Leading a Remote or Hybrid Team Effectively: 10 Rules to Follow

With the outbreak of COVID-19, many companies adopted the work-from-home culture. There were many employees who were even hired during the pandemic and did not get a chance to meet with other team members in person. The transition to leading a remote team became a challenge for many. In the post-pandemic world, there are various companies that have adopted the remote or hiring work environment, owing to cost-cutting measures and preferences by the employees. Leading a remote or hybrid team is not easy; companies are still experimenting with these trends. Let us understand how to manage hybrid and virtual teams effectively.

Set Clear Rules

Managing a team or an employee you have not met can be extremely difficult. One of the easiest ways to manage or lead a remote team could be to set clear rules. Inform the employees about what they can and cannot do while operating remotely. Having clear rules will keep everyone aligned and informed on the tasks they have to perform.  

Ensure Team Members have Tools  

Technology is one of the most powerful ways that allows team members to collaborate and engage. Make sure the team members have the right tools and technology to help them operate efficiently. Tools like Asana, Teams, and Monday.com will allow you to easily upload tasks and manage projects. It will even make it easier for the team members to collaborate and work on the project together.

Assign Responsibilities

If you are leading a remote team, you must ensure that everyone knows their tasks. It gets difficult to coordinate and may lead to unnecessary waste for the team. Therefore, ensuring that each individual has their tasks assigned makes sense. Upload the task onto the project management software to make it easier to track and assign the task.

Encourage Teamwork and Social Interaction

Working remotely can even lead to isolation, as employees might be working alone in their homes. In a hybrid working environment, the teams will still have a chance to interact and meet on certain days. Although, leading a hybrid team can also be challenging when the employees are not going to the office on the same day. Lack of communication in the team can pose various challenges and affect engagement. Encourage teamwork and social interaction among employees by planning activities or scheduling regular meetings with the virtual team.

Trust Your People

You might have issues trusting your employees when you are leading a remote or hybrid team. However, you must understand that being strict and micromanaging can go against you. Give employees the freedom to work according to their pace. Employees these days prefer a friendly and flexible environment. You should have rules that ensure discipline at the workplace, but you should avoid micromanaging. Trust your employees and ask them how they like to work. Try to foster relationships with the virtual team and see how it will enhance their productivity.  

Provide Clarity to the Team

Make sure that the existing employees and the new joiners are well-versed with the company laws. Provide clarity to each employee and have a follow-up meeting with them to discuss if they are facing any issues.

Include Everyone

Most issues occur in the workplace because of differences in employees' opinions. If you are planning any activity or initiative, you must consider incorporating everyone’s views. Ask the employees to share their thought processes and feedback regarding the same. Include your virtual team in every activity and make them feel valued.

Create Meeting Routines

Creating regular and recurring meetings can keep the employees engaged. Ask the employees about their preferred or convenient time for meetings. Having a 15-20 minute meeting with the team daily can enhance engagement and ensure they are aligned on the tasks or overall functioning of the organization.

Celebrate Success

Involve employees in each communication and make them feel secure. If the company is performing well, you may consider celebrating the success with the virtual team. When you are leading a remote team, you should pay attention to these little details. Involve new employees and encourage them to take part in communication activities. If you are facing any challenges with the hybrid team, try putting it forward and ask the employees for feedback. Have daily scrum calls to catch up with the team and find more effective solutions for the problems.  

Plan Virtual Activities

Leading a remote team would be much more effortless when you communicate, interact, and play with your virtual team. Consider organizing different team-building activities and encourage team members to participate actively. You can organize a quiz, host a movie night with the virtual team, or celebrate any success together on a virtual call. You may even consider celebrating team members' birthdays to make them feel valued and secure in the team. While leading a remote or hybrid team, you should always be empathetic in your approach. You have never met that employee, and you cannot judge anyone based on their personal concerns. Try to create a more inclusive work environment so the employees can share their problems openly.  

These are some of the rules you must follow while leading a remote team or a hybrid team. Coordinate with the employees and communicate with them to make it more organized.