Databox put together a compelling list of managers and their advice for managing remote teams, specifically in light of covid-19.
We picked out favourite quotes and insights from Databox and .
Giving a tutorial? Use screen-sharing videos rather than emails
Speaking of video,聽Sagapixel鈥榮 Frank Olivo advises to 鈥渦se video services like Soapbox whenever possible. Giving someone a video walkthrough of what you want done and how you want it done is so much more effective than an email or even video call.鈥�
鈥淭o start, your team members can view it as many times as needed. Additionally, there鈥檚 no need to coordinate a time for a call or meeting; he or she can watch the video when it鈥檚 most convenient.鈥�
鈥淔inally, these assets can be reused to train other remote team members to do the same thing,鈥� Olivo adds.
Julie Singh explains how they do this at聽TripOutside: 鈥淰ideo tools like Snagit and Loom are critical to our success and allow us to create videos from our computers with voice and screen 鈥渟haring鈥� to show our screen and talk our team through what we need.鈥�
鈥淭he videos are typically large, so we save them as shared documents in Google Drive, so the team can access them.鈥�
Singh adds, 鈥淰ideos are so helpful for explaining new projects, issues, and tasks as well as creating more meaningful connections to each team member.鈥�
Lean on your collaboration software
鈥淐ommunication is probably the most essential part of successfully managed remote workers,鈥� says聽Brosix鈥榮 Nikola Baldikov. 鈥淭herefore, I would advise companies to not wait, but implement a communication/collaboration tool for their internal communication.鈥�
鈥淪uch tools enable teams and individuals to stay connected, benefit from features such as text/audio/video chat, screen-sharing and file transfer, which undoubtedly increase productivity and efficiency.鈥�
Indicative鈥榮 Tara McQuaide agrees: 鈥淥ur best productivity tip is to use a project management tool and cloud-based storage tools that update in real-time for everyone involved, mimicking an in-person interaction on a task.鈥�
Andromeda Booth explains how they do this at聽Just After Midnight: 鈥淯se tools such as Sococo, Slack and Zoom or a simple traditional phone call to discuss ideas with other members of the team.鈥�
鈥淵ou can spend 2 hours stuck on a problem or solve it in 2 minutes after a quick chat with a colleague. You may be working from home, but you are still part of a team.鈥�
Russell Michelson of聽Bead the Change聽adds: 鈥淭he most effective tip for managing remote employees is to get them familiar with a quality CRM. CRM鈥檚 are the main hub for remote employees, telling them what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, who needs to do it, and other relevant information.鈥�
鈥淓nsuring your employees understand how to scan and operate your CRM can lead to productivity as you have never seen before. I have managed remote employees for almost 5 years, and I feel my employees are more productive when they have the freedom to work from home.鈥�
Schedule regular breaks
Laura Fuentes of聽Infinity Dish, who has been managing a remote team for 8 years, says: 鈥淧eople need breaks, and managers need to understand that just because their team is working remotely that they are available at all hours.鈥�
鈥淪etting boundaries on both sides is important so that everyone is able to come back to work fully charged and focused.鈥�
Summarizing, Ajay Dahiya of聽The Pollination Project聽says: 鈥淪tudies show that workers who take breaks are more productive overall and providing your team space to be creative helps your organization prosper in the long run because your team is encouraged to bring more creative solutions to the table.鈥�
