5 Tips for Managing Remote Employees: How to Maintain Productivity and Engagement

TIP #1: Get 3 Agreements
I. What are the normal working hours for the team?
II. How long will it take to get back to each other?
III. How will we notify each other when will be unavailable and unable to meet these expectations?

TIP #2: Establish a Cadence of Communication
I. Weekly one-on-one meetings
II. WAR meeting (Weekly Action Review)
III. End-of-Day Check in

TIP #3: Establish a Video-First Culture
I. “Video-first” is an organizational communication strategy that places priority on video conferencing tools, as opposed to audio-only conference calls

TIP #4: Keep It Personal
I. Use the first few minutes of your one-on-one meetings to ask about their weekend, or similar personal interest.
II. At the beginning of your weekly WAR meeting have everyone spend 20-30 seconds sharing.
III. Create an online area, or group email, where people can share photos of their pets, or from recent vacations, holidays, or other events.
IV. Don’t forget to recognize team members for their effort and achievements. Share to the whole team positive feedback from customers, or internal customers.

TIP #5: Invest (a Little) In Tools & Tech
I. The basics: high speed Wi-Fi, good ergonomic chair, external keyboard, mouse, and monitor for their laptop or tablet.
II. For video-conferencing software consider many free or low-cost options to start: Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams, Zoho Remotely, Cisco Webex
III. For teaming and project management software consider: Basecamp, Asana, Wrike, Monday.

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2020/03/10/managing-remote-employees/#5150d92469c3