Goal-Setting Sessions with Your Remote Team Member

Set clear business goals with definite metrics, well-structured timelines for evaluation periods, and check-ins. Build cultural norms and expectations up front because it helps management run remote teams successfully and achieve goals. On a continuous basis, technology is evolving, due to which remote work culture is growing common in every industry.

Managers and remote employees can now communicate on a professional level easier than before. No matter where they are and in what time zone they work. This culture is convenient for both employees and employers. Now both are keen on the idea of working from home if it’s once a week. The changes in working style or routine aligned with technology demand changes in management styles.

A remote manager understands the importance of adapting to changes according to technological advancements. As time progresses, they plan an effective strategy to adjust their tasks and become more productive. While having a flexible routine, you can achieve your professional goals more seamlessly. Companies around the world now understand that they have to make communications intentional.

Factors to Discuss in Goal-Setting Sessions with Your Remote Team

Success with remote work lies in strong goal-setting. Remote workers are free to decide their work location, time, and how they manage their breaks. If you’re planning to set specific goals for every individual in your team, your decision is right. Setting goals for every employee will allow you to process workflow seamlessly.

If your company’s operations are based on deliverable-by-deliverable, you might need to think over about a strategy for targeting specific goals. Because, at the end of the day, every individual’s motive is to be on the same page and focus on the same outcome. However, every company works according to their own process, but there are few key suggestions to help you achieve your milestones. These are briefly described below.

1. Desired Outcomes

When you’re starting your process for goal-setting, you must determine every employee’s desired outcome and yours too. So, what do you wish to focus on, personal or professional goals? Will you focus on goals as an individual or team? What do you think is the ideal outcome as a manager?

Take some time out and have an in-depth discussion about remote employees and their goals. Make sure everything is crystal clear in your discussion. It also allows employees to understand your hopes regarding achievements for every end of the month, quarter, or year.

As a general outcome, your team will feel confident and work more efficiently on projects successfully. Moreover, you’ll also feel comfortable knowing that your team is making progress and achieving goals that will positively impact the company.

2. Specify Goal and Expectations

Be specific and selective with your choice of words and leave no grey areas in your meeting. Discuss your expectations, business goals, and end results of every project. When an employee has clear and concise knowledge about a project or client, he/she will deliver the best outcomes.

3. Measurable

Without any software or agile methodology, how will you tell whether or not your employees are accomplishing their target goals or not? What technique or method are you planning to use? If you don’t have a metric associated with goals, you need to re-evaluate the process because it’s not a S.M.A.R.T (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely) goal. So, plan and implement an effective tracking strategy to check workflow constantly.

4. Relevant

Are the goals related to your business or make sense for the company? Is the planning aligned with your company’s aim? Is it future-proof, or geared for expansion with time? If fostering your company culture isn’t the priority, your goals may not be entirely effective. Before planning a strategy for any project or team, align it with the company’s goal.

An irrelevant goal or planning will cause a disruption in your workflow. Even when you’re working with a remote team, both the company and the employee need to keep every phase/step relevant to the business.

5. Achievable

Is it possible for the team or you to achieve a specific goal? Did you analyze your previous data to determine goals that will require your determination? Or is it reasonable? Go through the previous record of every individual remote employee to judge their capabilities.

Once you know their expertise, you will be able to decide whether a given employee can achieve the assigned task or not. Assigning a project’s task without evaluating a remote employee’s skill can lead to failure.

6. Time-bound

Do you have a deadline for a project or goal? Is there a time or date which you can determine? Well, if there is any, do mention it in your system and share it with your remote team member. When an individual remote employee is aware of the submission date, he/she works accordingly.

Also, working from home is a challenge itself, and some people face distractions. With time-bound expectations, they can manage their personal routine and work more effectively.

Clear Metrics

The most important thing you should remember while setting goals in your session with the remote team, is to determine KPIs (key progress indicators). For every remote employee, it’s an important step in goal-setting to know and understand the KPIs.

Find KPIs that will fit perfectly with your goals and represent the outcome of the level you set for your resource. For yearly goals, first decide whether you want to pursue this goal for a year or not. You can always go back and focus on each quarter.

However, you can also choose retro-planning; this allows remote employees to focus on short-term goals. Thus, in the long run, short-term goals eventually help you accomplish long-term goals.

Frequent Check-Ins on Goals

As you know, remote team members work flexibly, and they aren’t restricted to any particular location. Dropping by their work station to inquire about their work, goals, status, etc. is not a regular process. Instead, arrange a meeting periodically to catch up.

You can hold a meeting weekly for a few minutes to start with, and discuss current deliverables or projects. This meeting can be held over a chat or video call through software like Slack, Skype, Zoom, etc. Moreover, you can arrange a video conference with the whole team and align them with collective goals.

Gradually start holding monthly sessions to review each remote employees’ progress and goals that they’ve completed so far.

Final Takeaway

Success with a remote team requires monitoring, smart supervision (not micromanagement), and, most importantly, sessions to fulfill business goals and visions. You can always hire a remote team by yourself, but it will be a bit hectic. So, why not hire an agency like Aspired and let them take care of your remote hiring and project management.

Hundreds of businesses from all over take advantage of Aspired’s services. All they do is wait for the report; it can be weekly, monthly, or yearly, depending on the business owner’s preferences. Indeed, progress and workflow are tremendous for all.