Resources for Managing Remote Teams
5 Essential Steps for Transitioning Your Team Online
As the University transitions to remote employment in response to COVID-19, we encourage you to take these five essential steps for supporting and managing your newly remote team. The highlights are below, but you can also join a micro-workshop on each topic every week.
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Set Expectations: Begin by establishing working agreements. What are normal working hours? What is the expected response time to emails and phone calls? How will the team communicate when they are unavailable?
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Communicate Effectively. Create a “video-first” culture. It will be important to establish the frequency and focus of meetings and encourage “face to face” communication whenever possible. Will meetings be daily, weekly or monthly? Are these one-on-one meetings or team meetings? What will be their purpose?
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Modify Culture. Encourage “water cooler chit-chat” through email, chat software, or video conferencing tools. It is important to maintain personal relationships right now.
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Clarify Goals. Discuss team roles and degree of autonomy. What your team's priorities right now? How have tasks or roles changed? Has work been delegated properly? Clarify when direct reports should take action without you vs when they need to check in.
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Leverage Strengths. Each member of your team has unique strengths and personality traits. Identifying their individual communication style is key to a successful transition.
For more information on the
Micro-Workshops, or to register
for the series, visit the
Leading from a Distance page.
Additional Resources
Do you want a deeper dive into best practices for managing remote teams? Check out our curated resources below to help you support yourself - and your team - learn to thrive in this new environment. We will refresh these resources every few weeks to keep you current on best practices and more targeted topics.
Please see the Human Resources COVID-19 site for up-to-date guidance for supervisors and employees.
