Your Employee and Family Assistance Program is a support service that can help you take the first step toward change.
 

Managing remote employees

Managing remote employeesThe way we work is changing radically. An increasingly global marketplace, shrinking operational budgets, technological advances and demographic shifts mean more and more remote or virtual business teams. It’s projected that within a few years more than 1.3 billion people worldwide will work remotely.

Virtual work has advantages for both employers and employees. Organizations can hire top talent across the country or world without having to pay for office space, relocation or frequent travel. Employees also save on expenses, have access to national and international job opportunities, live where they choose and if they work from home, can adjust their work schedule to enjoy a better work-life balance.

Challenges of managing remote teams

While virtual teams offer tremendous business advantages, they can also present challenges to managers. Some of the most common challenges are:

Making the most of remote teams

Leading virtual and/or dispersed teams does present challenges for managers but there are some techniques and tips to help ensure productivity, unity and engagement. For example:

1. Set expectations

To ensure virtual employees are completing their work on target, managers need to:

2. Communicate, communicate, communicate

Lack of communication, especially among remote teams, can not only amplify problems but completely derail projects. Try to:

Building strong virtual teams

Team building initiatives are important in building rapport, improving communication, promoting creativity, breaking down barriers to productivity and enhancing morale and engagement. Sixty-five percent of remote employees report that they have never had a team building session.

While it’s often impossible when some, or most, of your team are in different locations that doesn’t mean everyone is unable to participate in team building activities. Just as technology made virtual teams possible, so it can be used to create a fun, inclusive and collaborative work environment. For example:

A little creativity makes managing and motivating virtual teams less of a challenge and makes be part of virtual teams for enjoyable. For more information and great ideas about working remotely, contact your Employee and Family Assistance Program.

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