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?
We do have guidelines, and they apply for everyone, including leadership. For example, if something isn’t urgent, we strongly encourage emails in place of chat—especially…
We expect people to be online during their scheduled workday. If they’re not going to be around or stepping out for whatever reason we ask…
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?
Yes we sure do! Jungle Camps twice yearly. It is a great way to meet, work, and grow together. It is also a time when…
Once a year we converge on a tropical location for our annual company retreat. (You can find a recap of our 2016 team trip here.)…
Yes – see my blog where I wrote the definitive guide to planning an offsite.
Do your remote team members meet in person?
Yes, we aim for once a year meetings in person.
Every department is different, but for the most part, yes. The marketing team has what we call a ‘marketing summit.’ Every quarter, we get together…
We are proponents of team projects so no one person is out there working on their own. With onsite Customer engagements, we’re afforded great opportunities…
How do you measure the productivity of remote workers?
We’re an Agile organization, so self-examination is built into our workflow very naturally. We set goals, then examine and measure progress, output at regular, discrete…
We’re lucky to be in the development industry where there is a plethora of tools one can use for tracking, such as project management tools…
Since almost all of our communication is through writing, it’s easy to see who is making progress on their goals through updates on the P2s,…
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…
Communication, community, and transparency. Without those three things, your relationships with remote workers will fail.
Open and frequent communication: It is so important to over-communicate and follow up with team members afterwards to ensure the message was perceived as intended…
What is the hardest part about managing a remote workforce?
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…
Managing outgoing sales efforts.
The hardest part of management is keeping everyone on the same page. As I mentioned above, we try to do this weekly, monthly, and quarterly.…
How do you keep remote employees engaged and feeling part of the bigger picture?
We connect virtual assistants (VAs) with other VAs to provide training, integrate VAs in team environments, offer performance feedback, monitor workload and availability to take…
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…
It’s very important for new team members to feel connected to their coworkers, so a new hire buddy is always assigned to them from the…
What is your BYOD policy for remote workers?
This varies based on roles. For our customer consultants, they need to provide their own high speed Internet service, headset, and a personal computer for…
Our remote workers must have all of their own equipment to qualify for the work-from-home CSP position. They must have a computer with a webcam…
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…
What is your time off policy for remote workers?
We ask that everyone let their team members know about any planned time off with as much advance notice as possible. There’s not limit, but…
Unlimited. Take what you need – we don’t count your sick or vacation days.
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…
What were your biggest fears in managing remote workers?
My biggest fears were around not being able to manage work output, and not having clarity into someone’s projects. For the first 6 months this…
There is always fear that collaboration is based on face to face contact but it turns out it is not! People can work on things…
My biggest concern is worrying about the happiness of our team members. It’s easy to tell how someone is feeling in person. Fortunately, we haven’t…