Millennials continue to disrupt the workforce, and as the next generation of top talent, you need to be ready. Why? Millennial workers are not all that interested in the eight-hour cubicle grind, making remote management essential.
“Will they preserve the values and characteristics that have made them such a unique addition to the workforce, or will they transform into something else entirely,” Larry Alton of Forbes questioned?
This next generation of workers could fuel the remote workforce revolution in Europe and North America more. Even major global corporations, such as Coca-Cola and Apple have some kind of remote work program. If you want to cater to Millennials, you may need one too.
A FlexJobs survey found that 85 percent of Millennials demand full-time telecommutes. From job-hopping to a better work-life balance, you may need to cater to the needs of the next workforce.
This means managing them remotely will become a top priority. Here’s how to do it right.
1. Cultivate a Highly Transparent Remote Environment
Transparency plays a big role in managing remote Millennial teams. It not only keeps the team in the loop, but also improves efficiency and productivity. Being highly transparent with remote workers can also serve as a catalyst for autonomous action.
Here are a few essential transparency hacks for your remote teams:
- Make mentorship happen. By changing the mindset from management to Millennialmentorship, you are empowering remote workers to reach higher professionally. Have a weekly mentor meeting with your remote team members and fill them in on what’s happening and how they can help and make a difference.
- Bring everyone together virtually. Once a month, get everyone in the same room regardless of where everyone may be working. Video conferencing technology can make this. This is a time to share new goals, progress updates, new product developments, and even team member accolades.
- Simply be available. Remote management is all about being available for team members, regardless of workforce generation. A mentor that is easily accessible can have a big-time positive effect on productivity and the company bottom line.
The aim is making the remote office feel like HQ. If your remote team doesn’t have a meaningful connection, they may lack passion and start browsing other job opportunities instead of working. When does transparency begin? The moment onboarding and remote training do.
2. Provide Productivity Tools for a More Autonomous Workflow
There is nothing more frustrating than needing to get a task done without the right tools. When it comes to Millennials, an efficient working environment is absolutely critical for retention.
In fact, “Forty-three percent of Millennials say if given the choice, they would like to leave their current employers in the next two years,” according to a recent Deloitte report. Remember, this is the generation that grew up with Google at their fingertips.
Having powerful productivity tools in place not only benefits your remote team but also your business. For example, giving your remote team access to the WordPress service to integrate plugins that streamline content marketing efforts, or productivity apps that make your remote team’s efficiency optimized.
You can also synergize your in-office team with remote ones with these tools:
- Project management tools. Having a cohesive project workflow is an asset for any business team, remote or not. Project management tools like Asana, AceProject, and Trello can keep tasks moving forward in a powerful way. This is also a good way to keep clients in the loop as well.
- Content and media file sharing tools. Ensuring your Millennial team has access to media and content files remotely is a must. It allows your workforce to share, give feedback, edit, and meet deadlines without digital snags. Google Drive and Dropbox are file sharing tools that are user-friendly and accessible on multiple devices.
Facilitating team cohesion with innovative technology will create productive co-worker systems that serve up results. More innovation simply equates to a happier and easy to manage Millennial remote workforce.
3. Have Very Clear Expectations in Place
Another essential element to remote team management for Millennials is having clear expectations in place. The success of your business hinges on the expectations you set, so it is important to get it right.
“Your first job is to be clear and upfront about the expectations your company has for remote workers,” Inc. suggested. “This is going to vary based on your company culture, your workers, and even your current needs, but the more direct you are the better.”
Clear expectations could include:
- Defined team member roles
- Project ownership guidelines
- Hourly commitments and weekly progress reports
- Scheduled, structured task deliverables
- Support tree for questions, concerns, and feedback
Expectations should be in place from the get go. This ensures that onboarding and the first few months of work go smoothly. It is also a great way to introduce Millennial workers into your company culture.
Is Your Company Millennial Ready?
There is no stopping the remote workforce revolution. The next generation workforce wants a better work-life balance and the freedom to work from wherever, and even whenever, they want. Do you have a remote team? How are you effectively managing them?
