Running a remote company is about more than just keeping up with technology.
You probably didn't plan on taking your company 100% online, but here you are anyway.
Under normal circumstances, companies that move to fully remote work plan for weeks, sometimes even months, before making the leap. During this time, they work to maintain both team management and company culture. However, in our current circumstances, most companies have failed to implement such plans and strategies before closing offices and sending their teams home with laptops in tow.
Overcoming the initial hurdle of suddenly moving everything (and everyone!) online was a huge achievement in itself that you should be incredibly proud of. The next step is to find any workflow, culture or management errors that have arisen and fine-tune them.
Keep yours Now the remote company runs smoothly in the long term.
Perhaps at first it was like a fight with a feeling of “just figure out what works best right now and put it in place!Now that you've had time to get comfortable with the idea of managing a remote team, you may notice that what worked in the beginning isn't setting you up for the long term, and your company culture is starting to take a hit.
It can take months, sometimes even years, for companies and startups to find a remote rhythm. Our management team has been through ups and downs, but they still learn valuable lessons every day. So, to help you on your journey, our CEO and Director shared a few tips they've learned from running a remote company for 15 and 7+ years.
Tips from long-term remote managers on how to maintain employee culture and engagement while working from home:
Heather, director: Three little letters has proven to be a huge help in reducing frustration. These letters are AFK, also known as Away from Keyboard. Your team members and co-workers don't know that the doorbell rang, or that your child clogged the toilet while you were preventing a domestic disaster, or that the dog chased the hamster out the back door for the third time this week. They can't see you!
To be clear: I am not suggesting keyloggers or mouse trackers. You'll know if your team is productive without that demoralizing control.
If you show that you are available but don't respond, it can be very frustrating for the other person. If you need to step away from the computer for a while, throw a quick AFK to let your team know that you've left but will be back soon. Just try to be sure to let them know when you'll be back. (Trust us—this part is easy to forget.)
Phil, Founder and CEO: Set specific times of the day when you can check in on your daily activities. surfaced by your employees (emergency situations, obviously, are different). This will help your team set expectations for the people they interact with and give you the opportunity to find and settle into a work rhythm. There are no further questions about when you, as management, will undoubtedly be available.
Heather, director: Even while staying in fairly close contact using tools like Slack or Teams, it's important remember that everything you write is interpreted by the other person through their filters and vice versa for what you read. You may not have intended the tone of your message to sound short or annoyed, but your team member may “hear” it that way.
Body language and tone of voice are critical when it comes to communicating effectively, especially during stressful times. But online it can lag. If left for too long, this atmosphere can quickly become toxic and destroy your online culture. We've learned to get around this problem by using virtual meetings to check in and change the tone of communication. Additionally, heavy use of emoticons in chats helps ensure a more accurate interpretation of intent. (We all have our own festive or awkward emoji… 🐡🌮🎉 are just a few 😊)
Phil, Founder and CEO: Remote work tools are just that: tools. And while text channels and email are great, you don't have a literal water cooler or break room where you can squeeze in any face-to-face human interaction.
Set aside time to video chat with your teams and let them chat. Not after work hours, not during lunch breaks, just like in the office we pop by a colleague's desk for a quick chat, or linger after meetings to catch up for a few minutes, carve out a time during the workday when your team members can video call and just talk to catch up. When your home is nothing but walls, your pets, and the same people 24/7, it's important to have casual, face-to-face interactions outside of the home.
Communication and setting boundaries are a top priority.
At any rate, remember that every person on your team, whether an experienced professional working from home or a newbie working remotely, will experience significant emotional and mental distractions. This requires greater flexibility, understanding and courtesy on the part of managers and senior management.
Communicate regularly and openly with your team, figure out what boundaries look like for both management and team members, and work to respect those boundaries on all sides.
The truth is, we don't know how long the stay-at-home orders will last. Some companies can't wait to return to the office, while others are starting to consider remote work options even after orders have been changed. Either way, we hope these tips help you make the best of your current situation and come out with a stronger, more united team when we all come out the other side.
Do you have any lessons you've learned over the past few weeks while managing a remote team and working from home yourself? We'd love to hear more or answer any questions you may have! Our team is always available for strategy sessions, whether it's working from home, running a remote company or – our real specialty – email marketing.
Reach out and let us know how we can help. We are just a short chat, call or email away.
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