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Remote working

How to run a an offshore team Remote work started to be more and more popular these days. And most people see this way of working as a receipt for disasters, and some will justify this by saying that nothing can replace face to face contact, and they might be right. But managing a team remotely may seem harder than it actually is. Simply because people have the liberty to organize their daily agenda and focus on delivering the desired results, without the pressure of having the boss next door this may turn to be a more efficient management process than actually being in the same location. However there are some ground rules one needs to follow in order to effectively manage a team remotely. Knowing the team is the first important aspect. Is recommended to have an initial team meeting with the scope to set expectations, determine objectives and identify tasks and responsibilities for each team member. If a face to face team meeting is not an option, using a video conferencing system is a great alternative for the initial meeting. Once everyone knows their role and responsibilities it is very important as a manager to ensure the team follows through with their commitments. Requesting for a daily activity report is one way you can keep track of the activity. Depending on the line of work specific communication channels may be identified to keep track of the team’s performance. The most common are standardized activity reports sent by e-mail at the end of every shift to the manager, detailing the tasks performed during that day. To ensure performance standards are met, make sure that the appropriate feedback is delivered once areas of opportunities are identified along with the necessary guidance and actions to be followed. It is critical to provide both individual and group feedback in order to drive consistency. E-mails may not always have the desired results so the best option is to schedule regular one on one sessions and team meetings via video conference system. Also, have an instant messenger chat and phone lines available to be able to communicate with your team at all times. Rotate tasks between team members. To be sure that you have a term of comparison you need to delegate different task to your team. This way you can see different results and will help you make a clear idea about your team’s capabilities. As well every two months you should make onsite visits. This is very important and will show that you are an active part, you do exist and you are aware of what’s going on. Also this will enable you to consolidate the existing relationship with your team and a great chance to meet any new employee. These visits will have a strong impact and will lead to an increase of your overall performance. A big mistake that you can make is to over manage your team. Summoning meetings every hour asking them what are the status and lose a lot of time clarifying what was already discussed in your daily agenda will cause an over manage effect that can only do harm to your team. You must show to your team that you have trust in their capabilities and let them do the job they were hired for. Breathing in their neck every hour is not that different than being there to see what they are doing. Make a yearly performance evaluation. Even if you are not on site, people still need recognition. So you need to talk about their accomplishments and their failure, make a fair analyze and discuss with your team over the results. Congratulate for the objective that were reached and talk about what needs to be done for improvement. A fair evaluation will also create competitively among the team and will provide a clear picture of where you are standing as a team. Use employee monitoring tools to track productive hours and key performance indicators. You need to know exactly how much time your team is dedicating effectively for the task they need to do. A lot of precious time is lost if you can’t track these. Setting key performance indicators and allocate a time in which it needs to be done will grow your overall performance and will allow your team to be more organized. Provide regular support. Make sure that you are there for your team every time they need it. Offering your expertise and support will make them appreciate you and they will feel that you are reliable. Sometimes the support provided can stop a bad thing from happening because of the lack of knowledge. Establish a leader within your team. This can be the strongest link between you and your team. Having a proficient leader can assure you that your message is distributed correctly and the meaning of it remains the same.