How to manage a remote team?

Since the health crisis in 2020 and the successive lockdowns, teleworking or “remote” has become widespread and is now an integral part of employees’ habits.

The advantages of teleworking are numerous. Indeed, it improves the quality of life of employees (more comfort, less commuting time, less stress, etc.), which boosts their motivation and productivity.

Today, many employees say they are ready to turn down a job offer if it doesn't include the possibility of working remotely. With remote work becoming a key asset of employer branding, companies must now adapt to this new reality. 

This increasingly common practice raises questions about the best methods for managing remotely.

How to manage your team remotely? How to enable everyone to benefit from the advantages of remote work without affecting team productivity

Marvin helps you find the best solutions to manage your team remotely in a supportive environment.

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The many challenges of remote management

To better understand how to adapt your management to remote work, and develop your management style and leadership in all circumstances, Marvin helps you identify the main management difficulties related to the implementation of teleworking and its generalization.

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Communication 

Communication plays a vital role in a team's functioning and productivity . Indeed, for employees to truly work as a team, especially remotely, communication is often the key.

Good communication allows managers to better understand their expectations of their employees and to better distribute tasks and missions within the team.

Transparent communication also makes it easier to identify any potential points of friction that could disrupt the team's work and to implement the necessary actions in a timely manner.

When the team is working remotely, communication is hampered : while in the office it is easy to speak spontaneously to a colleague (in an open space, during a break, etc.), remote work involves sending an instant message, making a call or sending an email.

Sending even the smallest message via email or instant messaging can also lead to misunderstandings and misinterpretations. A message intended to be direct for greater efficiency can be perceived as cold or authoritarian, whereas non-verbal communication in person eliminates this risk.

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The coordination 

When working remotely, work rhythms and schedules may vary compared to a traditional workday in the office.

Indeed, if your employees do not have a commute, they may prefer to start their workday earlier in order to finish earlier.

Working remotely also allows for a better work-life balance , which can lead to a more fragmented workday. At times, some of your remote employees may also be in a different time zone.

Having the entire team working in person allows for better coordination of work time and facilitates impromptu meetings and other ad hoc discussions. From this perspective, and if not effectively managed, remote work risks disrupting a well-oiled machine and therefore requires a rethinking of team management.

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Trust 

Like communication, trust is essential for quality management and good interpersonal relationships within a team. However, it can be undermined by remote work.

On the one hand, for fear that his team will take advantage of teleworking to work less and do domestic tasks, the manager may be tempted to put in place stricter control of working time, or even to check the activities of his employees.

Using patronizing management methods will have the detrimental effect of deteriorating the quality of the working relationship and wasting a lot of the manager's time.

From the employee's perspective, messages received from the manager can be misunderstood or misinterpreted. They can create the impression of a lack of trust and thus contribute to a deterioration of the working relationship .

Although these scenarios may seem like caricatures, they accurately represent how trust between a manager and their team members can be damaged by poor management of remote work.

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Productivity 

In the long term, all the difficulties mentioned above can affect the team's productivity and its ability to deliver quality and coordinated work over time.

While we must avoid falling into the trap of clichés about teleworking , we must still ensure that it does not put too much strain on the productivity of the team and of each individual.

To meet these management challenges imposed by the evolution of our working methods, a manager today must develop new skills to adapt to an evolving world of work.

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What are the key skills for managing a remote team?

As you've probably gathered, to be a good manager both in the office and remotely, you need to overcome the challenges associated with working from home. Here's an overview of the skills you need to acquire to manage effectively remotely .

• Communication skills : To avoid misunderstandings or potential tensions arising from a poorly received message, it is essential to adapt your communication to the remote work context. Effective remote communication also allows you to communicate clear and precise expectations and objectives to each of your employees.
  
  
• Organizational skills : To coordinate team work and various meetings remotely, an effective manager must possess enhanced organizational and planning skills . When working remotely, it's also necessary to adapt to the increasing demands for flexibility from employees.
  
  

• Technological skills : numerous innovative tools and software programs significantly facilitate remote teamwork (Slack for instant messaging, Notion for managing teamwork, Airtable for database management, etc.). Innovations in this area are plentiful, but knowing how to leverage them remains a challenge.

To recruit effectively remotely, you need the right technological tools . To help you recruit the best candidates, using a collaborative Applicant Tracking System (ATS), such as Marvin Recruiter, is essential.

• Interpersonal skills : maintaining a positive atmosphere and team spirit is essential for quality of work life and retaining your talent. If remote work is common in your team, it's important to maintain friendly and informal spaces for interaction . It's also crucial to be able to identify and resolve misunderstandings related to digital communication.

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Some best practices for smooth remote management 

Establish clear expectations 

To avoid misunderstandings and wasted time, effective remote management involves setting clear and precise expectations . A good practice is to ensure that the manager and employee are aligned on the objectives set, for example, after a video call.

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Communicate regularly and effectively  

One of the risks of remote work is that you tend to interact less with colleagues and managers than when working in the office. To address this, you can establish regular and effective communication times to discuss specific points and ensure that a project is progressing smoothly.

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Use the right collaboration tools 

Software, instant messaging, shared workspaces: there are many tools to facilitate remote management . Take the time to identify your needs and the best tools to meet them; you will subsequently become more efficient.

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Demonstrate flexibility 

One of the advantages of remote work is the ability to more easily balance professional and personal tasks , and employees often request greater flexibility . As a manager, you must therefore adapt to the modified schedules and fragmented rhythm of remote work, as well as the new expectations of your team members.

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Fostering trust and commitment  

To foster a climate of trust, don't hesitate to be transparent with your teams. Remember to regularly reaffirm your trust. To ensure a pleasant work environment and re-engage employees in their tasks, try to maintain spaces for informal discussions and allow them to step back from their work from time to time.

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Conclusion

Effective remote management requires developing real skills. With Marvin's Applicant Tracking System (ATS), recruit the most qualified candidates to manage a remote team.

Our intelligent recruitment solution allows you to source profiles directly on LinkedIn, then centralize all potential candidates on a single interface and filter profiles according to your requirements. With Marvin, simplify your life and streamline your recruitment process . Contact us today to request a demo.

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