream collection of talented workers without any geographic boundaries. For employees, the advantages of working remotely include more freedom to live anywhere they want and the flexibility to work on their own terms, resulting in a healthier work-life balance.

At least, that’s the goal. But in reality, many companies have met a number of challenges as they shift to a hybrid or remote model. Some companies are concerned about a drop in productivity, and some struggle to foster a welcoming company culture.

Challenges Faced by Remote Teams

That said, many companies intend to persevere with remote work regardless of the obstacles they face, in order to better compete in today’s globalized society and build up more diverse and talented teams. Managing a remote team might bring new problems, but by addressing these effectively, business leaders can take advantage of the myriad opportunities remote work has to offer.

• Communication

Coordinating remote team members can be a major struggle as 45.8% of remote managers cite lack of communication as their biggest hassle. Strained communication often leads to slower work progress, longer times to train new hires, an increased risk of burnout among team members, and a feeling of isolation.

• Scheduling

The lack of overlap between shifts of employees across different time zones makes it difficult for managers to create any semblance of a shared schedule. This makes it hard for them to keep tabs on all team members, leading to uncertainty about whether employees are performing their assigned tasks and meeting deadlines.

• Company Culture

There are big benefits to having a diverse team, with inclusive workforces found to perform up to 35% better than competitors. However, it can be tricky for managers to create a sense of unity and cooperation for remote teams. Such obstacles as language and cultural differences, and religious beliefs, can impact the way in which team members interact and lead to an unstable company culture.

The Best Ways To Overcome Them

• Set Guidelines

Remote managers need to foster a culture of communication throughout their teams, providing regular updates and holding frequent one-on-one calls with everyone on their team. If employees sense that their manager is a good communicator, they’re more likely to follow his or her example.

Managers must be explicit about their expectations for team communication, such as encouraging team members to use video calls as much as possible, instead of sending messages and emails back and forth. Face-to-face communication can help workers get a sense of one another’s character by picking up on non-verbal clues and body language. Managers can also encourage employees who work in the same city to get together in person every now and again.

• Create a Common Schedule

Though multiple time zones make scheduling difficult, they are also an asset, ensuring that the company is active around the clock. This is especially beneficial to customer-facing businesses that need to serve their users around the world. Cryptocurrency exchange Binance was one of the first companies to establish a remote-first policy, even before it became normalized in 2020. CTO Rohit Wad said in an interview that “at Binance, time zones are viewed as an advantage, rather than an obstacle that hinders effective work.”

• Encourage Participation

Just as with communication, developing a warm company culture starts at the top, with the way managers interact with their team members.

One important step is to increase transparency. Managers should organize regular team, department, and even company-wide meetings to provide progress updates and goals. They should also set up “town halls,” where everyone can raise issues, ask questions, and make sure their voice is heard. Smaller organizations especially should think about creating a virtual open-door policy that allows employees to communicate with everyone at the company, including the CEO.

Turning Obstacles Into Strengths

One of the biggest advantages for remote teams is that they can hire anyone, anywhere, which can result in a more diverse workforce and an engine for new ideas and fresh perspectives. Binance’s Wad said his company’s remote-first strategy is a big advantage for attracting new talent: “It provides increased flexibility, time savings, and a better work-life balance. However, one advantage that isn’t discussed enough is that location independence enables equality of opportunities.”

While some might suspect that remote workers are not as productive as those who visit the office every day, studies have shown that they are actually 47% more productive; the freedom and flexibility that comes with determining your own schedule can actually increase efficiency. Wad supported that notion by saying that at Binance, employees’ control over their own schedules “promotes high accountability and a culture of ownership at every level.”

Remote Work Is Here To Stay

Companies must meet employee expectations as57% of workers say they would look for a new job if their current company stopped allowing remote work, stressing the value they place on their own flexibility and autonomy.

Navigating a remote team can be disconcerting for some, and it presents challenges when proper practices are not established. By fostering a culture of communication, setting clear guidelines and expectations, and encouraging employee participation and accountability, managers can overcome the difficulties of remote working and turn these into opportunities for growth.