Top 5 tips to help you manage an international company remotely

Before the pandemic, every issue, be it global or routine, in 99% of cases could have been solved only in person. But 2020 has changed everything, giving us more private space but making it much more complicated to coordinate huge teams. While fintech and IT industries adopted the remote regime quite easily, organizations from other sectors struggled to stay afloat at the beginning when everything went online. For us, the need to work from home and from anywhere did not come as a shock. We did this before the lockdown and continue to do so after, while remaining a united international multinational team. That’s why in today’s material our CEO and founder Valentina Drofa decided to share her 5 tips for those who want to increase the efficiency of work and keep respected leadership in new hybrid conditions.

1. Optimize processes, apply technologies

«The first thing I would pay attention to — do not force employees to work in hundreds of programs, do not throw them dozens of online documents and spreadsheets. Firstly, it is difficult to keep track of such a volume of data, and secondly, it will take a lot of time to process these files. Instead, set up a convenient infrastructure that is easy to navigate.

Everyone chooses what best suits them and what their customers use, but our top most frequently used programs are Trello, Miro, Google Docs, Zoom and Telegram. These five programs cover all our needs and help us not to get lost in thousands of tasks, deadlines, meetings, analytics and texts.

2. Explain to people why their work matters

Loss of motivation occurs when an employee does not fully understand your requirements, and you cannot convey them in an accessible form to him. To avoid misunderstandings and further wrangling, make the task clear not only for yourself but also for those who will be carrying it out.

Remember, your goal should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. Make employees see they should be free to ask any questions, say if something goes wrong and show them what their efforts will lead to. If they have a full picture, chances are they won’t get too stressed and won’t try to shirk their responsibilities.

3. Get the most out of your meetings

When it comes to meetings, some people either spend too much time on them, or find the format too ceremonial. In fact, there is only one main rule — any meeting should be appropriate. That is why we form working groups for each client, with whom we meet once or twice every week. We also set up calls at least once every two weeks for the whole duration of our work together, because it helps not to lose sight of our own goals, retain focus on those of the client, and check if different teams are moving in the same direction. On average, an hour is enough for us to outline a strategy, analyze the current state of affairs and any shortcomings.

Meetings can seem like a waste of time and effort, especially when everyone is terribly tired of Zoom. However, if you study the agenda in advance, understand your goals and not deviate from the topic, an hour-long meeting will significantly increase work efficiency.

4. Invest in who you hire

Referring to the example of my agency, I can say that we spend a lot of effort, time and money on training employees and their immersion in the corporate culture.This flexible approach allows us to both give a chance to promising newcomers with no experience and help savvy employees move to the next level. Investing in corporate training under the guidance of the best specialists in the market, we not only adjust employees to their style of work and give them the opportunity to increase their income in the future, but also create a sense of belonging to what we are doing together.

By the way, training is a good way to recognize those who work only for the sake of money and do not associate employment with self-realization. So give everyone a chance and boldly part with those who do not use it. On the other hand, we do our best to support those who gush with new ideas every hour. It is not always possible to implement them instantly, but we always think about how to combine them with the goals of our company.

5. Don’t be dry but don’t violate personal boundaries either

Even while staying at the very top, do not treat those who are at the very beginning of the path poorly. Don’t paint yourself as being too busy to devote time to an employee, and never get personal, even if you have had a really bad day. Formal and dry answers, as well as angry messages, will sooner or later form an employee’s fear of his superiors, which will force him to hide mistakes, shift responsibility to others, or simply leave».

Are you willing to become a part of our team? Send your CVs to job@drofa-ra.com.

Experience, honesty, openness, impeccability, focus on the financial sector — this is what makes us DROFA.