Managing remote employees skillfully requires a mental leap—especially for managers who are traditional-minded. Initially, leaders who are used to monitoring productivity based on workers’ visible activity levels may find remote work alien and cumbersome. Employees, too, may feel strange in the beginning while adjusting to remote work shifts. But that is quite natural.

Today, it may seem that everybody knows what Work from Home (WFH) means, but not everyone has experienced it till date. Moreover, there are certain pros and cons to working remotely.

Therefore, to lead a remote team successfully, managers may have to loosen their reins considerably while finding ways to hold employees accountable, too. Without being able to continuously monitor employees in a shared office space, managers can focus more on what gets done and whether it meets definite quality standards. It can be useful to experiment a little with technology and make meetings more interesting.

Leaders must become familiar with WFH best practices and go through some trial and error, as well, because the remote work trend is here to stay. Here are some basic tips to help business leaders manage remote workers…

Set expectations

It is important that you create a guide to working remotely for employees. All employees may not be able to adjust to working remotely easily. As a leader, you should offer them tips to stay productive and avoid the distractions of working at home.

Provide the right tools

It is your responsibility to ensure that each employee has access to the systems, training, and information they need to get their work done. Make use of technologies that facilitate collaboration and engagement, like Zoom, Slack, and G-Suite. Moreover, today, there is Cloud-based technology for all your business requirements. Employees must have access to technology that helps them collaborate effectively with co-workers and suppliers, as well as customers.

Communicate frequently

Do not carry out meetings just for the sake of meetings. Long, arduous meetings can be counterproductive. Do whatever needs to be done, but also use communication to touch base in addition to holding formal meetings. You don’t have to communicate with video all the time, but use it, sometimes, because face-to-face conversations are important, too. It helps you read body language and expressions that are critical to understanding a person’s state of mind and engagement level.

Ensure open communications

The most common issue in managing people remotely or otherwise is a real or perceived disconnect around work priorities and expectations. Most issues may be avoided if someone could just drop an email or message on Slack or WhatsApp and similar apps.

Promote work-life balance

Remote workers can experience burnout as those in the office by not maintaining a proper work-life balance. You should note time zone differences when setting team meetings and their work hours. Make sure to include dial-in numbers or video-conference links for every meeting. Be respectful of time-off for remote employees—just because they are not always physically in the office does not mean they should be bothered on their days off. You must truly understand all that your employees do and the time it takes them to do it. Only then will you know if your employees are capable of achieving this balance.

Build trusting relationships

To understand what motivates or derails an employee’s productivity you must know them personally on a certain level, like it or not. Make sure your own personality (and humor) emerges in your interactions for building a foundation of trust. You must draw a line somewhere, but the rewards of knowing an employee can be enormous.

Managing remote employees can be an art with a touch of science. Remember, not to have meetings for the sake of meetings, but see that communication is open and honest and held more often. Work towards a collaborative approach and build the right environment for all remote employees to maximize their productivity. You will see that remote workers are often the most productive, happiest and most efficient members of your team. Organizations that build a remote work structure will reap the benefits of higher productivity, a healthier workforce, reduced office costs and a bigger talent pool for growing their business.