Are You Doing Enough to Support Remote Employees? 7 Top Tips for Managers

You may be doing well, but are you doing enough to support your remote employees? Whether you feel like you are or aren’t, these seven tips can help you lead your remote team effectively.

1. Set clear goals and expectations

Because remote teams work in different places, at different times, and in different ways, it’s essential to have a “bottom-line,” so to speak, when it comes to project goals and expectations. The more direction you can give your remote employees, the better.

Each employee should have a clear understanding of roles and responsibilities in every project. In addition, project outlines and expectations are a must. Detail who is involved in each project and what their tasks are. Attach measurable goals to each project, and share communication expectations.

2. Ensure collaboration comes first

Your remote team won’t ever be as brilliant as it can be without an intense focus on collaboration. Unfortunately, you can’t call everyone into a physical conference room for a quick brainstorming session or post-project evaluation.

So, you must be intentional about scheduling collaboration meetings with your team. Set aside time for weekly brainstorming sessions. Have your team join forces at specific checkpoints throughout each project to discuss how things are going.

Also, implement tech tools like video-conferencing software, project management tools, messaging apps, and cloud storage to ensure your team seamlessly communicates and works together.

3. Recognize and celebrate your employees

Unfortunately, there are so many remote workers out there that feel disposable. Their managers don’t celebrate, let alone acknowledge their accomplishments. They’re also often left out of team events and activities.

Genuinely recognizing your remote employees can make a world of difference for them. When you let them know they’re doing a fantastic job regularly, they’re more likely to be happy and productive.

So, recognize and celebrate your remote employees by:

• Hosting special events for them
• Sending them handmade or hand-picked gifts
• Ensuring you celebrate every milestone with them
• Inviting each employee to every team building event or activity
• Taking time in each meeting to recognize each remote employee’s contributions

4. Support professional development

Remote employees are interested in professional development, just like in-office employees. Investing in the professional development of your remote employees shows them you’re genuinely interested in their growth. It also helps bring more experience and expertise to your company’s efforts.

You can offer your remote employees various professional development opportunities. For example, you can provide additional email marketing or copywriting training to your marketing team. Or additional sales training to your sales team.

5. Create a trusting atmosphere

Micromanaging your remote team is a mistake.

Demanding employees to be available during certain hours, forcing daily meetings, and constantly questioning what they’re doing can cause them to feel like you don’t believe in their ability to get the job done. And that, in turn, decreases their effort and enthusiasm.

Instead of digitally hovering over your remote team’s shoulder, create an atmosphere of trust. Focus on outcomes rather than how each employee gets to that outcome. Give them the freedom to choose when, where, and how they work.

6. Get to know each employee personally 

Creating great relationships with your employees seems to happen naturally in an in-office environment. You see them every day, can drop by their desks at will, and your employees can take advantage of an open-door policy with management.

But it takes a bit more work to get to know each remote employee personally. Still, it’s integral.

Set aside time each month to have a one-on-one meeting with each remote employee just to chat. Check-in with how they’re feeling at work. Find out more about their passions and family life. Really make an effort to open up two-way communication and connection. 

7. Keep evolving

A wholly supported remote team requires managers to be ready to pivot.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with how you support your remote team. Their needs will change, so it’s essential to always keep your finger on the pulse of your team. Doing so will enable you to make necessary adjustments to the technology you use, your team’s workflow, your management style, and other support structures.

Ultimately, if you want your remote team to get better over time, your support of them must evolve too.

Final thoughts

It’s vital to assess whether you’re doing enough to support your remote employees. Without sufficient support, their productivity, enthusiasm, and performance will suffer. And so will the success of your company in general. To ensure you’re effectively managing and supporting your remote team, implement the tips above.