In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the global workforce shifted toward remote work to navigate unprecedented challenges. As the dust settles, organizations find themselves at a crossroads, contemplating the optimal balance between remote and traditional work settings. Concerns over potential decreases in productivity, communication obstacles, and the preservation of company culture loom large, leading many companies to approach remote work cautiously.
The findings of the Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey shed light on this complex landscape, revealing a strong inclination towards a hybrid work model (62%) among respondents. This nuanced approach acknowledges employees’ diverse needs and preferences, recognizing that some thrive in the freedom and flexibility of remote team management while others value the structure and social interaction of the office environment.
Both fully remote and blended workforces need efficient cooperation strategies to perform their best and provide added value to their organizations. But how can this be achieved? And how can modern companies mitigate risks related to hybrid teams, especially as they span distant time zones?
Drawing upon insights from our clients’ experiences, we have identified several tactics to transform each remote team challenge into an opportunity for growth, efficiency, and triumph in the digital era.
The Prevailing Fears of Remote Team Engagements
Engaging in remote work can trigger understandable concerns among companies. Here are some common fears keeping them from leaving physical offices:
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Loss of Control: Without the ability to directly observe work processes and interactions, companies worry about losing control over project timelines, quality assurance, and overall productivity. According to Remote Workforce Report 2023 by Remote, 39% of decision-makers identify maintaining high employee engagement as the primary challenge of remote team management.
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Cybersecurity: In the wake of the pandemic, cyberattacks on remote workers have spiked by 238%. This surge leaves companies worried that remote data storing may cause data breaches, hacking attempts, and unauthorized access to proprietary information, especially when employees work from various locations with varying levels of network security.
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Company Culture and Teamwork: Without face-to-face interactions and shared physical spaces, team members may feel isolated or disconnected from the broader company culture. As highlighted in Buffer’s State of Remote Work 2023 report, 23% of remote workers grapple with loneliness. Such sentiments can adversely affect communication, collaboration, and the sense of belonging within the team.
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Language and Cultural Barriers: Differences in language proficiency, communication styles, and cultural norms can lead to misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and decreased effectiveness of remote team management.
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Time Zone Differences: Coordinating meetings, project deadlines, and real-time remote team management becomes challenging when workers are spread across different geographical locations, leading to potential delays and inefficiencies in project execution.
Having these concerns is natural and not without justification, as remote team management is bound to be challenging at first (as any deviation from a well-rooted practice). However, with the right remote workforce provider, integrating a cross-border team into a company becomes a smooth process.
Drawing from our experience collaborating with clients worldwide, including notable names like Agidens, Sitecore, Staffbase, and GS1, we’ve seen firsthand the immense benefits of diligent remote team management. With best practices in place, we’ve witnessed increased productivity, improved employee satisfaction, and enhanced flexibility for the company and its workforce.
Key Benefits of Remote Teams
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Large Talent Pool: Remote work allows you to hire the best talent regardless of location, expanding your potential pool of candidates. Our dedicated teams crafted for clients often comprise over 20 experts spanning diverse IT specializations.
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Cost Efficiency: Operating remotely eliminates the need for physical office space, reducing overhead costs associated with rent, utilities, and office supplies. Furthermore, based on our client’s experience, implementing an effective remote team solution can lead to a notable 7% reduction in sales operations costs.
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Affordable Pricing: With cross-border teams, you can often find skilled professionals in areas with lower living costs, potentially leading to more competitive service pricing.
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Scalability and Agility: Remote teams offer flexibility in scaling up or down based on project needs, enabling greater agility in response to market changes and your business demands.
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Diverse Perspectives: Remote teams unite individuals from diverse backgrounds and cultures, fostering innovation and creativity through varied perspectives and ideas.
5 Essential Strategies for Efficient Remote Team Cooperation
What connects Agidens, Televic Healthcare, and AGR Software? All these companies thrive on remote team management. Whether your organization is a corporate giant or a small emerging business, your company can benefit from managing international teams – regardless of your industry or location. Yet, effectively addressing these challenges requires the expertise of a seasoned dedicated remote team provider who easily navigates maneuvers through international labor laws, local regulations, and cultural nuances.
So, how do you ensure smooth collaboration and foster a thriving remote work environment? Here are a few tried and tested methods:
Prioritize Clear Communication
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Encourage asynchronous communication: Recognize that team members may be in different time zones and encourage the use of email or messaging platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams, where responses aren’t expected immediately.
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Foster casual online channels: Create virtual water cooler spaces for non-work-related conversations to help remote team members bond.
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Host virtual team-building: Plan fun and engaging activities like virtual escape rooms, trivia nights, or online team challenges to strengthen team cohesion.
Build Trust and Team Spirit
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Lead by example: Managing multinational teams poses a multitude of challenges. Demonstrate openness, vulnerability, and accountability in your communications and interactions with team members.
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Celebrate successes: Acknowledge and celebrate achievements, milestones, and contributions to foster a positive and supportive team culture.
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Promote cross-functional collaboration: Encourage team members from different departments or regions to collaborate on projects or initiatives to build mutual respect and understanding.
Organize Tasks Expertly
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Set priorities: Communicate which tasks or projects are most important and ensure alignment across the team.
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Foster collaboration in task management: Encourage team members to collaborate on tasks and share updates or progress in project management tools like Asana, Trello, or Basecamp.
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Provide ongoing support: Offer training sessions or resources to help team members optimize their use of remote team project management tools and techniques.
Keep Data Safe and Secure
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Conduct regular security audits: Schedule periodic reviews of your cybersecurity measures and protocols to identify and address any vulnerabilities or gaps.
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Implement multi-factor authentication: Require team members to use additional verification methods, such as biometrics or one-time passcodes, to access sensitive systems or information.
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Stay up-to-date: Keep your team updated on the latest cybersecurity threats and trends through regular training sessions, newsletters, or security alerts.
Respect Everyone’s Privacy
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Encourage data minimization: Encourage team members to collect, store, and share the minimum amount of personal or sensitive information necessary for their work.
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Review privacy policies regularly: Update your organization’s privacy policies and procedures when necessary to ensure they comply with relevant laws and regulations.
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Provide resources for data protection: Offer resources, such as privacy training sessions or online courses, to help team members understand their responsibilities and obligations regarding data protection and privacy.
Neutralizing the Impact of Time Discrepancies
Remote team management can sometimes feel like a wild rollercoaster ride when trying to align work between a solution architect in New York, a marketing team in Dublin, and DevOps experts in Wroclaw. But it doesn’t have to! Here are some savvy strategies to turn it into a steady ride:
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Set flexible schedules: Agree on specific hours, respective of various time zones, where all team members are expected to be available for meetings, collaboration, and quick communication.
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Overlap working hours: Identify times when all time zones overlap for real-time collaboration, quick decision-making, and effective remote team management.
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Share calendars: Track team members’ working hours, holidays, and deadlines. This transparency helps everyone plan meetings and tasks accordingly, reducing the likelihood of scheduling conflicts.
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Adjust meetings: Distribute meeting times fairly across time zones, ensuring no one consistently bears the brunt of early or late calls.
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Record and document: Keep meeting minutes and make documentation accessible to keep everyone informed.
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Create a resource hub: Store project updates, progress reports, records, and documents in a single place for shared access.
Remote Team Management Redefined
Like any work setup, remote team management has its ups and downs. As George Penn, VP at Gartner, aptly puts it, “Success in a hybrid work environment requires employers to move beyond viewing remote or hybrid environments as a temporary or short-term strategy and to treat it as an opportunity.”
With 14 years of experience assisting global clients across industries, pwrteams excels in fostering strong connections and tackling obstacles head-on. We empower businesses to save money, speed up time to market, and boost work quality and efficiency with skilled dedicated teams.
Need help managing multinational teams? Get in touch, and our experts will assess your needs to match you with the right IT talent.
