Working Remotely | Overcome the Challenges of Managing Remote Workers

More and more Raleigh businesses are having part or full time team members working remotely, also known as working from home, telecommuting, or working virtually. It’s also a valuable recruiting tool to attract younger talent and a way of reducing operating expenses.

Even so, having remote workers on your team can create problems if not managed correctly. Remote workers can easily feel less valued and less connected to the corporate culture than on-site employees. Managing this communication and maintaining high engagement requires a different set of management tools.  Additionally, on-site staff who must endure traffic, poor weather, fixed schedules and other daily challenges may come to resent their virtual counterparts. But with proper coaching, effective communication, and a strong strategy, both your on-site and remote workers can avoid these problems and enhance your company in the following aspects:

  • Making Distances No Big Difference: A good manager can juggle the disparities of team members working even in different time zones. He or she designs workloads so that virtual employees meet the needs of the business without feeling their work-life balances are being affected negatively.
  • Delegating Fairly: All team members whether virtual or not believe they are on a level playing field when it comes to handling roles and responsibilities. No one gets preferential treatment anywhere.
  • Setting the Right Tone: Communication and feedback is critical to the entire team. A good manager knows that maintaining open communication and balancing both positive and negative feedback will keep a team aligned and on track.

Three Training Strategies To Build A Stronger Virtual Team

Managing Remotely: Discover how to coach employees outside the office to make them more self-reliant so your team can get more projects done. Using a structured approach, coaching can improve both engagement and results of your virtual employees.

Building Virtual Teams: Avoid the complications that can occur with cultural differences and other issues associated with remote workers by creating an environment of trust and communication. Simulated activities enable team members to practice common challenges, resulting in better interaction and a shared and growing common culture.

Meeting Facilitation: Save valuable time for both your remote and local team members by improving the quality of your meetings.  Effective meetings that are well planned and run produce results for the entire team.

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Interested in how your company can make your remote workers more effective? Learning Technologies, Inc. brings content, know-how and extensive experience to your team.  Contact us today, and let’s talk about how we can help you better manage your virtual employees.