woman leading a virtual meeting on her laptop from home

How to Manage and Lead Virtual Teams Effectively for Business Success

May 31, 2024

In the era of remote work, leading virtual teams effectively is crucial for business success. This article explores key strategies such as clear communication, setting expectations and more, all aimed at enhancing productivity and satisfaction among remote employees. Dive in to learn more about these practical tips and the benefits of remote work.

Remote work has become more widespread since the pandemic, but it can be challenging to manage and lead your virtual team when they are not physically in front of you.¹ Luckily, the role of manager remains the same regardless of the location of your employees - to motivate team members and organise resources to help them perform their best.² In fact, there can be many benefits to working remotely:

Benefits of remote work

Remote employees are reportedly more productive. Working from home means they have greater flexibility during the work day and more time to spend on their work without distractions.¹
Employees who work remotely are often happier and more satisfied with their jobs. Employee happiness contributes to increased productivity and employee retention.¹
Having remote employees means a business can save on costs around having an office space, such as rent, cleaning, maintenance, and utilities.¹
Being a remote workplace provides access to a greater pool of talent, with the option to hire globally. When hiring for your business, you’re no longer limited to candidates within reasonable commuting distance.¹

What should you consider to ensure you’re successfully leading virtual teams? Here are our favourite tips for remote managers:

5 Top Tips to Manage and Lead your Remote Team

1. Communication is key

Possibly the biggest challenge of managing virtual teams is effective communication. Remote communication requires managers and employees to have multiple communication tools.¹ You may want to have a way to speak to your teams directly with your voice (like over the phone), a way to communicate over video, and a messaging tool so you can collaborate and share important information and files with your workers effectively.¹ Several platforms like Zoom, Google Hangouts and Microsoft Teams, combine messaging, voice and video calls, and also offer the ability to schedule meetings or share files.¹ For team or individual tasks, responsibilities, and desired outcomes, overcommunication is important to avoid confusion or lack of clarity.³

2. Set clear expectations

Make sure you set clear expectations for your remote employees during working hours. This might mean using professional language in messages and making sure there is no distracting background noise during calls.¹ You might set expectations around how often employees should check in with you, how they should communicate with you and what times of day are best.² When remote working collaboratively, the team needs to be on the same page and understand the task, the deadline, and who is responsible.² Be careful of assuming your team understands what they need to be focusing on and communicate your expectations regularly to ensure they stay on track.³

3. Schedule regular meetings

When managing virtual teams, regular meetings can help give you a better idea of an employee’s progress and performance.¹ These meetings allow your employees to discuss their concerns or ask you any questions about their roles or tasks.¹ In a remote working environment, most employees view their immediate manager as the most important link they have to the business, so regular check-ins are very beneficial.² Depending on your needs or the needs of the team or individual, these meetings may be short daily chats, longer weekly calls, or extensive monthly meetings.²

woman pointing at her computer screen whilst holding a clipboard

4. Avoid micromanaging

One of the parts of remote working that employees value the most is the opportunity to approach their way of working in a way that suits them.¹ Without being in the same space as employees, it might be tempting to check they are actively working by regularly checking in. But by constantly checking up on their progress, you could slow down their productivity¹. Micromanaging like this can feel overbearing for your employees who instead want the freedom to complete tasks how they wish.⁴

Read about the 13 Management Styles in Business for a look at some different ways you might approach leading your virtual team.

5. Build community with your employees

To ensure they feel connected to the rest of the business, foster a sense of community with your remote employees.¹ Remote work can lack opportunities for spontaneous socialisation or coaching, so by checking in with remote employees and their wellbeing you can make sure your employees feel supported.²

Building trust with your teams is important for enhancing employee productivity and reducing employee turnover.⁵ You might build trust and community with casual group chat channels and ask how everyone is at the start of meetings.¹ You can also encourage open communication between remote employees so they can support each other to overcome any challenges they might be facing.¹ A remote manager should try to understand the unique circumstances of each employee and show flexibility or help the team overcome obstacles if they can.³

Successfully managing virtual teams can be a difficult task. By embracing the benefits of remote work and implementing some of our tips you can ensure your teams thrive. Strong communication, setting clear expectations, regular check-ins, trusting employees to work with minimal supervision, and fostering a sense of belonging can all work to cultivate a supportive work environment for your team, regardless of their location.

Sources:

How to Manage and Lead Virtual Teams Effectively for Business Success

Benefits of remote work