How to Set Up Your Remote Team as a Nigerian Business Owner

We currently live in a world and time where it has become quite common to run a business from the comfort of your home. While most business owners might see this as a recipe for disaster, running a business from home might not be such a bad idea after all.

Several reasons might warrant the need to set up a remote business as a Nigerian business owner. Whatever the reason, one major question that poses a challenge for most business owners is how to set up a remote team.

First things first, what is a Remote Team?

A remote team is a group of people whose skills complement each other and who bear the responsibility of achieving a specific goal or set of goals from different work environments.

Managing a group of people you get to see daily in an office space comes with its own challenges, talk less of managing them remotely. This isn’t to say it is impossible, all you have to do is put the right measures in place.

Setting Up Your Remote Team

Running a successful business needs the effort of a team after all and mastering the act of managing one remotely is essential for all business owners looking to give it a try.

Below is a list of ways to effectively set up your remote team as a Nigerian business owner.

• Communicate the Business Culture

Every business that seeks to thrive amongst several others must have a strong business culture. Sharing the vision, goals, and mission statement of your business with your remote employees will enable them to contribute to the growth of the business as much as possible.

While doing this as a business owner, you should also be observant enough to take note of the individual skills and qualities of your remote team. You can then take it a step further by enrolling them in online courses and training that will help build up their skills. In a situation where you are unable to do this due to financial constraints, you can always encourage them to do so.

• Plan Regular Meetings

With a remote team, meetings might not be as regular when compared to an on-site team. However, this does not mean workflow has to be affected adversely in any way. In fact, meetings can be held as regularly as is required.

Setting up a meeting with your remote team can be once in a week or once in a few weeks. This is important in order to provide your staff with updates regarding the business and also leave room for questions.

Just in case you are wondering how possible it is to successfully hold meetings with your team remotely, not to worry as technological advancement has made that possible. Video tools such as Zoom and other Free Conference Call tools can be used to achieve this.

• Set Up Ground Rules and Expectations

Employees who work in a physical office have fixed work hours, rules and regulations that help keep them all in check. While this might not be completely applicable to a remote team, it is however not impossible.

In setting up ground rules and expectations that work for your business, you should put into consideration your business’ most pressing needs. This will help in laying down clear expectations from your remote team.

Some of the rules might include setting up time frames within which emails should be responded to, fixing daily work hours, ensuring daily reports are submitted, etc.

• Leave Room for Flexibility

While being organized is necessary in order to run a successful business, it is also vital you leave some room for flexibility. Deadlines will help your remote team meet up with expectations but you also need to figure out what works best for your staff. This will enable a high level of productivity.

Set up means of communications that will enable your team reach you when necessary and leave room for effective communication. 

Flexibility also means knowing when a particular strategy is no longer working for you and your team and making some needed adjustment. Running a remote team will mean listening to your employees’ feedback and making use of it in improving your business.

• Ensure all Necessities are in Place

Employees need all the necessary tools they can get in order to work effectively especially remotely. Devices such as laptops and phones required to carry out tasks should be made available. 

In addition, making sure your team members have access to constant internet connection is also a necessity. Running a remote team means all your employees have to be online round the clock. The only way to ensure this is by providing them with regular internet access.

• Virtual Collaboration is an Essential

No business can thrive in the absence of communication between business owner and employees. This goes a long way to show how essential communication is where productivity is concerned.

The importance of virtual collaboration cannot be overestimated when setting up a remote team as a Nigerian business owner. In order to make this possible, you should ensure all necessary accessories for virtual collaboration are made available for your team.

To encourage virtual collaboration, collaboration tools such as Zoom, Slack, Skype, amongst several others should be made available to team members.

• Learn the Act of Appreciation and Encouragement

Everyone could use a little encouraging nudge here and there and your remote team is no exception. Encourage them as frequently as possible, this will help in boosting their morale.

In addition to this, the total wellbeing of your remote team should be top on your list of priorities. Encourage them to pay attention to their health and get enough rest. This is vital as it will enable them to perform better.

Setting up a remote team as a Nigerian business owner does not have to be a hard nut to crack. As long as the pointers above are considered, your remote team will be as effective as you want it to be.

ABOUT THE WRITER

Alara Charis is a writer who simply enjoys painting her world with words. You can reach her on Instagram @Alaracharis and Facebook @Alara Charis