Working from Home: How to Effectively Manage a Remote Team

One of the best ways to increase employee productivity is prioritizing team happiness and work-life balance. Remote AI engineers are no exception even while managing teams across geographies can have its challenges. 

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a rise in companies implementing distributed teams, leading organizations across industries to commit to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. With working from home becoming more popular than ever, employees may work with colleagues from different cities, regions, countries, or even continents. While cultural differences may feel unusual at times, a talented manager can organize their team to achieve their goals. 

Why Companies are Implementing Distributed Teams Post Pandemic

More companies are implementing distributed teams to improve skill-based hiring without geographic restrictions. According to an OWLLabs survey, remote working options have reduced employee turnover by almost 68%. Keeping employees with the company for longer plus saving operational resources are two major advantages of remote work. 

Challenges While Working with Remote Teams 

Communication 

Communication is key while working and managing remote teams. Due to different time zones and cultures, it might not be easy to maintain stable communication with all team members at all times. Keeping your team on the same page through messaging apps is a great way to prioritize constant conversation between team members. 

Scheduling Difficulties

It is common for remote workers to create and maintain a strict work schedule. This might be stressful, even if it helps manage time efficiently. Scheduling meeting times that work for everyone is critical. Apart from regular briefings, try to incorporate different agendas and keep the team working on different time zones in the loop.

Cultural Differences 

Employees from different regions might have different attitudes toward their careers and boundaries. Get to know your team. Managers can connect better with their employees when they appreciate these differences and should set aside time to do so. Team bonding makes the work environment fun and engaging and is especially important while working on a distributed team. Create informal sessions to make sure each team member can be themselves and know one another. Virtual events like watch parties and games can help your team bond outside of their typical work environment. 

Tips For Maintaining a Healthy Work-Life Balance

• Set work hours and boundaries. 
• Be flexible and try to plan ahead of time. 
• Take breaks and, if possible, vacations at regular intervals.
• If possible, have a different setup and environment for work. 
• Don’t be afraid to unplug.

More companies are implementing distributed teams and embracing online operations than ever before. Joining the right company will help remote AI Engineers maintain their work-life balance. With the right team, you can prosper in a career fully from home. Squadery helps AI engineers to get their dream job with some of the best companies in the U.S. Dream big, and we’ll help you achieve it through our platform, all from the comfort of your own home.