Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many companies had to mandate remote work for their entire team or a portion of it. However, this was done hastily, and businesses that were unprepared for this type of work are having to learn on the job how to manage a remote team securely.
With that in mind, we've put together 7 tips to help you manage a remote team securely, ensuring your company's productivity
How to manage a remote team securely
1. Maintain daily contact
Maintaining daily communication is essential so that company professionals know how projects are progressing, what the day's activities are, and also so that you can understand the team's productivity.
Decide how this contact will be made with employees, whether through communication software, WhatsApp, or telephone, and make all the necessary information clear so that there is no lack of communication, whether to ask questions, discuss ideas, etc.
Maintaining daily contact is essential so that professionals working from home don't feel lonely, as this can happen especially to those who maintained regular communication with several people in the office.
2. Focus on results
Even with daily communication, in remote work it's impossible for a manager to monitor the progress of every team member's work. And that's okay, because it's not their job to check every step their team takes during their tasks.
The important thing is to focus on results and verify if employees are delivering what was requested. Therefore, maintain contact with the professionals, but remember: don't overdo it with the number of calls, messages, and meetings.
For everything to go smoothly, your team needs to feel that you trust them. Otherwise, you could cause a number of problems between you and your work group.
3. Give employees flexibility
Another key measure for managing a secure remote team is to give professionals flexibility. Give them more freedom to manage their working hours and even decide when they will perform their tasks, as long as all employees are digitally present if there is a scheduled meeting or group activity.
However, for the rest of the day, be flexible, because your team will also be getting used to this new way of working and figuring out the best way to organize themselves to get the job done from home.
4. Hold virtual meetings
As mentioned earlier, maintaining contact with your team is essential for remote work to function well. However, it's not advisable to maintain communication solely via phone or messaging because these methods are not as efficient as a video call.
In a video conference, you can see your entire team, have a conversation and maintain a fluid dialogue, present documents, identify problems, discuss project progress, and give feedback.
Furthermore, to conduct the video conference, you can choose the platform that you find most suitable and secure for discussing company matters, presenting data, and sharing information that is important to the institution.
This way, you ensure that company information is secure, which isn't always the case when it's shared on other apps like WhatsApp and email.
5. Make sure everyone has the conditions to work from home
All company staff working from home need to have the necessary resources for the job to function effectively, such as quality equipment, cell phones or computers, internet access, and software that supports daily tasks.
These conditions are essential for professionals to be able to perform their duties from home. Ideally, before starting work-from-home arrangements, the company should verify that everyone meets these requirements at home.
If any employee has difficulty performing their work due to a lack of necessary items, you should provide the material or equipment as quickly as possible.
6. Guide your employees
It may seem repetitive to state that a remote team must always be in contact with each other and their coordinators, but it's the reality. And this communication can be done in various ways, as we discussed earlier.
Many offices didn't work this way and had to invest in this type of service; however, this mode of communication is still new to a large part of the workforce. Therefore, you can't fail to guide your team and teach them how to use all the tools they will need to carry out their daily tasks.
It is the company's responsibility to demonstrate how the programs work to streamline the team's work, prevent errors, and keep the institution's information secure, even when shared across different network devices.
7. Have quality tools
To securely manage a remote team, you need to ensure that all the tools used for meetings and document sharing are of good quality.
A quality program should have some specific characteristics, for example, good usability, practicality, and data security. These items will ensure that all employees can use the tools easily and perform tasks quickly. Remember that software should be made available to facilitate work, not hinder it.
Data security is essential to ensure that company documents are not hacked or stolen. Furthermore, it also protects your personal data and that of your employees, which is crucial when using the internet .
Conclusion
To effectively manage a remote team, you must maintain daily communication with your team, whether through communication software, WhatsApp, or telephone. In addition, it's necessary to hold video conference meetings so that professionals can converse more fluidly and naturally.
Remember also to check if all employees are able to maintain work-from-home conditions and provide them with guidance. Since this is a difficult and different time for everyone, you should still give professionals flexibility to adapt and keep in mind that the most important thing is the results achieved by the team.
Finally, always use quality tools to ensure your information is secure and that employees can use the software with peace of mind. By taking these actions, you will protect your company's data, maintain your employees' productivity, and ensure that everyone gets through this difficult time more easily.
After figuring out how to manage your remote team, see what will change in offices after the coronavirus !
Until next time!
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