How to Make Your Remote Team More Productive

Remote working became the norm during 2020, but that does not mean that it was always done well. If you have adopted remote working but cannot wait to get everyone back into the office to get your numbers back up, then know that the problem isn’t with remote working, but actually with your management style.

Use the Right Team Management Software

The right software for a remote team will depend on the industry you are in and the work that they are doing. This could mean you only need one management software or you might need several. At the very least, you do need an effective time tracking tool like CoAmplifi, which works to solve several issues with remote team management from scheduling and task management, to team coordination and collaboration and of course time tracking. You will also want to make sure that your software can help with report creation, budgeting, and invoicing/billing, putting a lot of the stress of keeping track of work as well as simplifies essential components like payroll.

Be Consistent with Engagement

Have consistent rules of engagement. What this means is that you need to set standards. If you want to talk about something during every meeting, then make it the norm. If you want your team to have something prepared, make that standard. Have the same meeting, at the same time, every day. This way people can work it into their workflow.

Have a different system when people need to ask questions, and even give everyone a window when they need to be online their messaging systems. This both gives employees distance and helps you all to stay in the loop.

Focus on Results, Not Process

There is an assumption that remote workers are less productive because they are not being monitored in the same way, but the reality is there are plenty of ways that in-office employees waste time right under your nose. It’s time we stop considering wages to cover the amount of time someone sits at their desk. Instead, we need to consider what we pay our employees isn’t for their time, but for their results and their expertise. While management software can help you keep track of the time that employees are working, being flexible with your time and having deadlines for projects is a must.

This applies even for those that work in admin or sales. Say your sales team need to make X number of calls per day – you can easily track this without breathing down their necks with the right software. When it comes to projects, so long as your employee does good work and gets it in on the project deadline, what does it matter when they did it? If they are happier to work in the evenings than the mornings, then they are likely more focused and productive during that time.

The point is to stop looking at the process, and instead on the results. The results are how you will understand who are great remote employees.