The 5 Biggest Hurdles To Managing Remote Teams (And How To Overcome Them)

Remote work comes with so many avenues for communication, like email, instant messaging apps, or video conferencing—almost too many.

The abundance of platforms and lack of non-verbal cues leaves room for communication to get lost or misinterpreted.

Remote work means your company may be made up of employees scattered across time zones. Approximately 98% of respondents surveyed by Buffer reported their company having employees in multiple zones. This means your team members may be working at different hours of the day, depending on where they live.

Sure, there might be a few hours of overlap, but the fact of the matter is, employees must learn to work asynchronously on projects. So as you’re managing remote teams, you need collaboration tools and systems in place that support employees no matter what time zone they are in.

Company culture thrives on face-to-face interactions. It’s just easier to get employees engaged and invested in the work when they feel connected to your company.

With remote team members, cultivating a sense of company culture isn’t as simple as it would be in the office. In fact, 16% of remote employees told Buffer they struggle with loneliness due to remote work.