Task Scheduling For Remote Teams Made Easier With These 5 Tips
Guest Post by Ciara Byrnes
What was once a ritual for everyone turned into a preferred option for many — going into the office. Remote work became more popular due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
A few years later, many businesses handle office functions remotely.
However, the system has proven difficult for some organizations — specifically small to medium-sized companies struggling with task scheduling and management.
If you feel like task scheduling is one of the problems you face with your remote workforce, that problem could likely be a result of a lack of direct supervision, less social interaction, disturbances at home, miscommunications between teams, and insufficient access to information.
The good thing, however, is that you can take care of these problems and easily overcome them.
This blog discusses some of the best strategies to deal with task scheduling issues for remote teams.
1. Develop a routine
The first thing you should do as part of your remote training for more efficient task scheduling is create a routine.
For instance, you can reserve time for specific activities and stick with that plan.
Your calendar should be comprised of blocks, and all your activities should live inside those blocks.
For example, schedule the most complex tasks between 9 am and 12 pm, and meetings between 1 pm and 3 pm.
Your routine may change at any given time, but it’s important to stick to it.
That way, your workers will be more efficient, and you will be able to organize their tasks and schedule accordingly.
2. Identify their available time
The best way to plan your resources and schedule tasks efficiently is by identifying the available time for your team.
If you disrupt them on a busy day, they won’t be eager to talk and may not pay full attention during the meetings. So, when managing a remote project team, you should:
Ask questions directly, especially if it’s about their work schedule. They will appreciate you being specific about dates and times.
Phrase questions in a considerate manner. Ask direct questions and skip unneeded details. “Hey, are you free on Thursday at 12pm for a 15-minute call on project X?” is a direct approach that could yield a good response. Provide further clarification if asked.
Give them options. Remote workers appreciate having options and managing time on their own. Consider offering an alternative date and time that would also work, or ask “What works best for you?” if you’re struggling to get a direct answer.
Knowing your workers’ schedules is vital to efficient resource planning and allocation.
3. Organize your meetings into different types
Meetings that last long and don’t have a set duration disrupt everyone’s workday.
We are fans of short meetings — whether it’s a 15-minute standup or a 30-minute weekly call, it’s good to set expectations and jump to the subject without hesitating.
Even 10 minutes can be an effective amount of time if you communicate the topic well and organize tasks correctly.
You can structure your meetings in one of the following ways:
30-minute meetings to get to know someone (discovery)
45-minute meetings outside of the office
1-hour meetings for virtual mentoring every two weeks (for new team members)
A 10-minute call to help people who need advice
A 15-minute daily standup
Whatever meetings you hold, group them into blocks to fit your particular schedule.
4. Provide several communication technology options
Email is no longer a sufficient channel on its own; you need to add something to your mix. Remote workers use task scheduling through apps such as Asana, Trello, and Slack.
These platforms represent the new model of efficient work management and are commonly used among individuals and teams that practice both remote and hybrid work.
You could also add something else to the mix for different purposes. For instance, you can rely on Zoom or Google Meet for all of your meetings.
Or, use Loom as your go-to video recorder whenever you run into an issue and need to describe it to your team member without having to call them.
There are many circumstances where you can automate collaboration in easier and better ways for everyone.
5. Offer encouragement and emotional support
Last but not least is a tactic that can help your employees’ mental health — particularly their anxieties and concerns. Empathizing with their struggles is a vital part of leading your team remotely, and will help you learn more about them.
If a new remote employee is struggling but not communicating their stress or anxiety, asking them how they are doing can help big time.
Even a simple question such as “How is this remote work treating you so far?” can help and give you the information you might not otherwise hear.
According to research, employees look to their manager for cues about how to react to immediate changes or crises.
Offering encouragement and support can help with efficient task scheduling, not to mention increase their productivity as a whole.
Summary
Remote working is more popular than ever before. Most companies worldwide already offer remote opportunities, allowing employees to think outside the box and apply for positions outside their location.
When a team is working remotely, you have to find ways to encourage the same level of communication and collaboration without hurting their productivity.
The world has changed quickly, and the new work scenario can present challenges to many managers.
The good thing is that there are solutions that can synchronize with anyone’s work routines.
We hope that these tips on efficient task scheduling will help you master your remote team management.
As you could see from the above mentioned, the key is to maximize collaboration while minimizing distractions!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ciara Byrnes spends most of her time reporting on digital marketing for an over-stressed audience of marketers and business owners trying to keep up with the fast pace of change. To center herself, she has become a wellness enthusiast, reaching "highs" like morning yoga on the porch of her family's summer lake cabin to "lows" like failing to convince herself that wheatgrass is actually yummy.