Editorial TeamThe demand for remote work has never been higher. Some workplaces are finding that offering remote work can attract top talent. Working remotely can be a dream come true if done correctly.
Managers and employees have found themselves on a new playing field that is remote work. While it offers more flexibility for employees, it can create additional friction for a manager. Teamwork can make the dream work when you set expectations with your team working remotely.
Thankfully working remotely with a team can be easy with clear guidelines and expectations. Here is how to set expectations with your team when working remotely.
Daily Expectations
Routines are often claimed to increase productivity and lead to a more focused workforce. That is why one way to set expectations with your team is to set daily routines for each member of your team.
There are many ways you can create a daily routine for your team. Whether it is a combination of small daily tasks, such as checking emails, or larger projects, such as writing blogs, knowing what you need to complete each day will help your employees stay on track. Make sure you prioritize tasks to ensure the most important tasks get completed. Teamwork makes the dream work when you work with your team to create a daily task list to help them hit the expectations and goals of their role in your organization.
Time blocking is also a great way to help set daily expectations for your team. When creating a task list with our team you can set timelines for activities, so they can make sure they are completing tasks in a reasonable time zone. Additionally, you can also create set times for meetings or other activities to better help your team lock their day for completing tasks.
Have your team send out a daily recap at the end of their day. This way they can share what they worked on each day and help keep you in the loop on their day-to-day activities. This will also help your team hold themselves accountable with minimal micro-management.
Simple Tips For Setting Daily Expectations For Your Team
- Create a task list ahead of time
- Block out time for each task
- Have your team send daily recaps
Creating daily expectations is important to creating a motivated remote team. That is why a task list is the most important way to set expectations for your team. By setting task lists and time expectations for your team you can expect your team to manage themselves like clockwork.
Weekly Check-Ins
No matter how productive, or focused your remote team is, as a manager it is important o have frequent check-ins with your remote employees. Not only is a weekly check-in important for managing expectations, but for connecting with your team, giving feedback, and improving the performance of your team. That is why one of the top ways to set expectations with your team when working reportedly is a weekly check-in.
No matter what your team is working on, it’s important to set daily guidelines and expectations. Having these expectations can help your team stay on track but also minimize micro-management. You can easily track and monitor these daily routines in a weekly review.
Weekly one-on-ones are extremely important to build personal relationships with your team, build company culture, solve problems, and review employee performance. By performing weekly check-ins with your team you can create a more cohesive and productive team. Additionally, you can ensure no tasks are being overlooked, and see how you can help your team improve.
You should strive for your weekly check-ins to be a positive echo chamber, where you can give feedback, help solve problems and connect with your team members. Here is a short checklist to help you breeze through your next weekly check-in:
Weekly Check-in Checklist
- Positive Reflection
- Review of Past Week Performance / Major Projects or Goals
- Solve or Assist With Problems If Needed
- Catch up and Connect On A Personal Level
Make your check-in a have a positive environment by starting with a positive focus. Both you and your teammate share a positive thing from your personal or professional life. This helps your meeting start on a positive note and get to know each other better. This is a great way to share something positive that a team member did in the past week and give praise where needed.
From here, you can use the last week’s performance to check in on how daily tasks and larger projects are coming along. Make sure you listen before offering or forcing a solution and see how you can make the process easier for your team (if needed).
Lastly, make sure to set some time to catch up with your team and check in to see how they are feeling. A burnt-out team won’t be successful or operating at its best ensure that your team has everything they need to be successful.
While daily expectations and recaps are important to keep your team on track, it is important to keep connected to ensure teamwork makes the dream work. That is why it is important to have weekly check-ins.
Maintaining A Work-Life Balance
One of the most important expectations to set for your team is a healthy work-life balance. A healthy work-life balance will help have a more productive and happier team. Additionally, a healthy work-life balance can also ensure no one on your team faces burnout and you can offer support to your team when needed.
One of the top complaints about remote workers is struggling to maintain a work-life balance. Whether it is logging off at the right time, or checking emails on the weekends, the lines can blur when working remotely. That is why it is important to help your team set healthy workplace boundaries.
Tips for Helping Your Team Maintain A Healthy Work-Life Balance:
- Set a Schedule For Your Team and Stick To It
- Schedule Breaks Throughout the Day and Encourage Your Team To As Well
- Make and Talk ABout After Work plans
Setting a schedule can be as easy as a set log-in and log-out per day, and letting team members know when you are available. Be sure not to respond to emails during the weekend. Or other times that are listed as unavailable.
Make your calendar visible to your team members so they can see what you are working on throughout the day and know when to reach out with questions. This way they know when you are available, and when to get ahold of you. You can also go as far as to only be in meetings during certain times for your times, or even set breaks in your work calendar.
Lastly, make sure to encourage your teams to be active outside of work. You can do this by asking about hobbies, and plans your teams have outside working hours and make sure they enjoy their time away from work.
It’s extremely important to set a work-life schedule for yourself and your employees to follow. This will help your team avoid burnout, and lead your team to be more productive, and focused during their work hours.
Summary
Remote work is a great way to attract top talent, have more productive teams, and have a strong and healthy company culture, if done properly. When working remotely, teamwork makes the dream work, but only if you have set expectations with your team.
Setting expectations for your team can be as easy as 1,2,3 through the simple tricks we shared today.
Here is How To Setting Expectations For Your Team When Working Remotely:
- Create Daily Expectations: use A daily task list, with time limits, and ask for daily recaps from your team to ensure work is being done without micro-managing.
- Have Weekly Check-ins: Stay connected with your team with a weekly check-in. Share positive stories, assist with problems, and see regular progress from your employees.
- Maintain A Work-Life Balance: teamwork makes the dream work when you ensure your team has a work-life balance and comes into work focused and ready to conquer the day!
How do you set expectations with your remote team?
Bio: Catherine Way is the Marketing Manager at Prime Plus Mortgages: Mortgage Note Investing a hard money lender and note provider for real estate investors.