6 Tips for Managing Remote Employees More Effectively

As long-time readers of this blog will know, I went from being a freelancer with no experience to building a relatively successful writing business both on and off the Fiverr platform.

Over the course of growing that business, I took on several remote employees. As it turned out, hiring remote freelancers to work under me was a mistake. But that’s a story for another day.

Today, I want to focus on the period I had these writers on my team. I picked up several tips and learned many lessons during that time regarding managing remote employees, so I thought I would share them with you.

Obviously, some of these are specific to writing, as that’s my profession, but most are relatable across all industries.

So, without further ado, let’s get into my recommendations for effective management of remote employees.

Tip #1: Set Clear Expectations

The first tip is to be clear about what you expect from your employee. This might seem like a no-brainer, but it’s important to remember that when you’re not working side-by-side with someone, it can be easy for things to get lost in translation, even when you both speak the same language.

I often left things up to my remote employees when I should have been more specific about what I wanted. It’s not that they were terrible at their jobs, but rather that they didn’t know exactly what I wanted from them. As a result, they often did things that weren’t in line with my vision for clients’ work.

Thus, in my experience, it makes sense not just to set instructions for specific tasks but also lay down some of the basics you expect on a daily or weekly basis.

For example, if you want your employee to check in with you once a day, say so. If you want them to use specific software or adhere to a particular process (as was the case with me and writing blog posts), make that clear as well.

The more specific you can be about your expectations, the less room there is for error and misunderstanding.

Tip #2: Over-Communicate

I know what you’re thinking. This tip is similar to the first, but it’s worth emphasising separately. When you’re managing remote employees, it’s vital that you over-communicate. Again, this is because things can so easily get misinterpreted or lost in translation when you’re not working face-to-face.

Make sure to communicate more than you think is necessary. I initially relied on emails alone, which was a huge mistake and caused headache after headache. As soon as I switched to video calls, hey presto, most of my problems disappeared.

It’s also important to be clear, concise, and specific in your communications. Again, this is to avoid any potential misunderstandings. For example, if you’re emailing your employee about a task you need them to complete, don’t just say, “Can you do X?”. Say something like, “I need you to do X by this time on this date”. This may seem like a small change, but it makes a BIG difference.

Tip #3: Set Deadlines for Earlier Than You Need

Speaking of completing things by specific dates, deadlines are crucial when managing your employees. However, don’t just base your deadlines on when the last person in the work process chain (usually your client) needs the work.

Stuff happens, work quality isn’t always up to scratch, and in one instance, my employee’s university halls caught fire, and she had to be evacuated. Needless to say, she didn’t meet her deadline that week, and I had to take on the work myself when I didn’t really have the capacity.

Therefore, set your deadlines for when you need the work, and then give yourself a buffer period in case something happens. This way, even if your employee doesn’t meet their deadline, you’ll still have time to fix things before your client notices.

Tip #4: Get to Know Your Remote Employee

This is more of a general tip that you can apply to managing any remote team member, and it’s definitely something I wish I had started sooner.

When you’re working with someone remotely, it can be difficult to get to know them on a personal level. After all, you’re not in the same office, so you don’t have the opportunity to chat by the coffee machine or bond over lunch breaks. But getting to know your remote employee is essential if you want to create a good working relationship.

Here are a few tips:

– Make time for regular check-ins: Even if it’s just a quick video call. Use this time to catch up on how things are going both professionally and personally.

– Get involved in team-building activities: If your remote employee is part of a larger team, make sure they feel included in virtual team events and bonding activities.

– Encourage communication outside of work hours: This could be something as simple as exchanging book recommendations or sharing articles that you think they would find interesting.

Hopefully, by implementing some of these ideas, you’ll get to know your remote employee and build a strong foundation for a productive working relationship.

Tip #5: Use the Right Software Tools

There are so many different tools out there that can help with managing remote employees. But with so much choice, it can be hard to decipher which one is right for you.

For me, I found Trello to be the best tool to communicate with my remote workers and manage workflow. However, you might find that Slack, Asana, or something else works better for you. It really depends on your specific needs and preferences.

Some other software tools that you might find helpful for managing remote employees include:

– Zoom (for video calls)

– Google Hangouts (for messaging and video calls)

– Dropbox (for file sharing)

– LastPass (for password management and shared logins)

– Toggl (for time tracking)

Experiment with different tools and see which ones work best for you and your team.

Tip #6: Be Flexible and Understanding

This is one of the hardest things about managing remote employees, in my opinion. You can’t always control what’s going on in their personal lives, and there will be times when they need to take time off or work around other commitments.

It’s vital to be understanding and flexible when this happens. Of course, you need to set boundaries so that work doesn’t suffer, but try to be understanding if your employee needs to take a sick day or take some time off for personal reasons.

After all, they are human beings, not machines.

managing remote employees more effectively

Crucially, it’s also important to keep hold of good employees, whether they’re remote or not. The amount of time, energy, and money it takes to train a team member is significant. Thus, keeping hold of a good employee is paramount to avoid the costly and time-consuming process of finding and training a replacement.

Practically speaking, that means making a few sacrifices every now and again rather than throwing out the baby with the bathwater over a missed deadline or a simple misunderstanding.

Recap: Managing Remote Employees Isn’t Straightforward, But with the Right Attitude and Tools, It’s Certainly Doable

Managing remote employees isn’t always easy, but hopefully, these tips will help you to do it effectively. Just remember to be flexible, understanding, and well-organised, and you should be able to manage any remote team member without too much trouble.

While, in the end, I decided that scaling up my operation to include writers underneath me wasn’t the way forward at this moment in time, I did learn plenty of lessons that will stand me in good stead should I ever decide to outsource again in the future.

I hope that by sharing my experiences, I can help you to avoid making the same mistakes I did.