Do you manage any remote team members? Managing remotely is a new reality for many managers. A reality that presents unique challenges and can cause trust issues.
Having a remote workforce may be new to your company in the wake of COVID, or how the business has always run. You may be grappling with a fully remote team or a hybrid workforce. Below are some pro-tips to help your team stay connected, motivated, informed, and performing.
Remote Effective 1:1s
- Set clear expectations and keep them at the top of your 1:1 document
- You can use this template
- It’s especially important to have expectations in writing with remote workers as they don’t have a next-door neighbor to model and you won’t have casual check-ins
- Schedule and stick to weekly 1:1s with your remote direct reports
- Use this 1:1 template and ask your direct report to prepare in advance to make the most out of the face-time
- As remote teams have less informal interactions, we recommend a weekly meetings cadence to ensure you stay on the same page
- Fill out and discuss the feedback section of the 1:1 template each week
- This way you will force yourself to know enough about your remote employees’ workflows to give them feedback. If you don’t, see below about scheduling shadow time
- If you need a feedback refresher, check out this feedback micro-learning library
- You can also try Tandem for free (no credit card required) to improve feedback quality and frequency!
Remote Performance Management
- Schedule monthly shadowing time with your direct reports
- Have them share their screen, walk through their workflow
- Take notes and ask questions!
- This is not a time to nit pick about what they are doing but more of a time for you to understand how they work and how you can best support them
- Don’t assume that everyone is familiar with tools
- Even if people think they know how to use your company’s toolstack, it’s worth making sure they know how each tool works because they can’t look over a coworker’s shoulder at home
- Teach new hires the basics – literally how to schedule a meeting, set up Zoom and join a meeting, access internal materials on internal Wiki, and any other key elements of the job
- Don’t assume people know how to manage their time
- Especially with people working remotely, it can be difficult to manage days without the structure of the office
- For new hires, add lunch or break blocks during a 1:1 and discuss what their routine will be like
- Walk through everyone’s calendars once per month – what meetings aren’t necessary? Do they have too many back-to-back meetings? Are they missing a meeting with a key stakeholder?
Remote Culture
- Establish remote meeting norms so teammates don’t have to explain themselves (e.g. why I’m off camera)
- Mark calendar meetings with clear titles, like “Guest Star Team Meeting (development)” or “Weekly 1:1 (reflection edition)”
- Agree on Emojis to use for agreement or disagreement
- Ask people to include simple agendas in meeting invites – Topics, Key Outcomes, Relevant materials
- Book a 10 minute morning huddle each day
- Ask your team to say their goals for the day and if they need any support from the team
- It’s important for each person to talk. This ensures your employees are connected to the work each other is doing and knows how they can contribute
- Experiment with everyone logging in virtually to team meetings even if some folks are in the office
- This provides a level playing ground to all participants
- Book 1 hour of virtual office hours each month
- Host at the same time each month
- Invite all of your direct reports as optional
- Make the purpose of this time clear (ie to discuss a new idea, just to chat etc). This creates an open door policy and gives your team more face time with you as they need it
- Focus on shared experiences! Even though you’re not in the same place, it can bring people together to feel like they are doing the same thing
- Ask everyone to dress up – Pajama day, Pirate day, crazy hat day
- Ask everyone to bring their favorite mug to meetings and share about it
- Have people change their meeting background to their favorite vacation spot ever
- Have everyone change their Slack or other profile picture to one from their childhood
- Ask everyone to walk around the block (or the safe equivalent where they live) and then share about it
Remote Personal Connection
- Do not reschedule or move 1:1s to the best of your ability.
- Keeping the time consistent will help your direct reports know you prioritize their time
- It’s important for them to count on you at that time each week
- Make sure people are physically well set up
- Do they have a place with internet that feels comfortable, well-lit, and safe?
- Remind people to take walks and screen breaks
- Start meetings with off camera stretching
- Go for walk’n’talks
- You should never comment about someone’s appearance or body, but stay attuned to signs of stress. If you hear from a team member that their back hurts week after week, pause and make sure they are taking care of themselves
- Focus the first part of each 1:1 on a personal check in
- Ask how the person is doing, highlights and lowlights from the week
- This will ensure you are getting the personal interactions that may typically happen around the water cooler if you were in the office
- Mix up the types of 1:1s you have with your direct reports
- If they are on Zoom or video all day, offer a call and a walk instead of a face to face 1:1
- This can give them a much needed respite from video and give you a new forum for discussion
- Be sure you show flexibility
- Each person who works in a home environment will have different challenges. Maybe it’s a barking dog or a kid who rushes in – show humanity and flexibility where you can.
Remote Social Connection
- Book every other week 15 minute morning team rituals
- See here for how to
- Encourage everyone to log in from their computers even if they are in person. This will ensure your remote employees feel included and on a level playing field even if others are in the office.
- The agenda is always “anything but work!”
- Book a virtual learning event for your team once a quarter
- Book this during work hours ideally so all can attend and participate
- There are many virtual learning events (paid and free) such as learning origami
- You can also ask your team if they have anything they’d like to teach each other. You may be surprised by their talents!
- Schedule an online scavenger hunt
- Look up fun facts from the internet, group your direct reports into teams and those who can find the correct answers the fastest, win!
- This will help your team bond amongst themselves.
- Start a Monday ritual of posting pictures from the weekend on Slack
- You can even set an automatic reminder on Slack to remind your team to post their update
- This will help your team form personal bonds with each other even while remote
