Managing Remotely
140 companies answer 6 questions
Managing a remote or distributed team successfully requires good support, planning, and communication. Whether deciding if and how to get the team to meet in person or defining the line between vacation and flexible work, the management of a remote team has differences from managing traditional on-site teams. In our Managing Remotely section we ask top remote companies how they keep their teams running smoothly from thousands of miles away.
Do you have remote communication protocols for your remote workers?
Ha, no. This sounds terrible. Where is the trust?
Within a global team, expectations are much closer to a 24-hour response time to chat-based communications, and meetings are scheduled well in advance and coordinated…
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We have general guidelines for communication and signaling within our distributed team, but we anchor a lot of communication around daily and weekly synchronous rhythms,…
Do you organize remote team retreats?
We meetup as an entire team at least twice per year. We call them JarFests. We work hard to plan them in a fun city…
No we have not organized retreats and it is likely that we would not do so for at least another year. This partly is explained…
Yes. We find one place that can host us all. Make sure it’s not in a city, you want everyone to be huddled up together…
Do your remote team members meet in person?
Minimum twice a year for summer and Christmas Event
We meet with our core team in person twice a year. It is somewhat of a retreat in that we work, and strategize but we…
For team members who work close to one another or in the same city, we usually meet up about once a week. When we bring…
How do you measure the productivity of remote workers?
As a fully remote company, we’re results-oriented by necessity. We’ve identified key metrics for most of our team that allow us to see results, and…
Strictly speaking, we measure it in their output. What’s most important to us is that the work needed is getting done, and that our team…
We’ve experimented with OKRs and Squads but they haven’t worked or us. Ultimately, we created our own hybrid of the two systems – goals and…
What elements are key to successful working relationships with remote teams?
Creating patterns around internal communication, being intentional with scheduling connection and investing in retreats and in-person time.
It really isn’t that different than in a traditional office environment. Employees that know expectations and plans, have access to the tools and resources they…
As Skillcrush continues to grow, we make it a priority to stay connected with each other and dedicate time to all of the team-building activities…
What is the hardest part about managing a remote workforce?
Communication – without a doubt. Since the “water cooler” talk isn’t possible, we provide a wide variety of channels and tools for staff to communicate.…
Working with less experienced people, communicating properly online with other team members, following company policy and standards, understanding goals and vision, nurturing motivation outside of…
I do not find it difficult. But you have to pay more attention to how you communicate. People don’t often see your face and therefore…
How do you keep remote employees engaged and feeling part of the bigger picture?
Keeping remote employees engaged is definitely a challenge. You need to make an effort to check in with co-workers and learn about their lives and…
We have different means to make sure our company members feel part of the bigger picture. Everyone is involved in quarterly meetings where we update…
Most importantly, we have a mission that everyone believes in and is working towards. Each quarter, we set a “theme” for the company that everyone…
What is your BYOD policy for remote workers?
All gig workers are required to supply their own equipment as a business owner.
We don’t really have a formal policy. Most people use their own devices, but we make sure people have what they need. Everyone is free…
Everyone gets the latest device they need to be as successful in their work as possible, along with any device needed to perform their job…
What is your time off policy for remote workers?
We have a few set major holidays as company holidays and instead give more PTO days for team members to use as they please. Funnily…
We’re very loose with time off and people don’t take advantage. We don’t have a formal sick-days policy either—so you can call it unlimited. It’s…
Mokriya has a flexible vacation policy. Meaning we don’t measure vacation time. We grant each team member the trust to take time off when they…
What were your biggest fears in managing remote workers?
My biggest fear is that I do not always know what employees feel. When I make an update, what do they think? Sure, they give…
We heard some small commentary from traditionalists when we started the company as a virtual company, wondering how we could manage remote workers effectively when…
Our biggest fear was that if we weren’t sitting right next to employees, it would be hard to ensure they are executing at the level…
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