The remote work culture is on the rise around the world for a number of compelling reasons that are prompting business leaders to adopt this model and create remote teams, as well as entire digital workplaces. The main benefit for the company is increased financial savings, but there’s much more to remote work than meets the eye.

Other benefits include the increased work-life balance of the employees and higher employee satisfaction, which leads to better results overall. But that’s barely scratching the surface. Remote work can benefit both parties in the long term and help the company grow through improved workflow, communication, time management, and financial optimization.

With all of that in mind, let’s take a look at how you can optimize and equip your remote team for maximum productivity and output.

Set clear goals and objectives

First and foremost, if you want to run a productive digital workforce that meets all of the deadlines, you have to set reasonable goals and objectives. You can’t expect your remote teams to do their jobs efficiently if you don’t have SMART goals in place.

These goals should help them structure their workflow and their time and prioritize tasks and objectives daily. After all, remote workers do control their own time for the most part, and they are usually allowed to structure their work however they see fit so long as they meet all of the deadlines and attend required video calls.

No matter if you are giving them full autonomy or if they’re still on a strict work schedule, you have to provide specific goals that are relevant to the remote worker. For example, remote work is generally focused towards delivering results and not so much towards brainstorming, so be sure to set production-based goals with clear objectives that the employees can achieve.

Monitor workflow and manage projects

The next crucial step is to integrate the right task and project management tools that allow you to monitor and optimize workflow, facilitate seamless cross-department collaboration, and simply run an efficient remote operation where everyone knows exactly what they’re supposed to be doing at all times.

After all, the success of your company lies in the hands of your remote employees, so you shouldn’t skimp on a good project management tool that has all of the features they need to do their job wherever they are. Make sure that this tool allows them to monitor the status of all projects and tasks, collaborate with all team members in real-time, and of course, that it helps make their jobs as stress-free as possible.

Build a reliable internet network

For a remote team to do their job, you have to have a reliable Internet network in place. Firstly, you need to upgrade your old network to a fast Internet fiber infrastructure that will ensure high speeds, high bandwidth availability, and a reliable connection. This will ensure that all of your in-house staff can work in the online realm seamlessly and without any downtime.

Next, make sure that the network will have minimal downtime and preferably no slow times during employee shifts. Encourage employees to switch to fiber Internet as well, or at the very least switch to a better Internet plan with their providers if they are still using a traditional copper-wire network.

Set clear communication guidelines

There are many pitfalls that can ruin the hiring process when you’re looking to bring in remote staff that can lower the productivity of your remote teams. One of which is the lack of proper and timely communication.

It’s imperative that you implement a clear and stringent communication policy that will outline the basic communication hierarchy for all employees and departments. This way, everyone will know who they are supposed to report to, who their direct supervisors are, and who they should not contact for menial problems – like you, the boss.

Measure progress regularly

And lastly, always keep measuring the progress and performance of your remote teams so that you can act on a moment’s notice and make adjustments quickly. A big part of long-term success in the modern business world is being flexible and agile at every turn.

So, knowing exactly how your team members are doing and where they might be falling behind will be instrumental in unlocking their true potential and giving them the tools they need to maximize results. As a leader, it is your duty to help your employees thrive.

Wrapping up

Remote work is extremely popular nowadays, and even though it brings numerous benefits to the employer as well as the employees, that still doesn’t mean that there aren’t some challenges that you need to overcome. Be sure to use these tips to improve the productivity levels of your remote team while keeping everyone happy and satisfied in the process.

About the Author:  Jolene Rutherford is a marketing specialist - turned blogger, currently writing for technivorz.com. Interested in digital marketing and new technology trends. Love sharing content that can help and mean to people.