The upcoming year will continue to see major changes in how companies manage and recruit their workers. Many companies have embraced full automation in recruitment and management processes due to the increasing number of quality HRIS software. However, the changes don’t stop there. Companies are now looking for new and improved ways to manage their teams. Why has this become a huge topic in the market? Well, due to many companies going global with their talent acquisition.
We have seen a huge increase in HR managers seeking talent overseas instead of just locally. This has raised the question of managing teams better and more easily. This is where team management strategies come into play, and here is how to build an effective one.
Focus on Open Communication
Transparency and open communication are key to managing your teams. Managers and employees should be able to freely express their needs, emotions, and reports without fear. With open communication, you are creating a culture of trust and transparency that works both locally and globally. Plus, you are eliminating any negative and wonky surprises, and all projects are taken care of. Not to mention how transparency helps keep track of everything that is happening with daily tasks and bigger projects.
To achieve this, you can establish clear channels of communication by leveraging technology. There are many amazing communication apps and tools that you can utilize and keep everything updated (and even create channels for open communication).
Make Good Use of Platforms
Speaking of communication channels, you can make good use of various platforms that are quite common. For example, Slack is an amazing channel where everyone can stay up-to-date with communication and always stay on top of tasks. With effective cooperation, you can avoid critical issues or failures since teams can communicate and work together quickly.
Additionally, platforms (or technology) can help you manage your teams effectively. If your company requires employees to keep track of their working hours, you can rely on leading attendance software providers to track the time and tasks of each individual and vendor. Such software is useful, helps increase productivity, and, above all, helps your HR and other managers stay on top of their teams.
Promote Team Building
To better manage your teams, you have to keep them engaged and make sure they all work well together. This is where team building comes into play. With some creativity and brainstorming, you can come up with activities that will include both in-office and remote workers. You can, for example, use chats to prompt communication games, use emojis and polls, or even incorporate virtual hand-raising in meetings so everyone is involved. Another option is to set the date for in-office or field activities and let everyone come together for that one day. Team building will help employees get to know each other better, and it will encourage communication, laughter, and overall employee satisfaction and engagement.
Focus on Employee Well-Being, Too
In the last couple of years, people have gotten used to remote work. However, numerous company policies have made everyone return to the office full-time or at least once or twice a week. This might have made a lot of your employees unhappy, but you cannot control those policies, unfortunately.
That is why you have to prioritize your employees’ well-being. Therefore, it is your responsibility to make sure your team is happy at work. You can be more mindful, empathetic, and intentional with your team and their mental health, and make accommodations wherever you can. Additionally, you can offer resources for task management, stress management, and productivity, offer flexible hours and schedules, and simply give your team more autonomy over their own work.
Empower Your Team
Every member of your team has their own personality and personal motivation. These can be similar but are often different. As a team manager, you have to make sure they all work well together, and you can even make use of their motivations and personalities to achieve company goals. Yes, this means empowering your team, and they will use their skills to improve productivity and projects.
For example, you can give your team members some challenging roles in meetings or projects. Another option is introducing the entire team to the clients and seeing how they can contribute to client satisfaction. And if you are more interested in their feedback, you can always invite them to submit their thoughts and feedback about you, work, or projects every month. Overall, if you include your team in more important tasks, ask them to discuss problems and plan for solutions on projects, you will empower them and keep them engaged with the company and its values. It is a win-win for all!
Be Real with Them
Even though you might be your team’s leader or superior, that doesn’t mean you are not a person, too. And your team knows that. Nobody expects you to be a superhero, and it is perfectly fine to let them know you are sometimes not at your best. If you are burnt out, under pressure, or need some help, tell your team. This creates trust and bonding within the team, and they won’t look at you as a supervisor only – rather, you will become a full member of the team. You don’t have to mask yourself and pretend you are always on top of everything – especially if you are not. Your team is there to help you and everyone on the team, so be real with them.
Managing teams can be quite a challenge, especially in bigger companies. However, with the right strategies, utilization of technology, and open communication, there is nothing you and your team cannot achieve.
