{"id":9806,"date":"2021-03-23T11:51:02","date_gmt":"2021-03-23T11:51:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ca.syspro.com\/blog\/?p=9806"},"modified":"2021-04-14T11:51:21","modified_gmt":"2021-04-14T11:51:21","slug":"what-managing-a-remote-team-in-the-new-normal-teaches-us-for-the-new-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ca.syspro.com\/blog\/digital-business-and-erp\/what-managing-a-remote-team-in-the-new-normal-teaches-us-for-the-new-future\/","title":{"rendered":"What Managing a Remote Team in the New Normal Teaches Us for the New Future"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the pre-COVID world, no one could have predicted the events that would happen over the coming months. Even today, when many businesses have had time to adapt to those events, we\u2019re still struggling to plan for the future. Which changes will go away? Which are here to stay?<\/p>\n

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If there\u2019s one major disruption that\u2019ll last, it could be this: remote work. According to a study from PWC, more than 80% of Canadian employees worked primarily from an external workplace<\/a> before the pandemic. Last year, businesses that hadn\u2019t adopted remote work practices were forced to embrace it fully \u2013 and quickly. By mid-2020, 59% of employees reported logging in from outside the office.<\/p>\n

Four in five employees from that study say they want to continue working remotely in the future. Who can blame them, considering the hours they save without a commute and the freedom to work when, where and how they like? In manufacturing, 35% even report they feel more<\/em> productive working remotely. Employers win, too. Not only do they save money by lowering administrative and infrastructure costs, but they also benefit from the flexibility to hire talent anywhere in the world.<\/p>\n

Of course, remote work isn\u2019t without its challenges. Most notably, employees say they struggle with collaboration, communication, motivation and loneliness<\/a>. But if it\u2019s here to stay, what can you, as a leader, take from your learning over the last year to mitigate those issues, align your teams and continue achieving your business goals today and into the future \u2013 whatever that future may bring?<\/p>\n

Embracing the \u2018new future\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Before the pandemic, SYSPRO had a strong infrastructure in place to facilitate remote work. But even with that infrastructure, paired with our employees\u2019 can-do attitude, we still needed to adapt to a new reality. What worked \u2013 and what did we learn for the future? I\u2019d like to share a few tips that can help you align your team while meeting your business goals:<\/p>\n

Set clear goals, communicate them consistently and create meaningful context<\/strong><\/p>\n

Successfully achieving business goals is a team effort \u2013 it takes everyone working together like a well-oiled machine. But what, exactly, are<\/em> those goals? As a leader you need to enroll your team in setting those business objectives and help them clearly define what the team needs to accomplish in a given timeframe, prescribe the tools to be used to get there and explain how results will be measured.<\/p>\n

At the same time, you also need to create context for your team – why you are choosing those objectives over something else? By clearly defining your company\u2019s \u201cwhy\u201d and connecting your activities from the smallest daily routines to the big organizational picture, your people know what they\u2019re working toward and how their contribution matters. They feel more connected as a team and perform better.<\/a><\/p>\n

Also, it\u2019s not enough to simply set goals. Communicating them, and repeating them consistently ingrains them in the minds of your employees.<\/p>\n

Set clear processes and expectations<\/strong><\/p>\n

Once you have your goals in place, it\u2019s time to put a formal framework around them. What tasks need to be performed each day? How will you track work? How will you measure progress?<\/p>\n

Addressing and documenting the answers will help your team focus on the desired outcome and align their efforts in the same direction. Plus, it formalizes what they can expect from you, each other and themselves.<\/p>\n

Documenting isn\u2019t a one-person job, though. Getting everyone on the team to contribute will help them understand how their work fits in with the whole, buy into your processes and take ownership for their part.<\/p>\n

Empower your team to be accountable<\/strong><\/p>\n

Accountability is all about owning those responsibilities and making sure they\u2019re met \u2013 and every person on your team needs to be involved, especially when there\u2019s less in-person oversight than they\u2019re used to.<\/p>\n

To keep everyone on your team accountable to each other and your progress, consider:<\/p>\n