Updated on 03/06/2024
Here are 7 Top Tips for managing a healthy and effective remote team:
1. Put Safety First
It’s best practice for managers to conduct electronic risk assessments with their teams, to ensure the home workplace is suitable.
Make sure all workers know about your health and safety policies, and if your business supplies equipment, it must pass relevant safety tests.
2. Encourage Employees to Take Breaks
Taking regular breaks and ensuring you move your body throughout the day is super important. Not only is this good for your physical health, but mental health and work performance too.
Ensure employees and staff are aware of when the working day begins and ends, and encourage them to take breaks to refresh.
It’s also important that all members of the team know how to switch off after work, to avoid burnout. Cultivating these healthy habits, as well as exercising and taking in fresh air every day is key to creating a happy, productive workforce.
3. Have a Daily Virtual Huddle
Remote working means communication must be clear across all members of the team.
This is essential for keeping everyone connected and a means for line managers to check in on their team’s physical and mental well-being, and discuss any additional support they need to fulfil their roles from home.
It’s also a good idea to make time for non-work chats as you would in the workplace and use video calling to maintain face-to-face contact.
3. Show the Big Picture but Prepare to Flex.
Managers should also remind teams of the big picture and how their work fits into it and benefits the organisation. This is one of the best ways to boost morale among the team as its employees can see how their work adds value to the overall success of the business.
Review short-term goals with team members regularly and adjust as needed. If some members can’t carry out all their usual work, consider other skills they can lend to others to meet team goals.
5. Set Expectations and Trust Your Colleagues.
For remote working to be a success, all team members must be able to get on with their work, with no distractions or spoon feeding.
As a manager, you must be clear about mutual expectations and trust your colleagues to get on without micromanaging.
Focus on results rather than activity. Working relationships can deteriorate quickly and well-being suffer without trust.
6. Offer Support on Well-Being
Organisations should remind staff of their existing health and well-being benefits (such as employee assistance programmes or occupational health) and how to access them when working remotely.
Raise the desk when colleagues approach to talk to you and have your conversation standing up.
Stand for telephone conversations, especially if you need to be assertive – or walk and talk.
7. Be Kind
Remote conversations can easily be misinterpreted as it’s harder to read body language, tone of voice and other visual and audio cues. Stay mindful of this when delivering difficult messages or feedback. Challenging times call for greater sensitivity and kindness.
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