With the rise of hybrid and remote working patterns, team leaders and managers face a new set of challenges when it comes to achieving their goals.

While remote working has a range of benefits both for employees and employers, it does present operational hurdles that need to be addressed. As well as difficulties in ensuring consistent reliable access and collaboration for teams that may be dispersed across locations and time zones, there are a lot fewer immediately tangible issues that will need to be addressed.

Let’s explore some of the key challenges and see how they can be navigated.

Clear communications

Members of a remote team need to be on the same page. To do this, clear communication protocols need to be established and everyone should know how to use the tools they have available.

Ensuring people know how to communicate, and that this is as intuitive as possible to mirror an in-person working relationship, is all-important. In time, this can become second nature, but teething problems can occur, particularly when new team members are being on-boarded.

Focus on what your teams need to effectively communicate with each other and keep listening to the feedback you receive so that you can act upon it.

Develop a community

Remote team members can easily feel disconnected and isolated. This, in turn, can lead to broader issues in terms of their well-being, especially for those individuals who live alone or who don’t have a support system in place.

To address this, team leaders should look to develop a strong sense of community within the team. This can’t be done overnight and much will depend on how communication develops across your various team members.

A community can be fostered through regular, non-work, based communications, partnering relationships where two or more team members work more closely together, virtual team building and online socializing.

Create a plan for the above and monitor its progress.

Support collaboration

Remote working can present challenges when it comes to collaboration. The lack of physical proximity presents an extra barrier to collaborative working that will need to be creatively overcome.

Ensuring you have the right collaboration tools at hand, such as virtual conferencing platforms and project management software, is a prerequisite.

Opportunities should be provided for team members to work together on projects through virtual brainstorming sessions and group webinars. This is a great way to bring your teams together so that they are all working towards a common goal.

Establishing trust and transparency.

Establishing trust is important in any team but isn’t always straightforward. The challenge is compounded when teams are working remotely. Transparent decision-making processes, clear progress reports and attainable deadlines and goals, all help to build trust.

This is underpinned by open and honest communication, with team leaders following through on their commitments and swiftly addressing any issues that may arise.

Support and resources

Managing workloads and staying motivated can often be difficult for remote teams. It’s therefore crucial that remote team members are provided with a cohesive set of support and resources.

This might include training and development opportunities, flexible working arrangements, and access to other resources such as mental health support and counselling services.

With the right tools and leadership approach in place, remote working can help companies become more efficient and employees more productive. It just requires some strategic thinking, effective planning and proactive decision-making.

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Technology has made huge developmental strides forward over recent years, with AI finally beginning to live up to some of its promises. While AI is likely to reach into every corner of our lives over the coming decades, it’s in the workplace that it’s likely to have the biggest and most immediate impact.

Scalable solutions are being developed that could prove to be revolutionary, but a degree of uncertainty remains. Over the coming years, pressure to introduce AI into business is likely to increase, particularly if your competitors are gaining an advantage through its use.

While some of the more dramatic predictions about the impact of AI may be overblown, it is already being used to help companies become more efficient. There’s little data available about the impact this is having on employment but anecdotally at least, it looks as if AI is currently working as a tool to aid human workers rather than as a replacement.

Increased efficiency

AI promises to make businesses more efficient, allowing labour-intensive routine tasks to be automated. AI algorithms can be programmed to perform repetitive tasks much faster and more accurately than humans, freeing up time and resources for more strategic tasks. AI can also automate processes and workflows, reducing the risk of human error and improving overall accuracy and quality.

One instance of this is supply chain management where AI is helping to optimize delivery routes and increase the speed of deliveries while reducing waste. It’s also being used to determine the best pricing strategy for products in retail settings.

Data-based decision making

AI can analyze vast amounts of data very quickly, enabling it to swiftly identify patterns and correlations. This information can then be used to predict future trends and likely outcomes. Data is presented in an easy-to-understand way, making it simpler for organizations to become more proactive in their approach to problem-solving.

An example of this is AI being used in a manufacturing setting where it can predict when machinery is likely to break down. It will do this on a running basis, meaning that sudden changes indicative of a developing fault will be signalled immediately. Maintenance can then be scheduled accordingly, reducing the risk of downtime and improving overall efficiency.

A changing landscape for business

AI is likely to become a normal feature of the business world over the next few years. Its potential to help businesses become more efficient, reduce costs and make better decisions means that early adopters are likely to see the biggest benefits.

Of course, AI is not without its challenges. It can be costly to implement, it’s still heavily reliant on human input to ensure its accuracy, security can be compromised if the software is not watertight and there is a danger that we become too dependent on it, stifling creativity and agility in the process.

However, while today’s AI may be quickly overtaken by the AI of the future, businesses should be open to its potential and willing to innovate. The businesses that lead in the future are likely to be those that have taken the tools provided by AI and used them in a unique way.

While AI is likely to introduce a range of benefits for businesses over the coming years, human ingenuity and creativity will be the determining factor in how it’s used.

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