Remote work is an increasingly popular trend among companies with more flexible and professional policies, especially among the Y and Z generations. This year several companies have adopted remote work because of the pandemic scenario that brought the need to adapt team leadership to the remote scenario.
Remote leadership is a skill that many leaders needed to acquire in the meantime to continue coordinating and motivating the people in their team. But how to manage the team remotely?
Here at Codeby the home office is part of the company culture, so the adaptation was quick and without major adjustments. I will share with you what contributed to our team staying motivated and working together without losing the quality and excellence that we value so much in our services.
Understanding the importance of communication
When we talk about communication, what comes to mind is the simple act of reporting, sending an email or a call to update you on what is being done. When we talk about remote work, no doubt these reports are important, but communication must go much further. It is important to lead people through results, so sharing with the team the goals of the period should be part of the communication.
It is necessary to adapt the communication and understand what works best for each team. Some areas have a greater need for communication, because they feel abandoned if it is not frequent. Other areas may feel that micromanagement is taking place and end up unmotivated. It is necessary to adapt according to the needs and preferences of each area, generalizing the communication style may not be a good way to keep people motivated.
Here at Codeby each area has its own way of maintaining communication. Some prefer to have daily video calls and be constantly connected with the team, others have periodic meetings for team reports and direction according to the goals set. Each one of these forms of communication makes sure that people do not lose the habit of working as a team and feel part of a team even if they are far away.
In addition, we have adapted our results dashboards for online, where all members of the company are presented with the results achieved, new goals, and all of this is presented by representatives of the areas. This type of communication engages areas that normally are not close and makes the team have a vision of the company's objective, because many times each employee tends to pay attention to the objectives of the area.
Use tools to keep the team aligned
The communication and management tools are important for the team management; it is a way to create communication bonds and documentation of the projects that are being developed in the company.
Here in Brazil we use Slack as a communication tool, where we create channels for each of the areas and a general channel for internal communication. And we also use Google Meeting for video calls with the team and communications that require more direct contact.
For task and project management, it is important to choose tools that meet the needs of the area. Tools such as Monday, Avaza, Notion, and Pipefy for project management can be used by several areas of a company. The interesting thing is that all of them allow a complete view of the updates, what is being done, what needs to be done, if there are any delays or problems. Management becomes much easier with these tools.
Establish a relationship of trust
Trust is fundamental in any relationship, and remote work is no different. Many people who are not used to the dynamics of the home office may wonder whether the employee is working or not.
That's why it's important to foster purpose, motivation, and competence in the people on the team. Show what is expected of them, how important their role is within the company.
If your team has never worked remotely, there are simple ways to build trust. For example, publicly delegate tasks in report meetings with the team; establish deadlines for deliveries; use time management tools such as Clockfy.
Trust is closely linked to the communication you have with your team, keeping people engaged in the company's purpose, and aware of their important role for success, your team will be united even with remote work.
