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?
As with an office based role, remote workers are required to be available during the working day. Generally most managers will establish the norms, as…
We do have set parameters that we ask people to follow. The more numbers you put around what people should be doing the better. Clear…
No, we don’t have any rules or communication norms. Certain teams like to do regular calls while others do not. Personally, I dislike scheduled meetings…
Do you organize remote team retreats?
For a remote team, the main focus is actually just to spend time together face-to-face, so plan everything around that. We find a yearly all-team…
We meet once a year and vote for the location that most people want to do. So far, we’ve been to Barcelona, Bulgaria, the Philippines,…
Yes we do, and they are awesome. My tip would be to keep the work content to a minimum. A brief session on how the…
Do your remote team members meet in person?
Minimum twice a year for summer and Christmas Event
Yes, whenever we can. Typically 3-5 times a year.
Not yet. Skype and Google hangouts are what we use.
How do you measure the productivity of remote workers?
It’s not a perfect science; we have had situations where employees were “skating” for a month or so and we did not notice. But, eventually…
We work with project management tools and have set goals and KPIs. We rely on Asana, a project management tool, to keep track of projects…
We are not actively measuring the productivity of our workers, but if someone is being lazy or not concentrated, we will recognize it and have a…
What elements are key to successful working relationships with remote teams?
Actually having one. A relationship doesn’t mean reading standups in a Slack channel. You have to put in the work to meet regularly with each…
Keeping them engaged through regular communication is most important. They should also have a clear expectation of their role and how vitally important it is…
Having very clear guidelines about exactly how to do the work. Documentation—especially training videos and reminder emails—are crucial.
What is the hardest part about managing a remote workforce?
Balancing socializing in a virtual workspace with not working in a silo. When working remotely, it’s so easy to either block out everything and become…
Sometimes remote workers just don’t have that much time for your company. They may have multiple clients, be traveling the world (you never know with…
I’ve only ever managed a remote workforce, so I don’t know whether the challenges are specific to a remote workforce, but velocity of work, building…
How do you keep remote employees engaged and feeling part of the bigger picture?
Our leaders are continual learners in what good leadership truly is. Ultimately, we keep ourselves moored in our mission, the continual development of a warm…
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…
We are in constant communication with members of our team using online communication tools, and it’s very easy to work together and collaborate toward a…
What is your BYOD policy for remote workers?
Everyone does BYOD, mostly because everyone has different preferences and environments that make them most effective, but we will sponsor apps at times.
We provide devices and tools for everyone but all our work lives in the cloud. This makes it easy to provision new or additional devices.…
We supply everyone a laptop, which they must use for their day-to-day work. Phones and tablets are personal and must be password-protected if they are…
What is your time off policy for remote workers?
We have “unlimited time off” for our salary workers. Our rule of thumb is if you’re wondering if you’re taking too much time off, then…
We offer time-off to our employees with 24-hour notice. We’re an incredibly collaborative and connected team, so this is important mostly to give your co-workers…
We have an unlimited paid time off policy. As long as people coordinate any leave they take with their teams to make sure the schedule…
What were your biggest fears in managing remote workers?
It can be difficult to connect with co-workers on a personal level when you’re rarely face-to-face. Those personal interactions while waiting for the coffee pot…
Not being able to meet some people in person means we have to rely more on references and our gut to gauge a potential hire.…
That it would be harder than it actually is. In fact, the management problems are the same regardless of location.