When given the chance to work from home, McKinsey’s American Opportunity Survey found that over 87% of people would take the opportunity. This is why it is no surprise that many organizations today are offering remote work options.
New People Rules in a Virtual World –Harvard Business Review highlights four key indicators of team performance – candor, development, collaboration, and accountability. Forbes’ study shows just how much focusing on these values leads to their improvement, shown in their case study for National Instruments (NI).
Within a short period of time, the company experienced:
- 79% increase in candor
- 75% increase in development
- 46% increase in collaboration
- 44% increase in accountability
The positive results of remote work are there but this transition can pose new challenges for organizations. To ensure the success of their teams, IT managers can take certain steps to facilitate this transition.
1. Using the Right Tools
Every remote team member must have access to the necessary software, tools, and technologies to facilitate job efficacy. This includes collaboration software, project management tools, communication platforms, and secure remote access to the company’s resources.
Providing team members with the tools that can facilitate remote work success is also important. Task management tools such as Asana and Jira can help save time and allow team members to schedule their tasks appropriately.
2. Establish Clear Goals and Expectations
Communicating the team’s goals, objectives, and expectations ensures everyone understands their roles and responsibilities. It helps remote team members put into perspective exactly what is expected of them, keeping them focused and aligned.
Establishing clear goals and expectations also helps reduce conflict between remote team members as everyone is clear on their individual roles and responsibilities.
3. Make Video Meetings More Effective
Virtual team members can often feel isolated and excluded from the rest of their colleagues. It is important for IT managers to create a sense of togetherness for remote team members. Video meetings are a great way for employees to connect with one another within minutes.
Popular channels such as Zoom, Skype, or Slack are ideal for conducting video meetings. Just like traditional employees, remote employees can also utilize video meetings to share their ideas and involve themselves in the decision-making process to feel more included.
4. Be Personal
Remote team members can sometimes feel distanced due to a lack of physical contact between team members and managers. It can reduce team members’ morale and negatively affect their productivity if they feel uncared for.
IT project managers can get more personal through routine check-ins. In these meetings, they must ensure each team member knows that they and their contributions are important to the organization. Project managers must ways to elevate their team member’s dignity and worth so they don’t feel discouraged.
5. Set Up Clear Ways to Measure Performance
Performance indicators and metrics help track an individual’s and team’s overall progress. Some organizations prefer a quarterly performance measurement cycle, while others go for yearly cycles.
For remote teams, a quarterly cycle can be more beneficial as it keeps employees on track and holds them accountable for their tasks.
IT Project Managers are not just tech support for a team, rather, they effectively manage current systems and assets and recommend and implement solutions. Find your next IT Project Manager with PMO Partners. Contact us here.