
Managing Remote Teams Successfully
Managing Remote Teams Successfully
When leaders discuss the World at Work, managing remote and dispersed teams effectively is an ongoing, hot-button topic. The World Economic Forum’s Digital Jobs Whitepaper cites that 92 million people could be working remotely by 2030.
The International Relocation Associates (TIRA) hosts monthly roundtables for their members. Each roundtable provides enriching content to enhance members’ professional development and provide takeaways they can bring back to their company.
The recent roundtable “Managing Remote Team Successfully” featured a diverse panel including #TIRAmembers Maria Kouri, Managing Director at Corporate Relocations Greece, Rahul Batra, Managing Partner at Hudson McKenzie; and Robert Brezosky, CEO at Quest Relocation Group with Susan Ginsberg, TIRA Partner and Founder at SRG ADVISORY as the moderator.
Attracting, developing, and retaining talent is essential to business growth and a thriving work culture. Deloitte: Future Work Trends research cites that 50% of people surveyed would leave if their employer did not offer remote or hybrid work. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to working remotely or hybrid.
The group shared that most companies had to quickly adapt to working remotely during the pandemic. They noticed that companies that were agile, pivoted to remote work, and leaned into their challenges have become more successful in transforming their company.
Our panelists delved into their changing employer-employe relationships and shifting mindsets. Each of the panelists explained their different work arrangements. The consistent threads where they all established a clear framework and expectations. Importantly, they emphasized that establishing and maintaining trust was foundational to their company culture.
Maria Kouri, Corporate Relocations, Greece commented, “Consistency, accountability, and a clear framework are key to maintaining our company culture.” She emphasized that elevating the well-being of the entire team is essential.
Companies that maintain flexibility and agility are better able to manage uncertainty. McKinsey – Future of Work research pointed out that, “Companies that build the muscle to adapt their models and workforces continuously and rapidly to changes will be able to compete better in the ‘next normal’”.
Rahul Batra, Hudson McKenzie has weekly team meetings and in-person team-building exercises or activities. He said his team is fully remote, “As long as the work is being done and our employees and clients are happy, we will continue to work fully remotely.”
Robert Brezosky, Quest Relocation Group shared his corporate experiences at Netflix and Disney and the benefits of some in-person working. “The longer people have not been together, the harder it becomes to pull people together in person. In my view, people need to experience the value of being together. Sparking osmosis is lost when working fully remotely.”
The panelists reflected on what organizations can do to foster an effective remote workforce.
- Adopt a flexible model and capabilities.
- Ensure flexible technology that is configurable to a changing work environment.
- Test, adapt, and assess the effectiveness of new ways of working.
The group discussed the importance of living their company culture, especially in a remote work environment. “To live and know your company culture, think about who you are, how you show up are key – be intentional,” said Robert Brezosky.
Maria Kouri commented,” Celebrating individual successes and sharing best practices creates positive esprit de corps.”
Rahul said, “Regular group activities bring the team together to laugh and have fun.”
Key themes throughout the roundtable highlighted the priorities necessary to sustain a flexible or dispersed workforce. These themes are part of McKinsey’s research on how hybrid can be healthy for your organization.
- Remove ambiguity – encourage asynchronous collaboration.
- Reset performance expectations – ensure that all workers, in-office, and off-site feel on an equal footing.
- Be transparent – role model knowledge-sharing.
- Be purposeful – be strategic and intentional about hybrid work decisions.
- Foster trust and a sense of support.
- Assess and learn – test and learn, including from failure; establish clear norms.
Contact us to learn more about TIRA’s global network of leading independently owned relocation companies and the value of being a TIRA member. Your trusted global network of local relocation experts.
Written by Susan Ginsberg, TIRA Partner and Founder of SRG ADVISORY.