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How to delegate in remote work - a guide for team lead and more

Pandemic. The world is massively switching to remote mode. And if a couple of months ago, the udalenka was typical either for freelancers or for the most progressive companies, today for many enterprises this format has become the only way to continue the business. And most of the new managers and employees who arrived in these ranks were not ready for such a development of events. So what is the problem?

Let's see what conditions must be met for the “remote employee – supervisor” link to work:

  • technical equipment (internet, laptop, connected access)
  • communication system (online and mobile services for communicating with the team, for project management, reporting, time tracking, version control, etc.)
  • a clear delegation system (achieving the goals of the unit with the best use of team resources).

And if with the first two points it is more or less clear or understandable in which direction to move, then the third point - about delegation - is not so obvious. Here human relations come into force, which are traditionally one of the most difficult areas in the work of a leader - and a key one.

In this article, I summarized my own leadership experience and the knowledge and skills that I then gained while working in the development of soft skills for leaders and their teams. At the moment, I am developing as an iOS developer, and I have the opportunity to look at the problem on behalf of a member of the IT community.
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Frankly, the udalenka is not so different from office work.
But for the leader this is a challenge - what is it like to evaluate the employee’s work solely by the result, and not by the number of hours spent behind the monitor screen (as is still the practice in most companies)? And this is a huge responsibility - how to make sure that your employee in the new realities clearly understands what needs to be done (not being able to touch your shoulders for clarifications at any time), and gives out exactly the result that you need by the specific date.

At this point, I want to dwell in more detail. In the emergency transfer to a remote work format, the task is not to train and expand the competencies of the team, since these tasks are designed for a longer planning horizon. However, there are some points that should be taken into account when setting tasks for your employees, and right now they can save a lot of time and nerves for you and your team.

There are formal rules that are important to observe when delegating tasks, and informal ones are what increase motivation in a team and create an atmosphere of trust and cohesion (which is especially important to pay attention to when a team is distributed).

Formal delegation rules:


The essence of the task. A written description of the problem with all the essential nuances. If you are predicting where a problem may arise, indicate this in advance so as not to lose the potential time for the employee to resolve it. If there are special requirements for the results, then they should be indicated, as well as the way the task is performed (if it matters).

WHO ANSWERS. Clear distribution of responsibilities. If there are several responsible people, they should understand for which area each of them is responsible and how to interact in the framework of this task.

TERMS How long are desirable and critical? Why?

IMPORTANCE AND RELATIONSHIP. What tasks are associated with this? What does its result influence? Who else is involved in the work on this project?

CHECK PICTURE IN THE HEAD. It is not so convenient to do it remotely, but if there is voice communication, it is useful for the employee to speak himself, as he understood what needs to be done. Sometimes we even understand the obvious things differently.

RESOURCES. Consider what information, contacts, data your employee needs to complete the task. And provide them in advance.

MONITORING Discuss in advance how the execution control will be carried out? Are intermediate reconciliations necessary? At what stages? How to notify? Should I continue to do so or wait for your acceptance?

FORWARDING. By delegating the task to a reliable executor, you can free up time for yourself by redirecting external horizontal communications in this direction directly to an employee. At the same time, I am convinced that it is up to you to communicate with the management yourself (although, of course, there are different situations).

QUALITY. If you need a task in the style of MVP - report it! Do not waste employee time to perfect the code. And vice versa - if quality is important here, report it so that you don’t have to return the task for revision later.

As I mentioned above, in the conditions of remote work, not only the need for a clear work with delegated tasks comes to the fore, but also human relations. Especially if a person did not have experience of remote work, and such a format for him is a way out of the comfort zone (and especially when children are jumping nearby, who are also not allowed to go to school and cats are hiding under your feet, stunned by so many people in the house day).

Here I would give the following recommendations:

Demonstrate TRUST to your employees. Directly and between the lines, create a message that appreciate their work, that you bet on their competence, that, despite the lack of physical control, you completely trust them and it is the results of work that matter to you, and not how many hours are continuously on the screen Your employee has sat. By the way, it is quite possible that at home his work will only become more effective (due to the lack of constant office distractions).

ACKNOWLEDGE TEAM MEMBERS ACHIEVEMENTS. This is a well-known advice, and in the context of udalenka it becomes even more relevant. What is easy to read in non-verbal communication can slip away through remote communication. Now it’s important to talk about how each member of the team makes a contribution to the development of the project, how this or that employee distinguished himself. It is important to highlight both team achievements and the achievements of each individually.

TEAM RULES. Most likely, in the new realities, the usual patterns of communication in your team can also change (work - rest mode, communication methods, feedback, etc.). Pay attention to this moment and, if necessary, fix the ambiguous nuances of interaction into specific rules - so that everyone has the same and clear picture in their heads on this subject.

TALK ABOUT EMOTIONS. When the transition to a remote location is a necessary measure, for many people this format is accompanied by a stressful state. Do not ignore this factor. Call up the team and talk not only about tasks, but also ask about the human side of work - how do employees work in a new format? What difficulties do they experience, and what, on the contrary, is now better? Share opinions, discuss difficult moments. It unites and gives your team an additional charge of motivation and energy for work. Talk about goals, plans, let them continue to feel like an important part of a large company, albeit at a physical distance.

In essence, these recommendations are valid for any format of work. But, despite their obviousness, they are not always respected. Udalenka, like a litmus test, brings to the surface all those difficult moments of communication that can be smoothed out with constant full-time interaction in the office, but it is impossible to ignore and render on different sides of the monitor screen. Therefore, right now, attentiveness to your team and how you interact with your employees, together achieving the company's goal, is becoming especially relevant.

And right now, a great chance for the team leader to build communication with his team in a new way - or adjust the one that has already developed. Use change to take your team to the next level - trust and efficiency.

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