With remote teams, it is practically impossible to tell what people are doing at any given moment. But that doesn't stop managers being plagued by a sense of not knowing when their staff are working and when they might be slacking.
You need to rid yourself of such paranoia and increase your staff's sense of responsibility without necessarily becoming a micromanager. Here are some tips on how to do this, as proposed by the management-issues.com website:
Ensure that everyone knows what everyone else needs to deliver
Especially when people are working remotely, it can often come as a surprise just how unaware they are of exactly what their colleagues are working on, plus their needs and requirements. People shouldn’t automatically assume everyone has the same priorities since that is often not the case. You as a manager should manage expectations by ensuring individual priorities are known across the whole team.
Focus on the delivery and its quality
The key to good collaboration is people doing what they promise. So let everyone know what you and your colleagues are expecting – then also support and help people to deliver it. At the same time, whenever possible, you should leave it up to them how they actually do the work. Just to ensure they don't lose their way, schedule one-on-ones with each team member.
Coach people to be accountable
Ask them open-ended questions concerning what they require in order to complete tasks on time or whose help they may need. When someone is successful, share that success with everyone. Trust is based on the concept that others work with the same commitment as we do – which is why you need to make sure people are shown evidence of this.
-jk-