Technology, coupled with globalization and business expense cutbacks, has led the interactive marketing manager and freelance creative director to sometimes lead teams that work offsite, out in the field or even in another state.
Managing and motivating remote employees presents several unique challenges including:
- Reduced face-to-face time to discuss problems, updates, feedback and career goals
- Slower training times, making it longer for a new employee to get up to speed
- Over-supervising due to distance, which can lead to employee animosity
- Remote workers feeling undervalued or forgotten
While these challenges can occur in a regular in-office, traditional cubicle-like setting, they’re often intensified by sheer distance. As a freelance creative director, being aware of these challenges, and taking steps to address them can lead to a more productive and happy remote workforce.
Let’s take a look at a few practical tips an interactive marketing manager can use to both manage and motivate his or her remote team.
1) Include the virtual team. Include your remote workers in meetings. If the budget is tight and you can’t afford to pay travel expenses for your mobile team to attend meetings, utilize the many affordable web conferencing services available today. In other words, consistently include them in the loop. Another tip: Display your remote team proudly on the company’s organization chart.
2) Promote based on performance rather than location. Whether real or imagined, remote workers can feel that they’re lower in the pecking order than on-site employees. To combat this perception, managers should make it crystal clear that advancement considerations are based solely on performance. Having a remote employee in an authoritative, trusted position is a visible reminder that remote employees are valued in your organization.
3) Provide concrete positive feedback. When working with a distributed workforce, informal praise and an off-handed “good job” can get lost in the shuffle. As an alternative, consider sending a positive recognition email that requires a bit more effort on your part; it can do wonders for the morale of the distant worker.
4) Provide extra support during training phases. Because training can be slower when working with a remote or mobile employee, ensure that there is support available while the employee is learning a new task or responsibility. Have support be available via phone, web conferencing or chat while the employee is getting up to speed with his duties.
5) Set up a buddy program. Team up one on-site employee with an off-site employee to foster comradely and communication. As an added bonus, this arrangement can help boost morale to the team as a whole.
There are more tips than the above of course, but if you develop a different mindset and a keen awareness when managing a remote workforce, you’ll have no problems managing employees who are in Chicago while you’re in New York.
Elizabeth M is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.
