How To Be Successful As a Virtual Team Manager
Working virtually is becoming more and more popular, and as teams are moving to remote work, management styles can change to adapt. Remote working can widen a manager's hiring pool by attracting more team members from other locations and in different situations than traditional office jobs. In order to capture this new talent, it's important to learn how to lead a virtual team effectively. In this article, we discuss what a virtual team manager is, explain how to be a successful virtual team manager and list some additional tips for managing virtual teams.
What is a virtual team manager?
A virtual team manager is someone who coordinates and oversees a team that has members who work remotely. These managers may work for a company that is completely remote, which can change the expectations and procedures for the manager. However, as remote work becomes more and more popular, this type of management changes. It can also be a manager of a team where only some members are remote or all members work remotely sometimes.
The added challenges of managing a team that you don't work with in person mean that this position has different qualifications and challenges than a regular management position may have. It can require an added proficiency with technology or stronger organization and communication skills.
How to be successful as a virtual team manager
Managing a virtual team requires management skills, but you can also benefit from some additional policies to manage a virtual team successfully. Follow these steps to be successful as a virtual team manager:
1. Establish communication
Remote teams may interact less frequently because they aren't in the same place physically. This can cause feelings of isolation or a hesitancy to reach out to team members when they need something or have feedback to share. To maintain your team's productivity and engagement, you can invest in communication by implementing structures and software that enable quick and easy communication between your team members.
You can use different messaging styles to provide a sense of connection for your team and keep up the collaboration necessary for teamwork. Here are some types of communication that you can use with your remote team:
Email: Emails are for messages that you want your team to reference easily.
Instant messaging: Instant messaging is for real-time communication, in case someone has a quick question, or decisions that need to be made in real time.
Video conference: You can use videoconferencing for meetings or presentations that require visuals.
2. Have clear policies and procedures
Your company's policies and procedures can reflect the realities of a remote workforce. If your company policy is that everyone works from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, you need to specify what you expect for remote employees who live in different time zones. When establishing a virtual team, consider clearly writing out these policies so that they make sense for your employees and help set your team up for success.
Because your team members are not physically in the same place, you can benefit from setting clear productivity standards and deadlines that are communicated regularly. A remote team works more independently than a team that is physically in one place, but as long as they are aware of what you expect from them and have channels to clear up any confusion about company policy, they can be just as productive, if not more so.
3. Schedule regular meetings
You can ensure that you and your team have aligned goals by setting up frequent meetings to check in and establish objectives. One benefit of working in person is the casual ability to communicate and collaborate, and while that can be more challenging in a remote environment, it is still just as necessary.
Consider scheduling weekly team meetings to address any ongoing projects or business that involves the whole team so that they can stay connected and you can encourage collaboration. You can also schedule one-on-one meetings to create a space for your team members to air any concerns or feedback that they have. These meetings can stave off any feelings of isolation or burnout in your team and remind your coworkers that they are a part of a team that depends on them.
4. Overlap work hours
Remote employees have the benefit of more freedom with when and where they work. However, this can stall communication within your team unless you build safeguards into your policies. Working at the same time, no matter what time zone they are in, can help coworkers communicate effectively.
Consider having a policy that requires remote employees to be online at the same time for at least a few hours each day. These times of high traffic can provide your team with the time they may need to move a project forward in a timely manner or respond to pressing questions. It can also help your team feel engaged with their coworkers.
5. Use project management software
Technology has made the demands of so many jobs easier to manage in a remote setting because they allow your team to access resources from anywhere. You can use these technologies to connect your team and keep them on task. By keeping your resources online, you free up your team's time and physical restrictions, which can reinvigorate their creativity and productivity. It can also help them stay organized and updated while out of the office.
Project management software can help you manage content so that multiple people can work on one project at a time from different places, speeding up deadlines on deliverables. It can also keep a calendar for your team so that they can be aware of important dates and deadlines, regardless of their own schedule or location. You can also use project management software to make style guides, procedure lists, or any other type of reference document available for your team to access whenever they see fit. These tools can be essential to a successful virtual team.
6. Track productivity
A virtual team can have a lot of flexibility, which is a benefit for most employees, but as the manager, you can instill accountability in your team by tracking productivity. A virtual team has more independence and less oversight than a traditional office setting may have, but employees can still benefit from having routines and check-ins built into their work process. You can use apps and software to help you monitor your team's productivity to make sure that everyone is adjusting and has the resources they need to be successful.
If your employees work by the hour, you may track when they clock in or out of their virtual workspace to ensure the hours they work are being logged. If your work is more project-based, you can implement a system of deadlines and deliverables that can let you know if a virtual team member needs help to meet their productivity goals. Establishing these metrics can help provide a structure for your team and establish clear expectations.
Tips for managing virtual teams
Here are some tips to help you manage a productive virtual team:
Don't message them too often
Communication is essential for a virtual team, but it's important to make sure that your team can prioritize their messages with their work. To avoid overloading your team with messages that can overwhelm them, consider switching up different forms of communication. If the message is about company culture, try instant messaging. If it is an extended piece of communication about a policy change, consider a video call.
Additionally, you can avoid burning out your team members on messages by keeping your communications concise, clear and specific to the recipients.
Be aware of work-life balance
One reason that so many people are switching to virtual teams is the emphasis on work-life balance. It can be a challenge to establish off hours when working from home or when other team members in different time zones have just logged on. However, it is important to support your employees in establishing a difference between when they are working and when they are not to prevent burnout and increase your team's satisfaction with their roles.
Encourage connection between team members
Work can be one of the biggest social connectors for people, and working remotely does not have to hinder those connections. To encourage job satisfaction and company culture and reduce turnover on your team, you can create ways for your team members to stay connected by creating instant messaging channels that incorporate their interests outside of work or scheduling events that allow team members to socialize during off hours. Creating these spaces to help them connect outside of work can also help them collaborate more effectively during work and create lasting networking opportunities.