The drive to get people in the UK back to the office is in full swing. More than 50 business leaders are urging the PM to do more to encourage remote workers to return to the office as the UK lifts restrictions.
But remote working isn’t going anywhere. Nor should it. Certainly not for everyone. Not when 75% of UK employees are actually happier working from home, according to research by Huawei.
Roughly the same number wish to adopt a hybrid working model (a combination of the two) moving forward, at the very least. Where possible, the best approach is a flexible approach to keep both workers and employers happy.
Lots of forward-thinking founders are more than happy to adopt a hybrid working model moving forward. And plenty will choose to work totally remotely for the foreseeable future.
Perhaps you’re a founder launching a new remote business, searching for advice on how best to go about it. Or maybe you're a manager looking for new ways to keep your remote team engaged.
As part of our ongoing Founder Stories series, we ask founders of UK companies to share their thoughts on remote working and how they effectively manage their remote teams. To ensure that everyone in their team can work well at home, now and post-pandemic.
We’ve cherry-picked the best advice and thrown together this helpful list. Without further ado, here are 19 top tips for managing remote teams, shared by founders themselves.
“Make sure you connect to your team daily, remember there is [still] a pandemic going on so it’s really important to protect your team’s mental health. They still need to feel connected.”
“Keep your morning catch-ups, whether you have something to report on or not. Touching base at the same time every day provides that human connection and routine to each day.”
“Successful remote working can be summed up with trust, task and communication.”
“Working from home can be both positive and negative. I am not a fan of Zoom or Microsoft Teams but they do provide a video lifeline. We find regular team chats and social engagement via quizzes etc. has helped through lockdowns so far.”
“In weekly team meetings, we allow for some time-wasting chit chat. We also spend a lot of time on Telegram and show off our GIFs.
In the old world, that would be seen as inefficient use of time, but I find that’s the bit that’s missing from the office.
Invest in those interactions and make time for your relationships. It’s not unproductive, it’s human. And that makes for more productive teams overall. It’s also way more fun!”
“Make sure your team has good technology. The best you can afford (laptop/desktop, internet connection, and productivity/collaboration APPS).”
“We use Asana, which is a fantastic task management platform to schedule and prioritise.”
“Have breaks like you normally would in-between meetings.”
“A top tip would be to ensure that everyone still feels connected and valued. Just because we’re working from home doesn’t mean that the social side of work is completely lost. It’s important to keep this going for a thriving company culture!”
“Make sure you have decent WIFI to support video-based meetings and use video calls as your preferred communication.
Keep conversations/meetings short, no longer than 20 minutes. Use collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams and Slack.”
“Scheduling [the] day and being disciplined with eating well, taking breaks and going out for walks helps to keep us sane!”
“We have regular Zoom catch-ups and we have a WhatsApp group. I find the latter the closest thing to studio vibes without being there. Quick communication about projects, plus also a general stupid chat.”
“Know that everyone’s situation is different so expect different rhythms and times for work for yourself, and others.”
“Remote working takes practice and the right tools but can be great for flexibility and work-life balance.
I also think it has normalised more acceptance of a diversity of home situations. We should see this more, and talk about it as a valuable part of supporting team members more holistically.”
“Make sure you chew the fat with your colleagues. Get to know people’s home situations. It’s important to understand when home-schooling finishes!”
“It’s all about collaboration for us, from our daily morning stand-ups to our daily evening rushes.
We are also a curious lot that never stop learning and because of this, we love teaching each other all sorts of stuff.
Our lunch and learns have instructed us all on talents from sign language, 3D texturing, caricatures, and even knitting!”
“Number one, use good software to keep productivity high. Two, use project management software such as Trello, Monday.com or Asana to streamline operations.
I would also advise a good communicative platform for passing on information around the team; I would suggest Slack. And Zoom is a must for meetings and for face-to-face interaction!”
“My big tip would be to keep the communications channels open with your team as much as possible.
And as well as staying in touch with the team, you also need to take care of yourself. Get away from the screens, see the real world with your own eyes.”
"My first recommendation would be to schedule regular catch-ups with the team with the cameras turned on (if possible), as interacting feels more natural when you can see one another.
We also encourage casual chat on Slack. It emulates the social dynamic of the office and allows us to solve problems and answer questions ASAP.
Fundamentally, trust your team to complete their tasks and complete them well. And try your best to be available should they need support of any kind."
A big thanks to all founders for their wise words of wisdom. Working remotely undoubtedly has its challenges, but by putting in place simple measures, remote teams can work just as effectively as those at the office (perhaps even more so).