Working remotely was a leading labor trend until reality came in, took it over, and turned conditional into absolute. The luxury, the perk, the nice-to-have is now the norm. For many of us, this is the first time we’ve managed an entirely remote team. Here are the tips I have to offer so far.

1. 5 Tips for
Managing an
All-Remote
Team for the
First Time

2. The perk of working
remote or working
from home is now the
new normal.

3. 01.
Have tools
for your team
in place

4. Make sure you and your team have the tools
needed for remote work and collaboration.
Make sure everyone has a reliable internet
connection, computer and any other
hardware (printer, scanner, wifi hotspot, etc.)
needed to do their job.
Web-based tools get everyone on the same
page:
Google docs for content collaboration;
Zoom for virtual meetings;
Slack for organization-wide communication;
Asana for project management.

5. 02.
Manage
yourself
first

6. Like starting a new job, you have to get
acclimated to your new surroundings,
new routine and new contacts.
Set boundaries on when you are available
to your coworkers, clients and prospective
business partners.
Set boundaries for your at home
“co-workers” - this includes both
two-legged and four-legged friends.

7. 03.
Manage
your
team

8. Make sure they too have a workstation, a
schedule and a routine that allows them to be
productive.
Resist the urge to micromanage: they already
have taken work home with them, no need to
insert the boss there more than necessary.
The regular 9-to-5 schedule may not work as
they juggle home responsibilities with work
projects, trust the people you hired to do the
job can get the job done.

9. 04.
Communicate
with your
team and they
amongst
each other

10. Opportunities to pop by someone’s desk or
to catch up on a project during a hallway
encounter are gone, but face-to-face
conversations are still possible.
People are social creatures and remote work
can feel isolating. Maintain contact with
regular phone calls or video conferencing,
especially during the initial phase.
Encourage team members to collaborate with
one another on projects and be social with
one another, just like they would in the office.

11. 05.
Set
reasonable
expectations
for your team

12. Keep communicating with everyone on the
team about schedules, priorities and when
they may need to be a way to handle other
priorities.
Institute flexibility into scheduling and
minimize pressures to work on projects all
hours of the day.
Let team members know it is okay to switch
off and let the work-life balance find a
workable position as they work from home.

13. Working from home may have
been forced upon us, but this
is an opportunity to prepare
for the near future. Remote
work, remote teams will only
increase as the working world
continues to evolve.

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