Three potential roadblocks to remote team success

As working remotely begins to feel more normal, you may start to notice specific challenges effectively blocking the successful functioning of your team.

Working too much

Despite the belief that employees will slack off if you are not there to watch over them the opposite tends to be true: Remote workers are more likely to overwork, and when your personal life and your work are both under the same roof, it's much harder to switch off.

• Put measures in place to ensure you and your team maintain a good work-life balance
• Be alert to signs of fatigue and stress caused by people blurring the lines and not switching off

Lack of engagement and motivation

Where face-to-face human contact is minimal, it’s easy for engagement to slip and for people to feel isolated. Engaged employees can be up to 10 times more productive than disengaged ones, so you need to take proactive steps to keep employees motivated and mitigate factors that frustrate them.

• Celebrate accomplishments and successes
• Provide genuine opportunities to share and resolve frustrations
• Be supportive and demonstrate empathy

Poor communication

It’s easy to make assumptions and to misunderstand who’s supposed to do what and when. Clarity and over-communicating is critical.

• Set clear expectations and hold employees accountable
• Follow up
• Communicate consistently
• Respond quickly when employees needed support

These roadblocks can impact productivity, motivation and cause unnecessary stress, but each of them is manageable and correctable if you are alert and proactive.

Chrissie Coates, Managing Director, U Transition
www.utransitionconsulting.com