Remote work management policies are becoming more common. The change is due to corporate policies changes, new technology, and the onset of COVID-19. The chances are high your team will continue with remote project management.
There are a number of advantages and challenges for both the employees and team leaders. Here are some tips for remote project management as you deal with your work-from-home employees.
Tip One: Set Clear and Immediate Expectations
Your team, or employees, have to know what you expect from them. They should be aware of when they need to check in with you, and how to track their work time. Communicate with your team when they need to check in either daily or weekly.
Tip Two: Engage with Team Often
You need to make time to engage with your team members, or employees, at least once a day. This communication can be through phone calls, emails, texts, instant messages, or any other form of communication. Without contact from you, an employee can start feeling unconnected with the company and their work. Consistent communication or interaction with your team makes them feel valued to work harder for you.
Transitioning from an office environment to an home environment could leave the team feeling isolated. Without contact from you, this feeling will intensify and could reduce the incentive to produce quality work. Create a simple communication plan for your team as part of your remote project management.
Tip Three: Remain Transparent
Remote project management requires that you be open and honest in your dealings with the team, or employees working from home. You want them to feel comfortable with your support and leadership, so they approach you with any questions or concerns.
Transparency involves sharing news with all employees or team members. If your team is at home due to COVID-19, make sure you share current events and new updates on corporate policy on how it will affect their position and work. If they are working from home, as a new corporate policy, make sure they are kept informed with all news that concerns their work.
Tip Four: Do Not Micromanage
While communicating and contacting your remote workers is listed as one of the tips, it does not mean you should micromanage them. Communicate with your team to listen and to answer any questions but not to micromanage. find out Micromanagement can be stressful for both you and your team members. This form of remote project management leaves an employee feeling as though they are not trusted. Micromanagement can be stressful for both you and your team members plus it sews distrustfulness.
You may not know how your team member works while in a remote setting, as you would if they are sitting in the office. You should not worry about this issue either, because as long as they are getting the assignments done, and completed correctly, how they achieve it should be irrelevant.
Tip Five: Open-Door Policy
When your team is working remotely they might feel it will ‘disturb’ you if they make contact. To prevent your employees from feeling as though they cannot contact you with questions and concerns, you have to instill an ‘open door’ policy with them. Let the team know when you are available and not not available for a conversation.
To ensure your projects continue in the right direction, you need quality remote project management. Orchestrating Your Success LLC will help you use the right tools and techniques and show you how positive remote project management will keep your team performing quality work, so all your projects reach a successful conclusion.
