By Fernando Berrocal

The COVID-19 has forced everyone around the world to return home, which has had a direct impact on how businesses manage their staff as a whole. Although remote work is becoming more popular than ever, most organizations have been caught off guard by the sudden and drastic shift from onsite to remote workers. It was clear that they weren’t ready for this situation.

It not only necessitates flexibility on the part of all, but it also requires management style adjustments on the part of startup managers to succeed in a remote culture as a whole. Here are our top suggestions for managing a newly transitioned remote staff for your startup, from having the appropriate mindset for the times to acquiring the best communication skills for remote employees to having the necessary tools to boost productivity to keep up with office benefits.

Attitudes:

The transition from office space to remote teams will need a mental adjustment for all of the working members.

Demonstrate Compassion: Your team is going remote in the face of terrifying and unprecedented world events. Don't let your over-anxiety about keeping your business afloat get the best of you. It takes time to become used to a new way of functioning. Some of your team members may have children or other family members at home, making working from home even more difficult. People may be concerned about losing their jobs. This is not the moment to lash out. Be sympathetic and supportive of the fact that everyone will have difficulties.

Concentrate on Results rather than Activities: You may observe how employees spend their time at their usual workplace. When it comes to performing duties, individuals will be mainly left to their own devices due to the distant culture that we are. That implies you'll have to change your attention from monitoring their everyday actions to recording their outcomes from a period.

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Make Accountability a Priority: You want to strike a balance between making your staff feel "watched" and supporting them. Accountability is essential for maintaining momentum and setting expectations. It also allows workers to communicate their successes and lets you congratulate them for their achievements. Last but not least, it guarantees that things are progressing at the required rate. Weekly check-ins can be extremely beneficial in promoting a culture of accountability by allowing each team member to communicate what they accomplished that week; get any assistance they may require.

Establish Remote Cultural Standards: If a startup engaged a remote workforce for the first time, this can be a particularly difficult area to arrange. If you start with a free-for-all approach, allowing everyone to establish their hours and communicate via their method, you'll quickly find yourself in remote management purgatory. There will just be too many distinct threads to keep track of, and you won't be able to hold your team members accountable. Ensure that everyone is using the same project management platform.

Communication:

At this point, having excellent remote team communication abilities is critical.

Not Simply Message, have a Face-to-Face or Voice Contact:  Make use of a phone call or a video meeting to connect with your team members. Many individuals may feel lonely at this time, and verbal and visual interaction gives them the human connection they need.

Weekly Get-Togethers to Foster Friendship:  Virtual hangouts can assist to preserve a sense of camaraderie, just as spending time together and engaging in the workplace does. Remember that your staff is accustomed to seeing each other regularly and sharing personal information. Organizing weekly hangouts can aid in the preservation of bonds.

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They should be Paired Together: You may improve the fabric of your remote team by matching employees and having them "hang out" once a week on virtual platforms. You may either stick with the same set of pals all the time or rotate them across your team. The goal is that workers will have someone to talk to other than you about their issues, questions, and suggestions.

Tools:

For your startup's remote workforce, using the appropriate technologies may improve communication, productivity, and security.

• Software for Project Management: Time tracking, budgeting, work division, and other features may help you keep on top of your projects from beginning to end. Popular alternatives include Asana and Wrike.

• Platforms for Virtual Offices: Messaging tools in platforms like Slack and Flock can help you stay connected.

• Conferencing Software: Software such as Zoom, Google Hangouts, and others allow you to hold video conference calls with members of your team.

• File sharing: It's vital that your team members can quickly and easily exchange and access critical data. Try applications like OneDrive or GoogleDrive for file sharing and storage.

Extras:

Don't stop giving office goodies simply because you can't provide them in person.

Give Virtual Presents: You won't be able to host workplace parties or celebrate staff birthdays or the company's anniversary together for the time being. You may still keep a celebratory atmosphere by giving presents that are beneficial to employees right now. Gift cards for delivery dinners from their favorite restaurants, iTunes, Spotify, or Google Play subscriptions, or even a simple bonus can work.

Allow workers to pick and select which presents they want. These gestures can aid in the retention of motivation. Managing these newly converted teams will offer several problems as the majority of startups migrate from on-site to remote staff. Maintain an optimistic attitude. Gifts are a great way to show your appreciation for your team members.

Ready to bring your startup to the next level? Apply to MassLight’s next batch. MassLight supplies capital and a dedicated tech team. We take equity in return. Have questions? Refer to our FAQ page.

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