Top business leaders and staffing agencies often note that effectively managing a remote team requires setting clear expectations, facilitating open communication, building trust, embracing flexibility and using available technology for seamless connection and collaboration.

This post will discuss five tips for leading a remote team that you can put into action.

1. Build a Solid Foundation for Remote Communication

Effective communication has always been the foundation for successful teams. However, it is even more crucial for remote teams. Without the benefit of face-to-face interactions, leaders need to prioritize regular, clear and transparent communication. Fortunately, technology provides many highly effective communication tools, including email, messaging platforms, project management software and video conferencing platforms.

Use these tools and set clear expectations, establishing communication protocols and encouraging active participation in virtual meetings to minimize misunderstandings and maximize collaboration and productivity.

2. Develop a Remote Culture Based on Trust and Autonomy

A healthy remote work arrangement relies and thrives on trust and autonomy. As a leader, you need to commit to trusting your team members to accomplish their tasks without built-in on-site supervision. This may feel like a leap of faith, but putting your faith in remote workers boosts their confidence and productivity.

Foster a culture of trust by encouraging open conversations, recognizing achievements, providing constructive feedback and welcoming questions and feedback from team members. Focus on balancing employee autonomy with accountability to ensure that team members take ownership of their responsibilities, meet deadlines and comply with company standards.

3. Be Available and Approachable

While employees might seek, appreciate and relish working remotely, they also need human interaction from time to time. Let them know that you and their coworkers are there with and for them, no matter where everyone is physically located. Keep an open virtual door policy that welcomes them to reach out via phone calls, emails, text messages and video conferences.

4. Foster a Strong Team Culture

A cohesive team culture in a remote setting is critical to your mission to boost employee engagement and retention. Here are some things you can do to encourage a positive team culture:

• Play online games
• Take virtual coffee breaks
• Join team challenges
• Set up in-person meetups

Schedule brief daily video team meetings to give everyone a chance to engage in positive social interaction together and show each other support.

5. Focus on Humanity

With so much work to do and so much technology that allows us to do it on a somewhat impersonal level, it is easy to let awareness of our humanity fade into the background. Bring humanity into your interactions, providing an opportunity for everyone to connect on a deeper level.

Ask everyone to share their stories, struggles and emotions related to work or their personal lives. These insights can help you understand work performance and productivity issues and how you might be able to support your employees to ensure that they and your organization flourish.

Conclusion

Leading a remote team isn’t all that different from managing on-site employees. It requires trust, increased engagement, creative new communication strategies and robust use of technology. With these, you can all overcome challenges and enjoy great success.

Sara Riggs is Senior Vice President and Head of Swoon Staffing, where she works to create even more collaboration between Swoon’s recruiting and sales teams to build a true synergy. She has 15 years of experience in the staffing industry, Riggs’ expertise has advanced through the recruitment ranks with her determination, passion, strategic vision and unwavering commitment to organizational growth, her team and Swoon’s customers.

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Still, remote working brings its own set of challenges that should be considered if organizations are to make the most out of this way of working. Here are some common pitfalls to look out for.

Miscommunication

Things get lost in translation during non face-to-face interaction. Without the benefit of eye contact, body language, and other nonverbal cues, important messages may be misinterpreted or misunderstood and lead to serious miscommunication issues. 

Imagine a law firm working on a huge arbitration case where a remote team is involved. Lawyer A who is based in New York and Lawyer B who is working from London rely on emails to communicate most of the time. If Lawyer A sends an email with unclear instructions which are misinterpreted by Lawyer B, this could cause a major setback in the case that has serious legal implications and potentially cost the firm thousands of dollars.

Invest in quality communication tools that enable employees to communicate clearly and frequently. Tools such as video conferencing, project management software, and cloud-based file sharing are great for keeping everyone on the same page.

Social Isolation 

When working remotely, it’s easy for individuals to get stuck in their own bubble and become socially isolated. But people require social interaction, even to do their jobs right.

Imagine a software developer working from home. He spends long hours in front of his computer coding, with little to no interaction with other people outside of work hours. This can lead to burnout, stress, and frustration which will ultimately affect the quality of his work as well as team morale.

Make it a priority to encourage teams to interact and build relationships. This could be done by setting up regular team video calls, introducing virtual happy hours, or organizing online group activities that promote collaboration and camaraderie. 

Security Breaches 

For remote work, the security of sensitive data is at risk. Without proper security measures in place and regularly updated tools, unauthorized access to confidential information can occur. 

Consider a company that stores inventory data with real-time inventory visibility and transactional data software. If hackers were to gain access to this information, it could be damaging to the company and its customers. 

Prioritize data security by investing in secure cloud-based storage solutions and regularly updating software with the latest security patches and features. You also want to provide your teams with comprehensive training on how to protect sensitive information.

The benefits of remote work are undeniable, but it’s important to be aware of the potential pitfalls that can arise as well. By taking steps such as investing in quality communication tools, encouraging social interaction, and prioritizing security measures, organizations will be better positioned to make the most out of this way of working. 

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To help you see how this can be done, here are three tips for breaking bad news to your boss so that you don’t lose your job. 

Get Yourself In The Right Headspace

As soon as you know that there is bad news to break to your boss, be it that you just noticed that you’ve been doing a process wrong for a while or you see that a big piece of machinery like a commercial chiller needs to be repaired, you should make sure that you get yourself in the right headspace before broaching this topic. 

When people fear having tough conversations, they might find that they go into these conversations feeling very uneasy, timid, and emotional. But if you’re wanting to be able to hold your own in front of your boss, you’ll have to get these emotions in check. So if you have to go through the conversation in your head so that you can know how you share what you need to share without letting it get the best of you, do this beforehand so that when you speak with your boss, you’re ready to speak and think clearly. 

Be Direct

Although you might be nervous about how your boss will respond when you give them this piece of bad news, what can make the situation worse is if they feel like you’re withholding things from them or aren’t being direct. You know that your boss is busy, so wasting their time trying to beat around the bush could just make things worse than if you’d just come right out and say it. So while you might think you’re softening the blow by easing into the bad news, it’s often just best to get right to the point so you can quickly move forward. 

Bring Them Options For Solutions

In the most ideal of circumstances, along with bringing your boss the bad news that you’re having to share, you should also come to the table with some options for solutions to these problems as well. Even if your boss doesn’t wind up using one of the solutions that you brainstormed on your own, seeing that you were thinking ahead for a solution and that you want to do whatever you can to make things right will put you in a more positive light than if you just dumped all the bad news and made it their problem. 

If you have some bad news that you’re having to break to your boss, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you be ready for this tough conversation. 

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If you are currently looking to pick up freelance work, here are six freelance jobs that you can apply for today.

1. Web Development 

Web developers are responsible for coding, designing and ensuring the functionality of websites. Web development naturally lends itself to remote freelance work because roles do not require too much face-to-face interaction and are carried almost exclusively online. If you have a background in coding and programming, a quick search online on freelancing job search engine will pull up tons of freelance web development jobs, many of which offer the chance to work on interesting projects for decent money.

2. Writing

Have you always wondered what it might be like to try your hand at writing for a living? Article and blog post writing is a great way to earn money remotely if you have a flair for the written word. Depending on where your knowledge and expertise lie, there are thousands of copywriting, research proposal or creative writing projects that you can apply for today.

3. Translation

If you are bilingual and comfortable as a writer, working as a freelance translator is a door that is always open to you. The internet is full of translation agencies that offer fair prices for piece work. Most gigs will require you to have skills and knowledge in the area in which the subject matter lies, as specialist terminology is not always straightforward to translate without experience in the field. 

4. Customer Services

Some of the largest and best-known companies in the world, such as Amazon and Apple, now outsource much of their customer service to freelance contractors. Most companies will require you to take part in an induction course in which you will learn about the company’s product range and how to troubleshoot. To apply, all you need is excellent people skills, a laptop with a reliable internet connection, and a phone.

5. Marketing

Small companies and startups often hire remote contractors to take charge of their digital marketing requirements these days. If you have some experience in marketing and want the freedom of working as a freelancer, check out sites like FlexJobs, ClearVoice Marketplace and Media Bistro for the opportunity to work on some of the exciting projects that crop up on a daily basis.

Around a third of people in the United States derive income from freelance work today. Many of them would not change their way of work for the world. Join the freelance revolution today by investigating some of the jobs mentioned about and you may find yourself on the route to a life of freedom and professional fulfillment.

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The world of employment is changing and fast. Gone are the days where holding down a job meant having to stay in one location and subject yourself to the stress of the rat race. Technology has opened possibilities for remote working that could not have been imagined just a generation ago.

Read on for seven remote jobs you can apply for today which will leave you free to travel to your heart’s content.

Freelance Research Writer

Do you fancy yourself as a writer and have an analytical mind? Companies like Wonder are always contracting researcher to write answers to research questions for their clients. The application process is super-easy, and the pay is reasonable at $15 an hour.

English Teacher

One industry that has shown itself to be almost completely recession-proof is the TEFL industry. Demand for native-English speakers is always high, and now there are various online companies such as DaDa that will link you with students and classes from all over the world. You can work as many hours as you want and pick and choose your classes.

Writing, Editing and Design

Sites like Upwork provide a marketplace for writers and editors of all experience levels. Just create a profile and portfolio and you are ready to start sending out pitches to businesses seeking talented professionals with creative skills from across the spectrum.

Transcription

No previous experience is required to sign up with online transcription services like AccuTran Global, Scribie and TranscribeMe! Once you have signed up, you will be sent audio files and will be paid by the hour of audio you transcribe.

Customer Service

If you are great with people and would like to work from home, maybe you should apply for a job in customer service. Companies like Amazon, American Express and Apple constantly have positions opening which will allow you to ditch the daily commute.

Translator

Do you are bilingual or have a good knowledge of languages like Chinese, Russian, Spanish or French? If so, you might want to consider applying for translation work at companies like Gengo or Verbalizelt. These companies hire regularly and offer a fast-track route into the world remote working.

Travel Agent

For people who love travel and planning trips down to the nth degree, becoming a remote travel agent might be the job for you. The job combines good knowledge of destinations as well as all deals and flights with excellent customer service skills. Companies like World Travel Holdings offer an easy route in for those just starting out.

With just a laptop and a reliable internet connection, the geographical constraints of yesteryear are no longer an issue for the growing number of digital nomads. It is now possible to earn money while leading a life full of adventure in some of the most exotic places in the world. Ask anyone who has switched over to remote work and they will often tell you that it was one of the best decisions they ever made.

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