How to Be a Great Remote Manager: Top Strategies and Tips

Steve Jobs once said, “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” When you’re learning how to be a great remote manager, you’re not only leading your team but also a transformation in the way the modern workforce operates.

Being a great leader is challenging enough, but without traditional leadership skills to lean on, leading in a remote setting can be even more overwhelming than in a physical office space. Fortunately, this post will explore key remote leadership traits, tips for managing remote employees, and the tools and resources that make it all possible. 

Let’s start with some soft skills you’ll need to be a great remote leader.  

Key traits of a great remote manager

Great remote managers do more than throw money at the latest technology (though we’ll talk more about that later). Even the best tips and technology can’t save you without the right soft skills. Here are a few of the most important traits you’ll need to excel in remote management. 

Communication and transparency

You’ve probably heard of “leading by example” at some point in your life. When it comes to remote work, that style won’t get you far because your team won’t always have the luxury of seeing what you’re doing. 

Instead, you’ll need to double down on your communication skills and consciously create a culture of transparency for your remote team. Meet one-on-one with each team member, establish proper communication channels, and create feedback loops to build better processes and prioritize employee well-being. 

Realistic in setting clear expectations

Another challenge of remote work is setting expectations. For in-office teams, there’s a mutual understanding of deadlines, work hours, and culture. But for remote teams, you may need to set those expectations due to: 

• Time zones.  Vague deadlines like “end of the day” or “due Wednesday” mean different things for someone in Chicago vs. someone in Barcelona. If you manage teams in different time zones, give a clear time in said team member’s time zone for when you wish to see the deliverable.
  
• Cultural differences. Meeting etiquette isn’t the same in the United States as in Europe. In some cultures, even eye contact has different connotations. Remote teams must be mindful of these challenges, as in-office teams likely don’t give them much thought.
  
• Work hours. The 40-hour workweek is standard in the United States, but 41% of employees work over 45 hours per week. However, Italy, Austria, Belgium, and most of Scandinavia work well under 40 hours, so setting clear expectations on hours is crucial. 

Flexibility and trust

Above all else, a remote manager’s best traits are flexibility and trust. Fortunately, by even attempting to manage a remote team, you’re already more flexible than most managers.

Adapt your culture to be more globalized by inviting feedback on communication norms, work hours, and more. Doing so creates a culture of trust and transparency that will positively impact employee well-being and retention while simplifying your day-to-day. 

8 tips for managing remote employees

Now that we’ve explored a few basic traits of a good remote manager, let’s examine some tips that can help you improve your remote management skills. 

1. Establish regular check-ins and feedback loops

For remote managers, checking in on their team isn’t as easy as walking by their desks. That’s why scheduling regular meetings, setting up one-on-ones, and finding other ways to check in asynchronously is important. These are important to ensure deadlines are met and employees are fulfilled. 

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Stress the importance of 360-degree feedback loops in these check-ins. A popular one is the Kaizen Cycle, a method of continuous improvement that involves building momentum through small, ongoing positive changes. 

Over time, these seemingly minuscule changes can significantly impact everything from reaching company goals to career growth opportunities.

2. Prioritize team collaboration and tools

Soft skills go a long way in remote leadership, but having the right tools can bolster team collaboration and simplify remote team management. Here are a few of our favorite remote collaboration tools here at Hubstaff. 

• Slack. Slack is a versatile instant messaging app that allows users to create topic-based threads, add attachments, and even meet for audio and video calls with Huddles. It’s a great way to simplify communication and enhance productivity, but make sure you encourage teams to customize notifications and use features like away messages to set proper boundaries.
• Asana. Asana is a project management tool that allows you to seamlessly switch between different workflow views like Kanban boards, sheets, and timelines. You can also create custom rules to automate project management and increase productivity.
  
• Zoom. Zoom (or other video conferencing tools like it) is a staple of remote team management. The popular video conferencing tool helps connect remote teams around the globe for much-needed face-to-face meetings. Personally, I recommend defaulting to “video always on” to better read non-verbal communication cues. Then, if you need to multitask, turn off the camera accordingly.

3. Focus on employee well-being

Despite being huge advocates of remote work here at Hubstaff, we can’t deny the negative psychological effects plaguing disengaged remote workers. Many remote team members experience remoteliness, or a remote loneliness that stems from a lack of interaction with one’s peers.

To prevent this, you can find fun ways to engage remote employees, like virtual retreats, water cooler chats, happy hours, or fitness programs. A focus on employee well-being is proven to improve retention and increase productivity. 

It’s also important to make time to develop one-on-one connections. Try to schedule one-on-ones with remote team members you manage. 

During the 1:1s and check-ins, don’t just dive straight into project updates. It’s important to get to know your employees on a personal level and learn what motivates them personally and professionally. You can do this by asking about their weekend, learning about their favorite hobbies, or getting them to open up more about their family life.

4. Use remote team management software

Remote collaboration tools are one thing, but you need a global workforce management app to manage a remote team effectively. We’re a bit biased, but we have one in mind.

Hubstaff is an all-in-one remote team management software with built-in:

• Time tracking
• Employee productivity monitoring
• Payroll
• Invoicing
• Employee scheduling
• Leave management
• Scheduled reports

It’s great for empowering your remote workforce to have their best day at work while helping create a culture of trust and transparency that makes connecting remote and global teams easier. 

5. Encourage professional development

As leadership expert Tom Peters puts it, “Leaders don’t create followers; they create more leaders.”

This philosophy highlights the importance of empowering others to grow. If you’re not convinced, consider that 94% of employees claim they’d stay longer if the company invests in their development.

Your responsibility as a leader is to build up those around you and train the next generation of leaders. By creating professional development initiatives, mastering goal-setting, and finding the right tools to make it all possible, you set yourself and your business up for prolonged success. 

6. Set clear goals and KPIs

It’s hard to lead if you lack direction. One of the most important factors of any form of leadership is setting goals and building a clear path to work toward them. 

In the corporate world, that involves setting goals and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that positively impact your bottom line. For instance, some examples of KPIs for a marketing team might include: 

• Increasing blog traffic by 5% quarter over quarter
• Publishing 30 new web pages in Q1
• Achieve a 2X return on paid digital advertising
• Increasing MQL to SQL lead conversion rates by 2% 

No matter what goals you set, a general rule of thumb is to use the SMART goal model. In this model, the idea is to create goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time Bound. 

Once you’ve set your goals in motion, the work is far from done. Goals are malleable, but one thing you won’t want to see is the hallmarks of your culture slipping away as you work to achieve them. 

7. Foster a positive remote work culture

Once you start setting goals, introducing new technology, and making other considerable changes to the way you manage your remote team, you may start to threaten the healthy remote work culture you’ve built.

Make sure to prioritize team-building exercises, DEI initiatives, career development, and other staples of a healthy remote culture. With more than 1 in 5 employees citing a toxic work culture at their job, building a positive culture can help you better attract new prospects and retain existing talent.

Another thing to watch out for is burnout. For remote managers, it can be more challenging to spot burnout. Fortunately, some tools can help you cut down on meetings, categorize productive and unproductive apps, and more.

If you’re still worried about your remote culture, you can build in some opportunities to praise and recognize teams. After all, almost 80% of workers would be more productive if they received praise at work.

At Hubstaff, one way we share praise is through our #hubstars Slack channel. Simply tag a team member, write a nice blurb about them, and spread the love. 

8. Handle challenges with remote teams proactively

Once you start to master the basics of becoming a great remote manager, you can start to be proactive about what your team needs. One example of this line of thinking is to build onboarding initiatives that lay the groundwork for future career growth before new hires even start. 

By thinking about long-term success from the start, you not only send a positive message to your employees but also prevent job vacancies, productivity losses, and other blockers that may affect the well-being of your remote team in the future. 

Managing remote team challenges

Even with these tips in mind, each new day as a remote team manager brings about an array of challenges. While we’ve touched on them a bit already, below are two challenges that will frequently arise. 

Overcoming Communication Barriers

Whether it’s timezone differences, the different weight eye contact holds culturally, or simply the way you conduct yourself in meetings, overcoming communication barriers is crucial if you wish to grow your business and establish a productive, global workforce. 

Take the time to engage with each member of your team, learn about their cultural values, and understand the ways they communicate. It’s also important to welcome their feedback and adjust your communication and management style accordingly when necessary.  

While we’re the first to stress the importance of reducing meeting time, sometimes a quick fifteen-minute call with all necessary parties to align on deliverables is more efficient than days of back and forth and miscommunication. 

Maintaining Team Engagement

Whether it’s a more introverted personality, a desire to spend more time with family, or hobbies and interests that aren’t conducive to a normal office setting, there are a number of things that draw employees to remote work.

However, it’s your job to encourage this healthy work-life balance while also establishing strong team engagement and connectedness that takes the team to new heights. One of the best ways to do this is to encourage team members to be themselves at work. Share about their families, adventures, passions, and interests. After all, they might find others in a similar position and foster relationships at work that strengthen the team as a whole. 

Tools and Resources for Remote Team Management

Best Remote Team Management Software

By now, we’ve already touched on remote communication tools like Zoom, Slack, and Asana. But you’re probably wondering if there are any other remote team management apps you can use to stay connected.

At Hubstaff, we swear by a few like: 

• Notion. This is a great remote collaboration app for process documentation, tutorials, and any other information you need to archive. Think of it as the central hub for the way your remote business operates.
  
• Google Workspace. With tools like Docs, Sheets, Slides, and even more recent AI-powered developments, the Google Workspace is a staple of the modern workforce — especially for virtual teams looking to stay connected.
  
• Miro. Remote teams don’t have the luxury of getting in a conference room and monopolizing the white board when there’s a pressing deadline or problem to solve. Fortunately, we can lean on Miro as the virtual equivalent. 

Books and Courses for Managing Remote Workers

Sometimes, the best tool of all is a good book. If you’re looking to further your remote management skills, you can look to popular books like Leading From Anywhere by David Burkus.

Or, if you’re having trouble finding time to read, there’s a wide array of remote team management courses you can look to instead. 

Conclusion

By now, hopefully, you have a strong sense of what it takes to be a great remote manager. Whether it’s the soft skills, new technology, or simply reframing your own expectations, all of us at Hubstaff wish you luck in your pursuit of remote team management. 

However, it’s important to remember that leadership is a skill one never fully masters. Much like adapting to the concept of remote work, you’ll need to adapt to the changing needs of each member of your team.

With that in mind, do you have any skills or new ideas for managing remote teams that you’ve found successful with and that we didn’t mention? We’d love to hear from you.