The 6 Worst Remote Team Mistakes To Avoid
Let’s say that you’re dealing with a remote team. It’s not that simple, right? Even more, if working with remote employees is something new for you!
But what is the difference between a remote team and a regular team? And what are the typical mistakes you might make during the process? Follow me through this brief overview!
1. Bad communication with remote teams
Firstly, you will have to take care of communication. Communicating badly with remote teams is the first step on the road to failure.
To ensure good communication, select a platform that everyone will use such as email or video calling. And don’t forget to explain to your remote employees the communication rules you set up or to clarify their doubts. Setting up communication in the wrong way will bring you to:
Poor organization
No one knows what to do or when and how to do it. That’s because communication is the cornerstone of any efficient organization and planning approach.
Bad team coordination
You should always be ready to properly coordinate tasks and clarify all aspects of the processes, especially to new team members.
Greater risk of mistakes
Poor communication increases the chances of misunderstandings, misinformation, and, consequently, mistakes that may occur during different tasks.
Insufficient motivation
If no one knows what is happening around them, team members will lose motivation and work worse. Remember to update your employees and congratulate them on their achievements to keep them working to their full potential.
2. Excess in micromanaging remote teams
Micromanaging means taking care of every single aspect of a project. The positive side of the coin? It ensures that you know everything about your employees’ activities and that they do what you want.
BUT…
At the same time, it can be an insanely annoying and inefficient approach. That’s why, instead of managing everything your employees do in detail, you should give them a general framework to follow and leave them a choice about their actions and schedule.
Do you still prefer the “authoritarian” way? Well, you risk in the long-run to:
Reduce time dedicated to other duties
You will have little time to devote to other important tasks that would require your attention.
Make people perceive you as a bossy manager
Your employees will have a negative idea of you. This could lead them to a general lack of esteem, respect, and obedience.
Irritate your employees
Your employees will never be free to do something of their own accord and they will “enjoy” the frustration of having to report every single action to you.
Prevent your employees from having any control
You will deny your employees any creative control, which will likely lead to some of them leaving your team.
3. Rarely updating your remote employees
Communication is fundamental to keep your employees aware of the latest updates and to ensure that they know what is going on with their projects.
If you don’t update your remote teams or do it very rarely, well, I have bad news for you…
“What is going on?”
Don’t be too surprised if they seem confused when you complain about their performance. Maybe you just forgot to share your guidelines or some important requirements!
You even risk losing their trust and making them suspicious about you and your actions.
So take care to send regular updates to your remote employees through the communication platforms we mentioned earlier.
4. Overlooking the potential of outsourcing
Outsourcing involves delegating part of the activities normally carried out within your company to external teams of professionals.
It is a tool that should not be underestimated when it comes to maximizing your time, budget, or resources.
Yet, many managers struggle to understand its potential, held back by the fear that something bad could happen in entrusting their duties to other people.
How can outsourcing be helpful?
A key element of outsourcing is the contribution it can make to keeping costs down, once implemented correctly.
In fact, many tasks can be transferred outside your company and cost you much less, while ensuring greater availability of time and resources for the most important aspects of a project.
Another aspect that should not be underestimated is the way in which outsourcing can help your company to reduce certain risks related, for example, to unexpected events such as the illness of a member of your team. Such situations can undermine the progress of a project as a whole.
But if the same tasks are in the hands of external professionals, you will have one less problem to manage!
5. Dealing with remote teams without setting clear goals
Not setting clear goals is a misstep that can permanently undermine your remote team’s motivation.
That’s because your employees will think you lack a long-term view of what your company should achieve.
Look at the past and set goals for the future
Well, the best way to get an idea of your future is to look to the past.
Take into account previous experiences, analyze the productivity of your professionals and the achievements achieved, and then set higher goals for the future. This will motivate your team to improve and give their all.
Once you get to the finish line, don’t forget to thank the team though. Bonuses, additional vacation days, gift vouchers … you choose the most suitable reward to satisfy them!
6. Paying little attention to planning and interactions
Managers often end up paying little attention to this aspect. Still, you should never forget to:
Plan your meetings in advance
There is no point in scheduling a meeting with your remote team if no one can attend. Set a call when your employees are available and prepare a draft of the topics to be treated also considering the time to devote to the various topics.
Listen to your employees
Don’t be talkative! Rather, give your employees space to express their ideas. This will enhance and motivate them.
Look for compromises
If you want everything to go smoothly with your remote team, be prepared to compromise and find a meeting point between everyone’s needs and goals, at least to some extent.
Help keeping a healthy work environment
Are you the boss? So you are also responsible for resolving any tensions and conflicts between your team members. Be the peacemaker, not the source of further conflict.
7. Being insensitive to your employees’ needs
Asking your employees for the best can be a good catalyst for their performance. But doing it without considering their problems and needs only risks reducing their productivity and driving them away from your company.
Who works for you is a person, even before being a worker. So, be understanding and flexible within a reasonable measure, allowing them to take the time to resolve any personal issues.
Once everything is sorted out, they will be grateful to you and will work to their full potential!
Don’t forget about these tips!
Ultimately, dealing with remote teams is not that difficult. What you need to find out is the best approach to follow.
Meanwhile, start by putting our suggestions into practice and everything will run smooth and clean. No worries and good luck!