The workforce trend of moving from traditional offices to remote workers, once seen as a futuristic vision, is now well underway.
A 2016 Gallup study found that 43 percent of American workers spent at least some of their workweek in a remote location, and that number is expected to grow in the future.
While working remotely offers benefits to people who prefer the freedom and flexibility, it could present unique challenges for professionals who have to manage geographically dispersed teams.
Some managers may feel like they have little control when direct reports work outside the office. There's also a lack of personal interaction or engagement that is only experienced when your colleagues are working on site. Nevertheless, there are effective ways to get the most productivity from your remote team.
Engaging regularly is one of the best ways for managers to stay plugged in when their team works remotely, according to a Forbes Coaches Council report published in Forbes Magazine, Top 15 Tips to Effectively Manage Remote Employees.
The Council recommends that managers make a concerted effort to “engage your remote workers on a daily basis through some kind of communication. Use multiple channels to communicate, whether it's through telephone conference calls, instant messaging, or video conferencing, for example. Then, plan a regularly scheduled face-to-face meeting. This can be weekly, monthly, or annually, and could be combined with a training or coaching program.
To offer further guidance, this infographic illustrates 10 ways to successfully manage a team that works remotely:
