There’s more to running a remote company than keeping up with technology.

Maybe you weren’t planning on making your business 100% online, but so far – here you are.

Under normal circumstances, companies that shift to fully remote work plan weeks, sometimes even months before making the move. During that time, they work to maintain team management and company culture. However, in our current circumstances, most companies have not been able to put these types of plans and strategies in place before closing their offices and sending their teams home with laptops.

Getting past the initial hurdle of suddenly moving everything (and everyone!) online was a huge accomplishment in itself — and one that should make you very proud. The next step is to find any changes in workflow, culture or management that have crept in, and sort them through fine-tuning.

Keep you now A remote company that runs smoothly over the long term.

“Maybe it felt like a jostling at first with the feeling.”Just find out what works best now and put it in place!“You lead the way as you quickly adjust your sails to navigate these new waters. Now that you’ve had time to settle into the idea of ​​managing a remote team, you may notice that what worked at first, didn’t set you up in the long run, and that your company culture is starting to suffer.

Finding the remote rhythm can take companies and startups months, and sometimes years, to iron out. Our management team has been through ups and downs, and they continue to learn valuable lessons every day. So, to help you along your way, our CEO and Director sat down to share some tips they’ve learned while running a company remotely for 15+ years.

Tips from long-term remote managers on how to keep your culture alive and employees engaged while working from home:

Heather, Director: Turns out, three little messages were a huge frustration reliever. These letters are AFK, also known as “off keypad”. Your team members and colleagues don’t know that the doorbell rang, or that your child clogged the toilet and that you are preventing a household disaster, or that the dog chased the hamster out the back door for the third time this week. They can’t see you!

To be clear, I’m not suggesting keyloggers or mouse trackers. You’ll know if your team is productive without this level of frustrating oversight.

If you show that you are available and do not respond, it can be very frustrating for the other person. When you need to step away from the computer for a short while, drop a quick AFK to let your team know you’re away but will be back soon. Just try to make sure you tell them when you get back. (Take it from us – it’s easy to forget this part.)

Phil, Founder and CEO: Set specific times of the day where you can check in to manage routine action items It was surfaced by your employees (emergency situations are obviously different). This helps your team set expectations with the people they interact with while giving you the opportunity to find and get into the groove of the work. There are no further questions about when you, as management, will undoubtedly be available.

Heather, Director: Even while staying in fairly close contact via tools like Slack or Teams, it’s important to do this Remember that everything you write is interpreted by the other person through their own filters, and the opposite is true for what you read. You may not have intended the tone of your message to sound short or annoying, but your team member may “hear” it that way.

Body language and tone of voice are crucial when it comes to effective communication, especially during stressful times. Online, this can be delayed. If you leave this atmosphere for too long, it can quickly become toxic and erode your online culture. We’ve learned how to work around this issue by using virtual meetings to check in and reset your dial tone. In addition, the extensive use of emojis in chat channels helps ensure closer interpretations of intentions are received. (We all have our festive emojis or camouflage emojis….🐡🌮🎉 are just a few 😊)

Phil, Founder and CEO: Remote work tools are just that, tools. And while text channels and emails are great, you don’t have a physical water cooler or break room to squeeze in any face-to-face human interaction.

Make time for your teams to video chat, and let them do it conversation. Not after work hours, not on lunch breaks, just like in the office we stop by a co-worker’s desk for a quick chat or stay after meetings to catch up on work for a few minutes, setting aside a time during the work day when it’s appropriate for your team members to video call and chat just to catch up on things. When you only have walls, your pets, and the same people in your home 24/7, it’s essential to have informal face-to-face interactions outside of the home.

Communication and setting boundaries are top priority.

If anything, remember that everyone on your team, whether a seasoned work-from-home professional or a remote newbie, will experience extreme emotional and mental distractions. This requires increased flexibility, understanding, and grace from managers and executives.

Communicate regularly and openly with your team, find out what boundaries look like for both management and team members, and work to respect those boundaries on all sides.

In fact, we don’t know how long stay-at-home orders will remain in effect. Some companies can’t wait to get back to their offices, and others are starting to think about keeping things remote even after orders are modified. Either way, we hope these tips help you make the most of the current situation to emerge as a stronger, more cohesive team when we all come out on the other side.

Do you have lessons you’ve discovered over the past few weeks about managing a remote team and working from home yourself? We’d love to hear more or answer any questions you may have! Our team is always available for strategy sessions, whether it’s working from home, running a company remotely, or – our real area of ​​expertise – email marketing.

Communicate and Let us know how we can help. We’re just a quick chat, call or email away.

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