Newsletter

Subscribe to our mailing list

March 23, 2020
Are You Prepared to Run an Effective Remote Team?

Are You Prepared to Run an Effective Remote Team?


Teams across all industries are working from home, many that never have before. While this may be uncharted territory for your team, working remotely can be highly effective if done right. You can trim off commute time, increase employee satisfaction, and allow for your team to create the environment that caters best to their individual working style. In fact, remote work was increasing significantly before the COVID-19 outbreak- the number of people telecommuting in the U.S. rose 159% between 2005 and 2017.

But we aren’t discrediting the learning curve for inexperienced remote workers and how this might impact productivity. At 10 Pound Gorilla, we have employees across all United States time zones. What is a unique challenge for many teams right now, we have been executing successfully for years. Here are some tips for keeping your organization a well-oiled machine, even during a national crisis.

Use Technology

If you don’t have a remote communication platform like Skype or Slack, get one ASAP. Don’t rely on phone calls and emails to communicate with your coworkers. Having everyone on an online platform where you can see if they are active, away from keyboard or on do not disturb can help to ensure you have the ability and timing to reach out quickly. These platforms allow you to get questions answered and will make communication more effective than dashing into their office. Invest in a time tracking tool that managers can use to view employee activity and progress. This way, you can feel confident work is getting done without badgering your employees. Additionally, make sure your remote team has all the tech they need to work from home. Laptops with operating cameras and computer mic, an extra monitor if that will make tasks go faster. These are tough financial times for some sectors but investing a little money in your remote technology will carry your team a long way.

Communication is Key

When you can’t just walk up to someone’s desk to address issues or discuss projects, taking your communication up a notch is key. This goes beyond your team communication. Regular and clear communication is critical with customers as well. Set up weekly or regular stand up meetings with clients to ensure communication stays on track. Words can be misinterpreted so it is crucial to have phone/facetime interaction to maintain a positive relationship. We like to reiterate that communication is key to any relationship, from a significant other to an employee-boss relationship. If issues aren’t expressed in a way that you can get ahead of them, problems arise. And it can seem easier to sweep things under the rug when your team is spread out. Staying in near-constant contact will also curb loneliness and isolation for those who live solo and are used to “water cooler talk.”

Don’t Forget About Team Meetings

It’s easy to round the team up and usher them into the conference room for a meeting. But even if you don’t have donuts to bribe your team to sit around a table, team meetings are even more important when your team isn’t communicating face-to-face. Keep the meetings structured but also leave time to ask your employees to voice any concerns they have. It’s easier to feel like you’re “bugging” people when you can’t actually see what they’re doing, especially management. This may prevent employees from speaking up about issues that need to be addressed. Scheduling regular team meetings on your communication platform of choice will give them a more formal way to express themselves.

Manage Expectations

Establish deadlines to help your team budget their time. Procrastination is easier from home. There’s laundry to be done, naps to be taken, or the urge to catch up on the latest Netflix show. We aren’t saying your employees aren’t hard workers, but if they are not used to working from home, the tendency to get sidetracked without even being aware of it is common. Creating clear deadlines will produce more of a sense of urgency and separation from your team’s “after work” to-do list. Define the scope, deadlines, and deliverables of your projects and have regular 15-minute check-ins to ensure progress is being made. Or, consider scheduling weekly calls with those delivering on deadlines so you don’t look back in a couple of weeks and wonder what everyone was working on.

Allow Your Team to Unplug

It’s hard to draw boundaries when your home and workspace are one and the same. You’d be surprised how effortless it can be to complete a 12-hour workday when you can roll out of bed, fire up your computer, work all day, and roll back into bed. Buffer’s “State of Remote” report showed that remote workers’ biggest hurdle was being able to unplug after work. While getting longer work hours out of your team may sound like a plus, it can quickly create job burnout. Breaks are still important when working from home. Don’t expect your employees to answer emails at 7 PM, even if you know they can. And don’t assume they are working through lunch. Trusting your employees and giving them adequate space will keep them more mentally healthy. 

Be Understanding

Understand that these are crazy times for everyone. Ensure your team is being productive and responsive but anticipate an adjustment period. Many haven’t worked remotely before and need to establish a routine. In addition, the kiddos are home from school and many parents are trying to play the role of teacher in addition to their day jobs. Be understanding and open to your team as they adjust and keep morale high. We like to use our “gif” function in our team chats, everyone could use a smile right now!

Remote work may be foreign, but we are confident your team can be as efficient, if not more, with the right tools and processes in place. If your team needs help establishing a productive remote workflow, 10 Pound Gorilla is glad to consult with your company on remote work best practices during this unprecedented time

Read our next post...

Events DNN Summit 2021 Follow-Up

Marketing Creating Video Content on a Budget

Web Dev Maximize Your Website’s ROI with Affordable Usability Testing

Marketing Less is More: Optimize Your Website Content

Marketing More UX Myths...Debunked

Marketing The Do’s and Don’ts of Marketing During COVID-19

Marketing Are You Prepared to Run an Effective Remote Team?

Marketing We Are Business As Usual… And Here to Help

Marketing Make the Most of Your Digital Marketing Budget

Marketing 4 Digital New Year’s Resolutions That Will Make Your Business More Money

Web Dev Are You Making These 6 Website Mistakes? Consider an Audit

Events Behind-the-Scenes on our New Brand Video

Marketing How to Create Facebook Posts That Command Attention

Marketing 10 Common UX Myths

Marketing 6 Reasons Your Business Needs a Blog

Events ADA Website Compliance Webinar

Web Dev With 2285 lawsuits in 2018, is your website ADA compliant?

Modules Increase E-commerce Sales with Nosto’s Content Personalization

Marketing Smarter Email with SharpSpring

Web Dev 10 Pound Gorilla Named as a Top Developer in Denver!

DNN Hangout with the Gorilla Girl

Events DNN Summit 2019 Follow-Up

Events Heli-Expo 2019

DNN, Events DNN Summit 2019

Marketing Business Tips for the New Year

Web Dev 10 Pound Gorilla Recognized as Top Web Design Firm in US for 2018

DNN, Web Dev Exciting News for 10 Pound Gorilla

Marketing What Has 10 Pound Gorilla Been Up To & Why It Can Help You Grow

DNN We’ve Made Friends Far and Away

DNN, Marketing, Web Dev 2018 DNN Summit Sessions

Marketing Influencers Influence, Followers Follow

We Secured $25,000 in Grants for Our Client – We Can Help You Too!

Marketing 5 “Must Do” Items to Enhance Your Marketing

Marketing Retargeting: Never Lose Sight Of Your Website Visitor

Web Dev Quality Websites Need Quality Typography

Marketing Web Development Meets Web Analytics: The Knowledge Gap

Web Dev Responsive Design: It's More Than Just Design

Marketing Economic Summit 2017

Marketing Mary Meeker's Global Internet Trends

Marketing, Web Dev A/B Testing: Getting the Most out of Your Site

Marketing, Web Dev Upping the Ante: Interactive Content

Marketing, Web Dev Google’s SEO Best Practices: A Starter Guide

Marketing Creating Timeless Content to Boost SEO

Marketing, Web Dev 2017 Research Recognizes 10 Pound Gorilla as a Leader in SEO

Marketing, Web Dev Designing an Elegant Website using Whitespace

Marketing, Web Dev Test Your Website’s Success Using Heat Maps

Marketing Start Fresh, & Advertise with Facebook!

DNN, Marketing, Web Dev 2017 DNN Summit Sessions

Marketing, Web Dev Web Design: The Past, The Present, & The Future

Marketing, Web Dev Intrusive Pop-Ups to be Penalized by Google

Marketing The New Wave of Advertising: Native Ads

DNN, Web Dev Proud Sponsor of DNN Summit 2017

Marketing Moving to Mobile

Marketing, Video Power of Video

DNN If you’re a DNN user, your site could be vulnerable to hackers

Marketing, Video The Art of Retargeting: How it works and Why You Should Retarget

DNN, Marketing, Web Dev 10 Pound Gorilla Named Top Ten Denver Web Development and Digital Marketing Agency by Clutch.co

Marketing 10 Tips to Design Your Website for Lead Generation

DNN, Marketing, Modules, Web Dev DNNCON: Thank You!

Marketing 10 Ways to Incorporate Direct Response Marketing with Print Media

DNN, Marketing, Web Dev 10 Pound Gorilla... One of Denver's Top 10 Digital Marketing Agencies

Marketing How to Turn Social Media Fans Into New Customers

Marketing Your Facebook Likes No Longer Matter!

Web Dev Is Google Going to Penalize Non-Mobile-Friendly Websites?

DNN DNNCON: Thank You!

DNN, Modules, Web Dev From Ordinary To Extraordinary

DNN, Marketing, Modules How to Sell, Quote or Budget for a DNN E-commerce Website

Web Dev Getting Users to "Respond" to Your Mobile Menu Designs

DNN, Web Dev DNNCON: Editor.css

Marketing Getting The Conversion

Marketing Tips for Writing Effective Newsletters

Marketing Why Should You Have a Newsletter?

Marketing Writing Copy That Will Actually Be Read

DNN Editor.css: Giving You & Your Clients Less Headaches

DNN, Web Dev Connall Cosmetic Surgery: Case Study

Web Dev Making the Case for a Responsive Site

DNN, Modules, Web Dev March Module Madness: Dynamic Forms

DNN, Modules, Web Dev March Module Madness: Ventrian News Articles

DNN, Modules, Web Dev March Module Madness: Form & List

Marketing 5 Tips to Online Marketing

Marketing How the Name "10 Pound Gorilla" Came to Be

Marketing Creative Online Marketing: Groupon & Living Social

Marketing Promoting Your Business With Instagram

Marketing Using Your Blog to Boost SEO

Marketing Surprising Social Media Facts & What You Should Do

DNN, Web Dev DNN Con 2013: Mobile Navigation

DNN, Web Dev DNN Con 2013: Determining What Makes the Mobile Cut

DNN, Modules, Web Dev DNN Con 2013: DDR And JQuery. More Than Just Hover And Drop Down.

Web Dev A Mobile-First Approach to the Web

DNN Southern Fried DNN: Best of both worlds: Great Design and Flexibility

DNN Southern Fried DNN: Different skin designs from just one skin file

Web Dev The Future of the Web: HTML5

DNN Dot Net Nuke World 2012 Speakers & Sponsors

Marketing Google Places is now Google+ Local

DNN, Marketing Day of DNN - Using DNN to Feed Data to Several Social Portals

DNN, Marketing Day of DNN - Easy to Use Strategies for Writing & Submitting Articles to Increase Inbound Links

DNN, Marketing Day of DNN - How to Optimize Your Socialization

DNN Guest Speakers at Day of DNN!

Marketing Enticing Your Followers with Fresh Content: A How To Guide

DNN, Web Dev What Can Website Templates Do For You?

Marketing Getting Up in the Ranks Through SEO

DNN, Modules Best DNN Shopping Cart

Marketing Enter into the "Timeline"

Marketing Making Your Facebook Business Page Secure

Marketing Get Your Tweet-Face On

DNN, Marketing Google Analytics and DNN

Marketing What is Social Media and What Can It Do for You

DNN Advantages of DotNetNuke

Web Dev 8 Ways to Increase Website Speed

Marketing Beyond Facebook and Twitter, Get "In" with Social Media

Web Dev 8 Great Website Development Tools

Web Dev Your Website & Internet Explorer

Marketing What is Google +1

Web Dev What is "The Cloud"?

Our Story
What makes us different?
+

Succeed

Contact 10 Pound Gorilla Today
for Your Free Consultation