Managing Remote Teams: 40 Useful Performance Feedback Phrases

Managing Remote Teams is working under no physical supervision from your manager or supervisor while staying on task and communication to report on the daily progress.

Managing Remote Teams: Exceeds Expectations Phrases

• Uses project management tools that have file sharing and collaboration features when one has files or documents that need to be shared remotely
• Creates an internal blog and lists weekly or monthly updates, uses it to spotlight a team member and to increase communication among team members
• Gets together quarterly or twice a year for a week of coworking in a central location or for a team building retreat
• Leaves chat rooms open in order to enable team members to discuss important issues and to make them feel like they are connected as one team
• Uses arrows, labels, and notes to explain desktop screenshots and creates quick screen capture videos in order to explain something virtually
• Uses tools that enable one to share own screen virtually and allow others to control another computer remotely
• Conducts weekly virtual meetings in order to give the team a set of goals for that week and get everyone on the same page
• Checks in frequently on team members for one-on-one feedback sessions and to spot any potential problem areas
• Hires people who are capable of working independently and who are up for the challenge in order to achieve the best results
• Makes sure that each team member has downloaded and knows how to use the apps one has chosen for the company

Managing Remote Teams: Meets Expectations Phrases

• Remains concise but clear when giving instructions in order to leave less room for assumptions, misinterpretations, or other disastrous missteps
• Keeps the communication lines open in both directions in order to allow team members to address their thoughts, issues, comments, and questions
• Remains transparent in order to help team members understand the goals they are working towards and their importance to the success of the company
• Tries as much as possible not to ping a team member over messenger and refrains from calling them when one knows that they are busy working
• Recruits people that one can trust to complete their tasks on time and stay productive even under pressure
• Puts a standard in place for how to reach each other out and how to be ready for an emergency call
• Puts essential information out in the open and avoids discussions in private channels in order to keep the whole team in the loop
• Schedules a daily "huddle" where team members share what they did on the previous day, what they are currently working on, and some of the challenges they are facing
• Spends time developing the right processes that lay a foundation for remote teams to work effectively and successfully
• Provides metrics around the stated goals and describes how each team member's contribution fits into the overall company's goal

Managing Remote Teams: Needs Improvement Phrases

• Hires the wrong people for the wrong job thus ends up having problems managing them remotely
• Treats remote workers as individuals rather than team members who should support each other in achieving the set company's goals
• Does not care about giving feedback about the job the employees are doing or listening to what they think about it
• Keeps team members' communication limited to work only and does not engage them in conversations that bring a sense of community
• Does not estimate the capacity of a remote worker before assigning him/her a task thus ends up with tasks that are poorly done
• Hires great remote employees but does not take the time to train them or explain what is required of them by the company
• Does not give a lot of thought to how an employee does a job or take the time to understand what the employee does
• Does not set up metrics to measure progress, monitor output, or ensure deadlines and targets are being met
• Ignores warning signs such as missing deadlines instead of meeting with the worker to determine what the problem is
• Does not advance technology and tools necessary to communicate with team members and boost their efficiency and productivity

Managing Remote Teams: Self Evaluation Questions

• Describe a time when you have been required to manage a remote team. What are some of the tools you used to make this effective?
• In your opinion, do you find working remotely more effective than the normal office setting or the other way around? Why?
• What are some of the skills you look for when hiring employees to work remotely?
• What do you require in your physical workspace to be able to manage remote teams effectively?
• What systems or applications do you use to monitor your team's work and to enable effective communication between remote employees?
• Is there a time when your system shut down such that you could not communicate with your remote workers? What did you do?
• How do you deal with a remote worker who constantly fails to deliver projects on time or delivers work, which is poorly done?
• How do you organize files in your computer and how do you share them with your remote workers?
• How do you prepare for and facilitate meetings with your remote workers? How do you make sure every worker attends these meetings?
• How do you make sure that your remote workers use technology for work purposes only other than for personal gain?