Remote Workers are no Less Team Members

Just because remote workers are geographically remote it doesn’t make them any less part of your team and you don’t need a totally new skill set to manage them. Managing employees in different time zones presents its own challenges but these employees are still working towards the same organisational goals and vision as those in head office.

As a manager it is vital to set expectations and rules of how interactions will take place, but when it comes down to it, you don’t need to treat remote workers in a fundamentally different way. You will need to establish clear lines of accountability from the outset, set standards, monthly, quarterly and yearly performance goals, as well as challenging targets to keep employees focussed and enthused.

Remote workers want to feel part of the team and you should regularly check in on progress and review targets in the same way as you would with someone in the next office. Remote workers will feel less remote if they know that there is no inequality, that they are being treated in the same way as everyone else in your team and that you are applying the same metrics to their performance, but above all you are there for them to manage them and provide support wherever they may be.

More and more managers are finding that they are managing team members who are geographically remote. Our In House Leading Remote Teams course will help managers to:

Build a team identity and clear sense of purpose for the remote team
Endorse and encourage effective remote team behaviour
Use communication tools for effective remote collaboration
Manage the team and individuals’ work at a distance.