Best Remote Management Tips and Tools to Boost Team Productivity

Many people prefer to work remotely because they don't have to commute and enjoy more flexibility. It gives them the opportunity to tailor their schedules to fit their lifestyles and find a better work/life balance. According to FlexJobs, 60% of women and 52% of men will quit their jobs if their employers do not offer remote work options facilitated by efficient remote management tools.

Having to manage remote employees can be challenging for managers who still have a traditional mindset. They worry that employees won’t be as productive when working remotely. In fact, a Stanford Business study found that remote employees are 13% more productive than those working in offices. Remote workers themselves report that they are more productive when working remotely.

The approach of trying to impose physical workplace practices on remote employees doesn't work well. Achieving productivity from remote teams requires some special techniques and remote management tips, along with the use of team collaboration tools such as Troop Messenger. Here are five useful tips and tools for successful remote team management.

1. Use effective communication strategies

Remote employees often strongly feel the lack of in-person communication. It isn’t possible to ask a colleague at the next desk a quick question or have a quick conversation with a supervisor who is walking past. Managers need to address this by using effective communication strategies and the right communication tools.

Before installing remote management tools and in order to make sure they don’t work slowly, it is recommended to free up application memory and storage on laptops. This is usually done with the help of IT support teams but there are also various manual solutions available on the web.

Digital video conferencing tools are necessary for communication when working remotely. Many remote teams find they can’t do without the Slack or Asana messaging app, where each team, topic, and project has separate channels, and all related files and messages are kept together. It’s a more secure and organized option than email.

When using any communication tools, it is important to use them judiciously. Remote work offers the opportunity to concentrate in a way that can be harder in a busy office. However, this isn’t possible with an endless flow of Zoom calls and Slack check-ins.

2. Set clear productivity standards

It is important to set clear productivity standards for remote workers. Managers must provide direction, set expectations and supervise execution. Each employee must understand what they need to do, how to do it, and who to ask for help.

Managers must determine overlap hours for group collaboration and decide on when to hold meetings, how to share progress updates etc. Setting clear productivity standards can help managers to spot where additional training may be necessary to improve productivity. Project management tools can help employees to work individually and independently on assigned tasks.

Teamwork is team management software that allows managers to see everything in one place and effectively manage teams and projects. They can get a bird’s eye view of every project and track time, budget, allocate resources, and more. From unlimited client access to invoicing, everything required to run client services is in Teamwork.

3. Promote knowledge sharing

What is said in conversation or in a quick chat is often forgotten, and action may never be taken. Managers need to promote a culture of written communication to prevent this from happening. Good distribution of knowledge is essential among employees who do not share the same physical space. Everyone should have access to all the information they need to get a job done.

It helps to have a single online platform for storing all the knowledge, updates, communication, etc., that a team needs. When all information is coordinated in one place, and team members don’t have to go looking all over for it, they will be most productive. Online document management platforms can help with content organization and increase productivity.

Slite is an online document management platform that isn’t too hard to learn and has some good collaboration features. It can help teams to work more asynchronously and move projects along faster. They can organize various types of content such as processes, meeting notes, collaborative docs, how-tos, and much more.

4. Offer training opportunities

Remote employees may be less productive if they don’t have the necessary skills to do their jobs to the best of their ability. To boost their productivity, it is important for managers to be aware of what skills they lack and look for opportunities to train them. For instance, if a team has regular interactions with Spanish-speaking clients or colleagues, managers could consider offering tailored Spanish lessons. This type of skill-enhancement opportunity can greatly increase employees' confidence and efficiency in the workplace.

One-on-one communication sessions with remote employees on a weekly or bi-weekly basis can help managers to assess the overall well-being of employees and offer them guidance and support. It is also an opportunity to encourage them to improve their skills and advance their careers.

Employers who offer training opportunities will increase employee retention, save costs, create a culture of learning and have a better-equipped workforce. Employees can improve their confidence and self-esteem, do their jobs better, and enhance their career growth.

TalentLMS is a popular learning management software that focuses on training employees. It helps with onboarding and compliance training. Building interactive and effective learning courses is easy without needing to know how to code. Employees can start or stop a course at any time and proceed at a pace that suits them. It has an intuitive interface and offers easy access to any device. Create a whole library of ready-made courses that cover all the skills employees need for success in their careers.

5. Give security the attention it deserves

Productivity can take a real hit when businesses have security issues. Cyberattacks and systems going down can result in plenty of lost time. Businesses today have to focus more on security than ever before because they have remote employees. Unattended computers, unsecured Wi-Fi connections, and data breaches are just a few of the problems they may encounter when using remote employees. If they have low technical skills, the combination of factors can leave a business very vulnerable to cyber-attacks.

Employees need to understand the company’s requirements and expectations for working remotely. This includes IT and cybersecurity standards and procedures to protect sensitive information. For example, passwords must be managed correctly, and access to certain data or apps should only be given to authorized people. Most malware and other hacks are delivered via phishing email attacks, and training employees on how to detect and avoid them can reduce the risk.

Businesses also need to use the right security software and support. Beyond Trust is a remote support solution with added security features. The tool allows users to manage users, roles, and session permission settings. They can maintain the right level of access. There is a comprehensive audit trail of all session activity. The tool integrates with other software, such as password tools or a CRM, and can scale to meet changing business needs.

Conclusion

Remote work is not going away anytime soon, and remote employees can be just as productive, if not more productive, than employees who work in an office. However, it is important for managers to follow the right strategies and effectively utilize remote management tools. What works well in an office does not necessarily work as well for remote employees. The above tips and remote management tools will help managers improve the productivity of their remote teams.