How HR can Help Managers to Manage Remote Teams

By OrangeHRM | Published on 11 abr. 2023 | minute read

As the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the trend towards remote work, more and more organizations are finding themselves with dispersed teams. While remote work offers many benefits, it also presents unique challenges for managers who must lead and coordinate their teams from afar. Human Resources (HR) professionals can play a critical role in supporting managers to succeed with remote teams by providing guidance, resources, and tools.

The Rise of Remote Work and its Challenges for Managers

Remote work has been gaining popularity for years, with many companies recognizing its potential benefits such as increased productivity, reduced overhead costs, and improved work-life balance for employees. However, managing remote teams can pose challenges for managers, who must navigate a different set of circumstances compared to those of traditional office settings.

Communication

Any team that wants to be successful must have effective communication, but doing so in a remote setting can be more challenging. In order to keep everyone on the same page and successfully communicate with their team members, managers need to develop regular ways to give feedback. Without face-to-face communication, misunderstandings could happen, which could reduce productivity and erode team members' faith in one another.

Collaboration

In a remote work setting, collaboration can be more difficult. Although geographically separated, team members must still be able to work together efficiently, therefore managers must develop strategies to promote collaboration. When team members are located in different time zones or have varying work schedules, this can be particularly challenging.

Maintaining Morale and a Sense of Community

Working remotely can be lonely, which can result in lower spirits and a lack of rapport among team members. Even when team members are working from separate places, managers must find strategies to preserve team morale and promote a feeling of community. This can involve setting up chances for team members to communicate and socialize online, regular check-ins, and team-building exercises.

Maintaining Accountability

Maintaining accountability in a remote work setting can be difficult. Managers need to figure out how to make sure team members stick to their assignments and reach their deadlines.

Performance Issues

For managers, dealing with performance concerns that develop in a remote work setting might be more difficult. In order to meet performance requirements and support team members who may be having difficulties, managers must discover effective strategies to do both.

How HR can Help

The HR department can play a crucial role in supporting managers in addressing the challenges of remote work. Providing guidance, resources, and training opportunities, can help managers to establish a proper system in place to make sure that the managers are well-equipped to manage remote teams. 

Managers can receive advice on how to effectively communicate in a remote work environment, including how to use the right communication tools and technologies, and also arrange for managers and team members to receive training and development opportunities on communication skills, as well as tools like templates and guidelines. Subsequently, the HR department can help managers set up procedures and tools to facilitate productive teamwork among remote members. This may entail the use of project management software, teamwork tools, and video conferencing equipment. In order to promote teamwork and collaboration, HR may also offer advice on best practices for online meetings and brainstorming sessions. 

They can collaborate with managers to set up virtual team-building exercises, frequent check-ins, and chances for team members to interact. As well as tools and advice, they can offer programs like stress reduction and mindfulness that promote employee well-being to improve morale and inclusivity. But that is not all HR can assist managers in developing procedures for tracking progress and keeping track of performance while also offering direction on giving team members feedback and developing performance improvement strategies. Establishing performance indicators, offering chances for training and development, and establishing a clear procedure for handling performance issues are all things HR can do in collaboration with management. In addition to offering advice on legal matters and the best ways to handle performance-related concerns remotely.

The success of managing and effectively performing remote teams is dependent on how managers handle their remote workforce. With remote work becoming a popular concept with each passing day the need for more traditional managers and workplaces to adapt is an increasing necessity to make sure that companies hang on to their top talent. With this it becomes very important that the HR department of an organization supports their managers and not only managers but their employees as well in adjusting or helping them overcome the challenges presented by remote work.

Why OrangeHRM?

With the HR department's role becoming increasingly important in a global labor market context, a dynamic and well-functioning HR department can help organizations immensely. With OrangeHRM, a comprehensive HRIS solution, automating your mundane HR processes is a walk in the park. Highly effective and innovative OrangeHRM can help HR departments eliminate time-consuming processes as well as offer more advanced modules such as time-tracking, performance management, leave management, training and so much more to help manage remote teams better and faster. Book your FREE demo to see OrangeHRM in action today!