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?
No, we don’t have any directives for this as we operate on a largely asynchronous basis – people are used to working with or needing…
I receive weekly formal reports from all my consultants and I have a minimum of one conference call per week with each of my staff.…
We treat Slack like our “office” – when you’re working, you’re logged in, and when you’re not, you’re not. We don’t have time-based response rules,…
Do you organize remote team retreats?
We don’t organise retreats, but we do have a ‘visit Melbourne’ subsidy where we reimburse remote workers $1,000 if they wish to visit Melbourne and…
Our best teachers are invited to an all-expenses paid trip to Shanghai every year! This is the best way to allow the teachers to experience…
Yes! The events count as one form, and they love to meet up for potlucks and meet and greets. We’ve also sponsored two successful trips for…
Do your remote team members meet in person?
Our Remote Team members have an opportunity each year to meet physically together once a year at a Haus. Haus is a Remote Year term…
We try to get everyone into our New York office at least once a year for a holiday party. Folks who live close often meet…
We get together every three months for three to seven days, changing the location almost every time. While there are things that can’t be postponed,…
How do you measure the productivity of remote workers?
Productivity is easily measured by the output each day. Our platform provides metrics which will show the productivity of individuals and the company. We also…
In many cases, it is activity in Slack, commits to source control, responses to clients, etc. It’s challenging, but from experience of working in traditional…
We have a host of metrics that we ingest from several sources and make visible to our team using a Periscope Data dashboard. Each team…
What elements are key to successful working relationships with remote teams?
Communication is key. I’ve found in a remote environment people actually work harder at communicating because they have to. Especially if you’re dealing with an…
Communicate, communicate, communicate. And when you are done with that, follow up with good communication! You have to be able to express yourself well on…
I would say that the number one key success factor has been to focus on OVER communicating. Since we don’t see each other at the…
What is the hardest part about managing a remote workforce?
I think communication is the hardest part. We don’t have the power to walk into someone’s office and ask for an update or motivate. However…
The hardest thing is just making sure to stay in touch with everyone and make sure everyone knows that they are part of the team…
Our team members span the globe, from Mexico to South Carolina, from California to Indonesia. Our biggest challenge is accommodating the different time zones and…
How do you keep remote employees engaged and feeling part of the bigger picture?
It’s really all about creating intentional communication to ensure everyone is “in the loop.” We also have a Director of Employee Happiness whose job it…
We invite them on a trip and do fun things together! We also have online events such as “best teaching moments,” contests, etc. to keep…
We’ve evolved a lot on this one. It started as a quarterly Google Hangout where everyone got together to watch a presentation on progress made…
What is your BYOD policy for remote workers?
As a company we have internal policies that helps us to have key security measures that protects us from any liability concerns that possibly could…
Pretty standard. If you need a tool to do your job right, we want you to have it. We aim to service people with what…
All our team members are welcome to use their own laptops and phones. There are some cases where we provide additional equipment that belongs to…
What is your time off policy for remote workers?
Employees start with two weeks of paid vacation. We also accommodate employees with school age children by letting them take extra unpaid time off over…
Aha! currently offers 15 days of paid time off to all teammates in their first year and 20 days in the following years, as well…
As a mom friendly organization we have a generous time off policy that includes paid sick days and paid family leave.
What were your biggest fears in managing remote workers?
I think my biggest fears are when we lose touch with someone. Every once in a while, someone will just “disappear” – they don’t answer…
We very naively started all being remote, so there were no fears. Here’s a challenge that surprised me: on the same day, I had a…
My biggest fear is having a team member that is not dedicated and pulling their own weight. This is harder to identify when not working…