Do’s and Don’ts: Build Remote Teams to Tackle Skill Shortage

Introduction

Managing remote teams can be difficult. Additionally, it requires a lot of time & effort to ensure your team has everything they need to perform the task.

Unlike when you are working in an office with somebody simply turning behind & asking your query isn't worth it. Instead, you need to send them a direct message through Slack or Skype to interact with them. However, doing this will delay the communication process.

Managing a remote team comes with various challenges. When hiring freelancers or remote developers, there are ways to limit miscommunication by keeping everyone productive.

In this article, we will discuss the Do's & Don'ts to be followed while managing a remote team.

Before, understanding the Do's & Don'ts let's understand what doe the term Remote Teams means.

What is Remote Teams?

When organizations hire remote developers to meet their existing team's technical skill scarcity it is known as Remote teams.

Remote development teams collaborate to meet the software development needs of the organization.  Furthermore, they use advanced tools & techniques to deliver high-quality work. In-house software development teams hire remote developers to minimize the skill gaps.

Moreover, there are various strategies the organizations use to hire remote strength for their development process.

Let's understand all of them in the next section.

Overall there are three ways to focus on when you are hiring remote developers.

What are the 3 Ways to Hire Remote Developers

IT Staff Augmentation

Firstly IT Staff augmentation is a method for hiring developers working remotely in different time zones. The IT staff augmentation method allows the organization to hire developers when needed.

Additionally, this method allows you to scale up or scale down your team members based on the project requirements. Moreover, it helps in cutting costs by shortening the hiring process.

Outsourcing Software Development

Hiring remote developers to bridge the skill gaps can be tough because of the management challenges it brings. Therefore, organizations look forward to hiring a software outsourcing company instead.

When an organization outsources its software development project to external software development companies it is known as software outsourcing. By leveraging software development outsourcing services, companies can get various benefits. There are three benefits the organizations get while using software development outsourcing services.

Firstly, the organizations get access to a vast talent pool. Secondly, outsourcing enables organizations to shift their focus toward their core responsibilities. Lastly, it allows the organization to speed up its development process.

Dedicated Teams or Distributed teams

This remote team is set up to meet the needs of a specific software development project. This remote team is built of individuals from different geographies who work in different time zones.

Now, let's understand the Pros & Cons of hiring remote teams

What are the Pros of Hiring Remote teams

Remote teams have flexible working hours

In a traditional working model, an individual generally works from morning until late evening. However, after the advancement of remote work, IT professionals have started adopting remote work. 

Remote working allows team members to work in flexible shifts, i.e. they can work according to their convenience.  Flexibility in working hours allows team members to plan their day as per their feasibility.

Remote work allows more autonomy

In a work-from-office, the employees work from a fixed working space. This working space can either be an open floor space or even a cubicles. These work setups might seem small & frustrating if used continuously.

Remote work allows employees to set up their workspace at their convenience. They get the chance to set up the temperature as per their requirements. Moreover, they can also decorate their office space as per their moods & likings.

Remote work doesn't need team members to sit inside their office & work. Whereas, remote teams allow the remote employees to work either from a coffee shop or a co-working space.

Remote developers have better health

Sitting in an office for eight hours, might not be harmful to health. But, sharing working space with other team members who are sick might hinder your health.

Coco Cloud stated that 42% of employees who work from home eat healthier than the ones working from the office. Indeed, it makes sense because a remote work setup allows the employees to cook their meals. Moreover, remote work allows the team members an opportunity to focus on exercise.

Remote work helps you save money

Remote working helps you save money. While commuting to the office, a team member needs to spend money on transportation. But, by embracing remote work, team members can minimize these expenses.

As, it allows them the luxury to not pay the money towards travel, purchasing professional attires & so on. Doing this, allows them to use this saved money towards the activities they care for.

These were the advantages of remote teams from any employee's point of view.

Now, let's dive a little deeper to understand what are the advantages of remote work from an employer's point of view.

What are the Pros of Remote teams: From the Employer's Viewpoint

Remote workers won't resign early

The remote work model allows flexibility in work, thus, it becomes easier for the employee to perform their tasks. The amount of benefits remote work generates, makes an employee stay with the organization for a longer duration. Flexibility at work allows employers to reduce their turnover rates.

Remote work reduces overhead costs

Imagine, you have an operating office, you would need to pay various overhead costs like rent, electricity bills, etc. However, hiring a remote team helps you save these overhead expenses. By leveraging remote work setup your organization can minimize overhead costs.

Building a remote team helps you gain access to a larger pool of talent

By using, IT staff augmentation services or software outsourcing services, organizations can access a larger pool of talented staff.  If your development team is set up remotely, then you can gain exponential growth.

Furthermore, remote work is becoming a priority for younger working professionals. In reality, 85% of millennials are ready to telecommute 100% of the time. Hence, providing this flexibility will help you attract more talented candidates.

Remote teams are more productive

As remote work provides flexibility it enables employees to boost their productivity. A remote employee. working from home remains productive throughout the day because of the flexibility provided to them. Moreover, remote work allows employees to maintain a work-life balance which lets them stay productive.

The team dynamics of remote work also ensure more freedom by enabling smoother team collaboration. An employee working in an office would only collaborate during meetings. However, this is not the only way to build collaboration between team members.

Bright Insurance's Enterprise Architect states,

"Team messaging communications keep the team connected & feeling more like a team despite being geographically scattered".

However, everything on this earth, has two sides of the same coin, with every benefit there are drawbacks always present.

Let's understand what are the drawbacks of Remote Teams

Drawbacks of Remote Teams

Besides, for every advantage, there's always a drawback present. Similarly, there are a few drawbacks of remote teams, let's understand them all.

Communication barriers

Having the right communication skills is the key to successful work. However, there are chances that remote teams might lack in this area. As the team members are working in different time zones & speaking varied languages there are chances of miscommunication.

Using effective communication tools like Slack, Skype or Zoom can help the company in coping up with the challenge.

Time zone differences

It becomes difficult for the project managers to manage the development project effectively, particularly when teams are set up remotely. Differences in time zones is the biggest challenge faced while managing a software development project. It specifically poses a challenge while setting up team meetings as all the members are working in different time zones.

However, using time zone identifier tools helps organizations in finding an overlapping time that suits every time zone. Moreover, organizations should enable daily check-ins to ensure everyone in the time is online at the same time.

Remote Work Collaborations

Work collaboration between the In-house team & remote team becomes difficult with remote working. However, there's a way to ensure organizations can achieve seamless collaboration. Using effective project management tools can help organizations in attaining seamless integration.

Asana, Wrike, & Google Sheets are some of the tools that can help organizations streamline the project management process. But, knowing which tools to use is a thoughtful consideration to be made.

The above drawbacks can make it difficult to manage the project, particularly while managing remote teams. Furthermore, a failed execution can make the development process go wrong. However, leveraging the right project management tools can help you solve the errors.

Now, let's understand the Do's & Don'ts of Remote Team Collaborations.

Do's of Remote Team Collaborations

Use clear & consistent communication channels

While building remote team collaborations it is important to use relevant communication channels, to maintain a smoother flow of information.

Respect Boundaries

Unlike, in-house work setup, remote teams work during different time zones. Thus, it becomes important to understand when an employee is reachable. Moreover, the companies should also see that their team members get the freedom to enjoy their free time.

Setting deadlines & using Project Management tools

While managing remote teams it becomes important to set the project deadlines. Additionally, the organizations should use all the project management tools to track the progress. Likewise, it is also advisable to use communication tools to build a smoother flow of information among team members.

Sharing your calendar

Above all this is one of the most important Do's to follow, especially when working remotely. By, sharing your calendar with team members you can signify your availability & time to minimize time constraints.

Using the right tools

This is one of the most important points to consider while using remote team collaboration. Choosing the right tools will help you achieve seamless project management. Furthermore, defining your requirements can help you find the best tools for your project.

Now, let’s understand the Don’ts in Remote Team Collaborations

Don’ts of Remote Team Collaborations

Do not micromanage teams

Being a leader of your team, if you keep asking your team for all the minor details about their work, they might leave the job. However, it is your responsibility as a leader to all of them to work with full freedom.

Do not forget them

While using a remote work setup, your team is working from their homes. This can lead them to feel isolated & alone. Therefore, being a leader it is your responsibility to check on them whenever required. 

However, you can also deal with this situation by conducting monthly face-to-face meetings. Moreover, conducting virtual events can also help build a sense of harmony among the team members.

Do not forget about training & development

When you are working on a project submission, there are instances when the training & development of your team takes a backseat. 

Therefore, being a project manager it is inevitable to make necessary provisions for training & development. Moreover, the project managers should provide all the necessary learning materials to help the team attain continued learning & development.

Do not let miscommunication become a hindrance

As a responsible project manager, you must ensure that there are zero communications mishaps. Because a single miscommunication can lead to the failure of a project. Therefore, it is advisable to use effective communication tools & practices to avoid any miscommunication.

Building proper communication channels & plans can help the organization in achieving a streamlined communication flow.

Do not undervalue the Memes

Using memes & gifs has become the trend in remote working. Sometimes, the remote team members can't see you face-to-face. Therefore, it is important to interact with each other by using memes & gifs. Words can be effective but using memes & gifts can help you understand the emotions clearly.

Wrapping Up!

Building remote teams is important to mitigate the skill gaps. However, hiring remote developers or building a remote team requires proper considerations. Failing to emphasize all the key considerations can eventually lead to failure. In this article, we learned about all the Do’s & Don’ts to be considered while setting up a remote team.

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