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 don’t have a specific policy for how soon or how often things need to be communicated. I’d say the Golden Rule applies here and…
We have a strict 4-hour working overlap with the whole team where all our interactions, meetings and catch-ups happen. We have a daily standup with…
We don’t set communication rules for the team, but we rely on a collaborative approach to accomplish the company’s goals. Rarely is one team member…
Do you organize remote team retreats?
Here are some tips: 1) Retreats should be easily accessible (closer to the airport) 2) Consider having the whole team living under one roof through…
I’d say that it’s important to organize the retreats with time in advance to make sure the team works smartly together (discuss ideas and works…
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?
Yes we have regular company retreats because we understand that nothing beats face-to-face contact for getting to know people and helping to build trust and…
Yes, we try to meet once or twice per year. Usually we do it in smaller groups as it’s hard to get everyone together since…
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 look at a lot of different metrics – from crude things like time (it’s remarkably easy to see if someone is “showing up” and…
We focus on output rather than time spent. We track our weekly goals closely to ensure that we’re doing what we set out to do.…
We’re a very results oriented company, but for client services work depending upon the contract type we do track hours and do things that are…
What elements are key to successful working relationships with remote teams?
Trust is absolutely essential. We are a team of colleagues and hire some of the best talent in the world. If you don’t trust the…
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…
Clear communication guidelines are very helpful. Miscommunication happens all the time in person, and happens a lot more over Slack or email. Just recognizing this…
What is the hardest part about managing a remote workforce?
If you’re a typical startup, <10 people sitting in an office, then with everything that happens, everyone always knows about it. So how do you…
At GitHub it’s important to us that we look after our employees. We’re not just in this for short-term productivity, we’re in this for the…
Sensing everybody’s mood, level of motivation, identifying issues before they develop. With an on-site team, you get to take advantage of facial expressions, body language,…
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 have a Best Remote Office award every year, as well as many team trips and meetings that we involve our remote employees in.
In addition to daily standups and monthly company-wide video calls, we also have annual company meetups. Once a year the entire company has a meetup…
What is your BYOD policy for remote workers?
We offer employees a notable equipment stipend to be used for purchasing company assets when they start ($2,000 for technical production like designers and engineers,…
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…
Company buys computers. 18 months at the org and the device is yours.
What is your time off policy for remote workers?
We have a MANDATORY vacation policy. We realized that an unlimited vacation policy was having the opposite effect – team members weren’t taking the time…
20+ vacation days, with unlimited sick days. We also have generous parental leave and benefits.
You can take off whatever days/weeks needed and as long as you have someone covering for your clients, we are fine.
What were your biggest fears in managing remote workers?
When we started out, especially when we had to grow and hire new people, my biggest fear was that they’d not work hard and would…
Trust is a big fear and challenge. At the end of the day, as a business owner of a remote team, you aren’t there to…
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…
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