Managing Remote Teams: Working Effectively with Distractions

Vladimir Simeonov has been part of Proxiad SEE as Business Operations Director since early 2020. He has over 15 years of experience in Sales, Marketing, Customer relations and Team and Project management. He has worked with partners all over the world and today will share more about the concept of working remotely, its challenges, best practices and how to manage remote teams.

Remote working has become the preferred working model because of the convenience it offers employees. However, is it possible to successfully manage people remotely?

For us, working with colleagues who are not physically in the same place is nothing new - our teams work with clients all over the world. At the same time, our offices in Sofia, Plovdiv, and recently in Skopje, are in constant collaboration, but we also hire completely remote talents from all over the country. This is why we know the specifics of remote work quite well and we are completely aware of all the processes that are required.

In our experience, we have found that the main challenge that remote working leads to is reduced engagement of people in the organization. To increase the engagement of our teams, we focused on organizing additional activities and initiatives for all colleagues such as charity bazaars, volunteer initiatives, mini team building, etc. These events help us to improve collaboration within each of the teams.

But in addition to occasions to meet in and out of the office, we have found that our colleagues need to receive strong moral support from both management and the People & Culture team. In our desire to put a focus on professional development, transparency and motivation for improving and training, we created one of our software products - GROW. This is an employee development and assessment system whose main purpose is to support the aforementioned by:

• Clear company processes that support more effective management;
• Focus and measurable goals for each employee;
• Facilitated and strategically planned personal development;
• Transparency in assessment;
• Clear and timely communication;
• Face-to-face meetings with the manager;
• Points-based assessment system.  

Thanks to GROW, our colleagues know what they are expected to achieve on their own and with their team throughout the year. Together with their managers, they hold meetings during which they discuss their performance and what and how can be built up and improved in the process. Giving and receiving feedback is an extremely important process for us at Proxiad SEE - and that goes for both parties.

To further motivate our colleagues, we also created the Success Card platform, which aims to encourage and reward their initiative when they contribute with their efforts to the development of the organization in different areas: leading trainings, creating technical documents and materials, webinars, tech exchanges, assisting in the work of other teams (Marketing, People, Recruitment, etc.)

All this led to increased collaboration between departments and has contributed immensely to creating a stable environment.

What are the skills that everyone who would like to be truly successful in remote work should have?

In addition to the skills needed to fill a position, it is extremely important for us that the people we work with are responsible for the tasks they have on a daily basis. Therefore, skills such as good organization of duties, optimal planning and communication with the team are the basis for a successful work process.

Of course, this also involves building a good ecosystem of digital tools to ensure their peace of mind.

What doors has the implementation of this working model opened for you and what were the biggest challenges you’ve encountered?

Thanks to the remote or hybrid model, companies have the opportunity to expand their worldview and look at new regions and markets. But this brings in the challenges of properly familiarizing people with the culture and processes, as well as of reduced ownership of the organization.

A large number of our employees have identified hybrid work as their desired daily rhythm because it allows them to successfully balance their personal and professional lives.

To meet their need for freedom, but also to preserve the relationship between employees and the organization, we have a liberal policy that encourages visiting the office to share experiences, meet colleagues, or just have a good time.