If only one of these ingredients is not prepared in good proportion or is left out, we would probably stay hungry and the meal would end up in the trash.

The most important ingredient is the team. So, what kind of people have you hired so far? Do these people want to work, are they results-oriented, will they work diligently and in a disciplined manner until they finish the job well? An engaged employee will work and push forward even in the most incredible scenarios. Those who nurture a positive climate and a supportive culture in their company and for whom employees come first will value such employees.

Even if you didn’t hire engaged employees, did you work on getting them engaged?

In addition to the employees themselves, it is extremely important that managers or team leaders provide tools for work, motivate and be engaged themselves. The story of another colleague relates to communication between the leader and the rest of the team. Much of the project she was given for the assignment was delivered ahead of schedule however feedback was completely lacking. She wasn’t sure if her team leader was working, taking a vacation, or working on other assignments. They created a complete leadership vacuum in the team and caused great insecurity among all team members. In the second week of silence, she began to wonder if she might be fired. Instead of motivation and engagement, paranoia and confusion ensued. On the other hand, all those who like micro-management and who want to have complete control over everything have different problems – their employees want to resign themselves.

The balance between total absence and excessive presence, as well as an individual approach to each employee, is a magic formula that works differently for everyone

This formula also contains trust, which is one of the most important elements for building relationships in a team. All the more so when the team is dislocated, and when communication takes place at a distance. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that the leader and the team build relationships on mutual trust and respect with a certain code of conduct. Will the tasks be done well and on time? It is a matter of trust, responsibility and team loyalty. As a team leader, you need to learn to manage by expectations, not by “time spent in an office chair”.

Another ingredient of our lunch code-named remote working are the work tools. In a shared business space, you can always gather a team and hold a meeting to get everyone on the right track. In the remote team, you will need the right tools to make sure everyone stays on the same page and has the necessary and timely information to perform the task well. You will probably need tools in certain categories such as group chat and video conferencing platforms and applications to monitor project or thematic business activities and execute them in real-time. The use of tools depends on how much your company has so far invested in equipment and IT literacy of employees. All tools are communication support and are necessary for success in remote work management.

If you work from home and don’t use available technologies and tools, you’ll find yourself in an intricate psycho-drama of reading minds, playing a broken phone, and “Don’t get mad” all at once!

For those who resist new technologies, one motivating thought: you don’t have to be tech-savvy, nor does Google have to be your best friend, try to use technology to be more productive and efficient, your time is at stake. And one more, if my grandmother could, so can you.

The third ingredient that empowers the entire remote team is the process. It provides the structure and direction to get the job done. This does not mean that we should nurture stubborn, unchanging, or meaningless processes. The process, in a small company, is more about providing a feedback loop, so you can measure the progress of the company but also the contributions of the people in the company. In larger companies, processes are inevitable if we expect a certain standard of work from all employees in a certain job.

Well-set processes allow you to work in the absence of everything else

That way, it won’t happen that the same client gets two different pieces of information from your two employees, nor will the results of the work of two different employees be the complete opposite. One of the most important benefits of the set processes is faster and easier introduction of new employees to work within the company. The point of it all, if you have the first two ingredients, great people on the team and super tools, and you don’t have processes, it’s like sending well-equipped soldiers to conquer bunkers, with no map and no way to the location.

In the end, I hope that our “remote work” meal will taste well and that you will experiment with these basic ingredients and add new ones because the greatest value is obtained from what we do and discover ourselves. And if you have any tips or experiences you would like to share, share them with us via email at: marketing@improv3.com