While established companies often have the budget to hire all the local talent they desire, small businesses and bootstrapped startups turn elsewhere.

Thanks to technology, businesses are able to quench their talent thirst by building a remote team—both interstate and internationally. Remote arrangements are also great for boosting your team’s morale.

But building a remote team isn’t without its problems.

Communication disruptions, cultural differences, and unclear expectations can wreak havoc on your team’s productivity.

However, the good news is that you’re going to learn how to navigate these issues.

Let’s get started.

What is a remote workforce?

A remote workforce is a team of employees and/or contractors who are located in different areas. You can likely consider your team “remote” when you have several employees or contractors who work from an off-site location.

3 Lessons to improve remote team management

Managing a remote team can be tricky—especially if it’s your first time. But the best part is, you don’t have to suffer through the growing pains yourself.

Instead, here are 3 crucial lessons (and solutions) that’ll make remote team management a breeze.

1. Don’t assume the local work culture is the same as yours

While work cultures may be relatively similar in westernized countries, there are big differences in others.

For example, some countries have strict hierarchical work structures which forbid an employee from disagreeing with a manager or other superior.

This reluctance to have a different opinion can make two-way conversations difficult, especially when asking for feedback.

How you can overcome cultural differences in a global team:

• Do some research into the local work culture
• Ask your remote staff for their opinion before you give yours
• Practice reading between the lines
• Take notes from the interaction and dissect them afterward
• Ask questions in a way that doesn’t go against the local work dynamic

2. Pay attention to timezones before hiring someone

Did you know that timezones around the world can differ by an incredible 26 hours?

While this is an extreme example, it illustrates how big the potential issue can be.

However, one point to remember is that your remote employees and contractors won’t necessarily work standard business hours in their local timezone. So don’t avoid remote employees in certain regions before talking to them first.

How to make team collaboration work across international borders:

• Determine how much direct team collaboration you need and communicate this with your potential hire
• Find out all instances of overlapping availability
• Set team calls at regular times to ensure that everyone is available, but have a clear process for requesting additional calls.
• Manage your team projects through a shared platform so comments and reviews can be made without formal calls.
• Be flexible. The odd call outside of business hours won’t hurt—I promise!

3. Unclear expectations lead to poor results

Poor performance isn’t always due to a low-quality hire. In fact, even well-qualified, experienced remote contractors and employees can fail to meet your expectations.

If you’ve experienced this issue, the culprit is likely misaligned goals and unclear expectations. So before you start looking for another remote team member, make sure that your employee or contractor understands your expectations.

How to set clear expectations when leading a remote team:

• Never assume that you and your staff have the same expectations
• Set clear goals and expectations
• Show your team examples of the deliverables they need to complete
• Get your staff members to share their definitions of success for each project.
• Ensure your remote team is on board with company expectations

Don’t shy away from building a remote workforce

While there are some pitfalls to avoid with managing a remote team, the benefits overwhelmingly outweigh the cons.

Your company gains access to scarce skills and budget-friendly talent while your team enjoys work-from-home perks.

And if you keep these three lessons in mind, your transition to a remote workforce will happen more smoothly.

Everyone wins!