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 have an overlap policy where we expect everyone to be generally available for conversations and video chats. Remote does not by definition mean time…
We do have some weekly meetings set up, if someone is leaving his work, then he has to tell it in a channel, preferable with…
We do not. There has not been a need in our environment.
Do you organize remote team retreats?
We will be arranging at least one team retreat this year and will be meeting at several industry events.
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…
TIP 1: think about the most important thing you want to accomplish and let that lead your decisions about who attends, what you talk about,…
Do your remote team members meet in person?
We all meet once a year and when we travel to locations where we have part of the team we may get together one on…
We meet at various times throughout the year at conferences and retreats. The schedule is constantly evolving based on team needs, but the one constant…
No, not unless they require it or volunteer to. We are able to communicate through virtual means to avoid asking our CSPs to interrupt their…
How do you measure the productivity of remote workers?
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…
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…
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…
What elements are key to successful working relationships with remote teams?
Communication is key to building strong remote work relationships. So is company culture. Whenever we get the chance, our employees cowork together. That gives us…
Open Communication – no blame games: The best way to overcome problems is to discuss them openly. Try to work towards a solution and avoid blaming…
Communication is key. Keep the lines of communication open at all times, whether through regular meetings or just a quick check-in via instant messaging.
What is the hardest part about managing a remote workforce?
We’ve had the most success with employees who came into the experience with a realistic understanding of the nature of the job and what it’s…
Not being able to have regular face-to-face one-on-one meetings with people is a bummer. Nothing beats grabbing a lunch, beer or coffee with someone and…
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?
First of all, we invite new colleagues to our headquarters in Cologne for the onboarding process. Then we have weekly team meetings which the colleagues…
We have done three company retreats so far, and plan on doing at least two a year. Every time we do them, Nick, our CEO,…
Our weekly staff meeting, done via Skype, keeps everyone on top of the company’s initiatives.
What is your BYOD policy for remote workers?
Our employees get a laptop for administration work, as well as a display, keyboard, and mouse. The software developers and QA team may have different…
Everyone is free to get their devices from the company, but as far as I know everyone’s just using their own machine.
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,…
What is your time off policy for remote workers?
Take whatever time you need. We’re a ROWE environment.
You can take off whenever you like, but we pay you by the hour. You get one to five weeks of vacation depending on how…
Everyone gets unlimited time off. If goals are clearly communicated and employees are responsible, we don’t need to babysit with restrictive PTO policies.
What were your biggest fears in managing remote workers?
That it would be harder than it actually is. In fact, the management problems are the same regardless of location.
We’ve always been worried that they wouldn’t commit to teaching online in the long run, because most of our teachers are busy with a full-time…
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…