Managing Teams Remotely: The Basics

The advent of the internet and faster connection speeds, plus the many wirelessly connected devices we carry around has led to more and more remote working in business. What are the circumstances where you might have to manage your team, and how would you go about it?

The reasons why

We've all experienced what happens when a key staff member goes on holiday, long-term or maternity leave. There are sometimes things that they do that nobody else can. What if, for example, they wanted to return early to work after maternity but they can't spend long periods out of the office? They might be able to use remote working. What if a manager has frequent trips abroad as part of his or her job but still needs to oversee an important project? Remote working would be the solution. What if you wanted to hire a foreign national for their expertise, but they didn't want to relocate to your head office? They could contribute remotely. Also, more companies are introducing flexible working - this could mean you could do some of your work remotely and out of the office if it suits your personal needs better (for example, those who are part time carers).

Consider the hardware and support needed

Once you've established that there is a reasonable business need for an employee (or yourself) to be working remotely, it's time to consider the planning stage. First of all, do you have the hardware? Most managers have a device such as a Blackberry so they can check mails out of the office, but the needs may be more complex. Your company network and all shared drives might be made available outside the office through a special connection client as part of your IT services. You may need to consider video conferencing software and equipment for "attending" meetings remotely. A company mobile phone with remote working features such as video calling and internet/email access would also be needed. If you have to buy the equipment in, consider how it can be reallocated to others who are working remotely when the person returns in situ to the office.

Some barriers you may have to overcome

If someone is working remotely or from home, there tends to be the impression that they are not working "as hard" (or at least have the opportunity not to work as hard) because they are not in the office with other colleagues and under the scrutiny of other managers. Trust needs to be maintained and you can do this by having regular progress reports from the remote worker(s) that can be cascaded to the rest of the team. Also, if you're managing the person working remotely, they may need a more clear, concise and more regular deadlines to make sure that they stay on "track", as working remotely can also bring with it distractions often faced by those working in different environments.

Remember, working remotely doesn't have to be a permanent solution - you can always "call in" the person back to the office if you think the business is suffering as a result. You can have a trial period and if there are performance, communication or trust issues, you can always reconsider. Be as flexible as you want your workers to be, and you'll have a happier more productive team as a result.