Have you always run a business online? Or are you in charge of a team at a company that has finally implemented remote work practices?
One thing is certain, regardless of the circumstance: overseeing virtual groups is altogether different from driving colleagues in an in-office climate. It goes far beyond the fact that you won’t be able to visit your coworkers’ cubicles every day to say hello and invite them to lunch.
Do you have any questions about how you can best manage your virtual team? Do you want to make sure that members of your virtual team feel supported and can do their best work together?
Indeed, there’s compelling reason need to begin researching! As far as I can tell of dealing with a completely remote group for the Live Lingua online language school for a long time, I have found the beneath dependable tips to oversee virtual colleagues successfully.
Try these hacks to master managing your virtual team effectively, from surefire methods for creating a positive remote work culture to optimizing workflows.
1. Make Positive Remote Work Culture With “Virtual Water Coolers”
We as a whole expertise significant past water cooler has for in-office workplaces. Throughout the day, employees meet at the water cooler to share stories, laugh about business happenings, plan after-work events, and build friendships. The water cooler assumes a key part in establishing a good workplace where collaborators feel associated with one another.
Having said that, a “virtual water cooler” serves the same purpose as a traditional water cooler: it is an internal communication channel that enables remote workers to connect with one another and discuss topics other than work.
It could, for instance, be a designated #FUN Slack channel for discussing pastimes outside of work. Or on the other hand, it tends to be an internet based gathering or a confidential Facebook bunch for only your colleagues to discuss side interests.
You might think that having a virtual water cooler would just keep your team members from working on the projects at hand and make it harder for them to be productive and produce more work.
However, we have discovered that putting these channels of internal communication into action contributed to the development of a positive work environment in our virtual company, boosting motivation and morale among employees.
Why? Our team members were able to engage in non-work-related conversations thanks to these virtual water coolers. This assisted them with getting to know one another all the more by and by and bond (which can some of the time be difficult to do in a completely distant business climate).
Our team members became friends as a result of these connections, who support and encourage one another during trying times. Additionally, it further developed correspondence and coordinated effort all through our whole organization.
Tips for Your Virtual Water Cooler There are a few guidelines to follow if you want your business’s virtual water cooler to be successful. In the first place, pose a pleasant inquiry in the virtual water cooler each day to kick the discussion off.
Take, for instance, the question, “Where do you hope to travel next and why?” This is an excellent method for assisting your employees in getting to know one another better.
Additionally, avoid forcing anyone to participate in the virtual water cooler because doing so would only result in stress. Don’t ask one of your employees to contribute if they haven’t given any insight for the day. They may simply be occupied with projects and can answer when have the opportunity.
It can have a negative impact on morale as a whole if people feel compelled to share their thoughts every day.
Finally, attempt to constantly recognize what others say in the virtual water coolers — nobody needs to feel disregarded. Increasing morale can be aided by social recognition.
As indicated by Psych Focal, “Social acknowledgment is fundamental for mental wellbeing and business achievement. It tells everybody they’re seen and esteemed, helps efficiency, and fortifies work connections.”
2. Amplify Efficiency with “Open Correspondence” Time periods
One major test in a virtual workplace is that colleagues may not be aware on the off chance that their collaborators are occupied with dealing with significant undertakings and can’t be diverted.
They may occasionally email their busy coworkers or send them a lot of Slack messages, which keeps them from concentrating on the important work they need to finish. This, thus, can cause a great deal of pressure for the collaborators who are diverted and bring down their efficiency and work yield.
As indicated by Harvard Business Survey, “Associations that form a culture around limiting interruptions will partake in the intensifying advantage of an engaged labor force and will leave their kin feeling less worried and at last more satisfied.”
As a result, it would be in your best interest as the team leader to set aside specific “open communication” times for your team members.
You can tell your entire team that, unless there is an urgent project or crisis that needs to be discussed, they should keep all communication between certain hours, such as in the morning from 9:45 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. and later in the day from 2:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. During these “open communication” times, your team members will be aware that they can email coworkers or send messages in the virtual water cooler without causing anyone to be
3. Urge Your Colleagues to Practice Time Hindering
Since they are working from a distance, your colleagues will have such a lot of independence and opportunity by they way they structure every typical business day. However, if any of your team members lack discipline or good day-planning, this could lead to disaster.
Therefore, encourage them to schedule each workday using time blocking to help them be as productive as possible.
Inform them that scheduling time for the three most important projects they must complete each day, as well as for various tasks like responding to emails, will help them increase their daily productivity and output.
They won’t squander a solitary moment attempting to sort out the following undertaking to zero in on, as every day will be completely planned out.
4. Consider Your Virtual Colleagues Responsible and Show Appreciation
One of the top ways of inspiring remote colleagues is to consider them responsible for their work projects and guarantee that they know the amount you esteem their diligent effort. This is because they will want to continue excelling if they know that you are pleased with their work performance.
Having said that, scheduling a weekly video call with each member of your virtual team to inquire about where the projects are at, any issues they are having, and the tasks they will focus on in the future is a surefire way to hold them accountable.
Using project management software like Basecamp and asking each member of your virtual team to provide ongoing updates on what they have completed or are working on can also help you hold them accountable.
One more method for considering your colleagues responsible is by setting assigned start and stop times for every one of their average business days, then, at that point, requesting that they email you right when they sign on to work.
Even better, in each of these emails, request that they provide a brief outline of the tasks they intend to complete that day. The members of your team will then be aware of their responsibility to complete or make significant progress on the projects outlined in each morning email.
Finally, show your appreciation to your virtual team members who hold themselves accountable for their projects!
“Most powerfully, expressions of gratitude lead employees to feel socially valued and to believe that their actions make a difference in the lives of others, which motivates them to be helpful, cooperative, and go the extra mile for the organization and those around them,” according to Psychology Today. Organizational effectiveness is improved as a result of the adaptability and attractiveness of these prosocial behaviors at work, which attract current and potential employees.
All things considered, you can show your appreciation by sending your colleagues an e-gift voucher for a famous bistro chain or a day spa in their space. This simple but powerful act will boost their morale and demonstrate your appreciation for their efforts, inspiring them to continue excelling.
5. Online Joint effort Devices Are Critical
Project the executives programming will assist with keeping your remote colleagues responsible and everybody refreshed on which project achievements have been finished, what’s next on the plan, and who is liable for different errands.
My number one venture the executives programming is Thought. It has a variety of functions that have helped me keep up with all of the Live Lingua projects I’m always working on. I have been able to expand the success of my business thanks in large part to Notion.
The Google Documents and Google Sheets apps are two additional online collaboration tools that I recommend using for remote collaboration and mobile file editing.
Share Google Sheets and Google Documents with members of your virtual team and choose whether they can only view the files or make comments or edit them directly. You can request that they make alter ideas, which you can support once you look them over.
Even better, it is so simple to return to an earlier version of a document if you discover that you do not like the most recent draft.
