How to manage remote IT teams?

How to manage remote teams? That’s the thousand-dollar question.

As an ex-team leader, current remote team member, and a permanent team player, I’ve experienced it all – office life, hybrid setups, and fully remote work over the past five years. Based on that journey, I’d like to share a few practical tips and insights on what really helps when it comes to managing remote teams effectively.

Work with the tools you have

Let’s start with a tough pill to swallow: online communication will never fully replace face-to-face interaction. It tends to be transactional – you need input A from person B to complete task C. There's little room for the spontaneous chats and casual sidebars that happen naturally in an office.

That said, instead of trying to recreate office dynamics with forced virtual coffee breaks, let’s lean into what online communication does best: focus. It's goal-oriented, efficient, and when used right, it can outperform traditional meetings.

Here are a few tips that have worked well for me:

• Use online whiteboards like Miro or Mural for real-time collaboration – it’s as close to sticky notes on a wall as it gets.
• Record meetings so new team members can catch up without needing a live walkthrough every time.
• Keep the meeting chat open – it’s great for capturing quick thoughts, questions, or links without derailing the main conversation.

Keep the balance

Online meetings are deceptively easy to schedule – no need to hunt down a free meeting room, just click and you're in. But when your calendar starts filling up with endless “catch-ups” and “syncs,” it starts to feel less like collaboration and more like wading through mud.

That’s where asynchronous communication shines. It's efficient, respectful of everyone's time, and often gets the job done without interrupting deep work. A few tips to make async work well:

• Use channels to keep threads organised and easy to follow.
• Collaborative documents beat long chat threads every time.
• Respect “busy” or “do not disturb” statuses – reach out only if it’s truly urgent.

Of course, async has its limits. When does it make sense to switch back to real-time communication? A couple of rules of thumb:

• If a topic takes more than five back-and-forth messages on each side and you're still not aligned – it’s time for a quick call.
• If the subject keeps expanding and the audience grows – set up a meeting. Just make it a good one.

To keep meetings productive and bearable:

• Don’t default to hour-long slots – aim for 15, 30, or 45 minutes. Time pressure can be surprisingly effective.
• Always include an agenda and a clear goal. If we don’t know what success looks like, we’re just talking in circles.

Finally, two habits that help maintain sanity in remote schedules:

• Core hours: A few agreed-upon hours when everyone’s available for quick syncs if needed.
• Meeting-free days: At least one day a week reserved for deep work, because not everything needs a call.

Loop in the feedback loop

Without the casual interactions of an office, it’s much harder to spot when someone’s struggling – something a good team leader would often pick up on just by being present. That’s why building a strong feedback culture in remote teams is essential.

Regular feedback – whether it’s acknowledging great work, clarifying expectations, or gently pointing out what could’ve gone better – shouldn’t be optional. It helps people feel seen, supported, and aligned.

When I was in a leadership role, these were my go-to meetings to keep the feedback flowing:

• Weekly quick 1:1s – A short, focused space for any questions, blockers, or just a pulse check.
• Monthly catch-ups – A deeper dive into goals, growth, and career development.
• Open office hours – A set time when anyone can drop in – no agenda needed, just an open door (virtually speaking).

These regular check-ins aren’t just formalities – they’re the virtual version of a tap on the shoulder or a nod across the room. In a remote setup, they help keep communication open, expectations clear, and people feeling supported, not just managed.

The one step further

As mentioned earlier, remote work doesn’t offer much space for spontaneous fun – but that doesn’t mean we should give up on it entirely. A little lightness can go a long way.

First of all, not everything needs to be about work. Create space for casual conversation – whether it’s a #random Slack channel, a team meme drop, or just a daily “how’s everyone doing?” post. We’re still humans behind the screens, and sometimes a good laugh is the best productivity boost. (Key word: sometimes – we’ve still got work to do.)

Secondly, I can’t recommend a bit of Friday fun enough. Just 20–30 minutes of light, structured downtime can make a big difference. There are plenty of online games that work well with remote teams – two of my personal favorites are Gartic Phone and GeoGuessr. It’s simple, engaging, and a great way to end the week on a high note.

Finally, consider meeting in person when you can. Even once a year, gathering the team IRL builds a kind of connection that no video call can replicate. Shared memories and in-person bonding help strengthen trust – and as we all know, trust is the secret sauce in any high-performing team.

In short: happy teams make happy clients. And a little fun never hurts.

Conclusion

There are definitely things I miss about working from the office – the clear division between work time and downtime, marked by packing up and shutting off the computer. The picnic-style lunches in summer, discovering new specials at the nearby canteen, and those almost tribal gatherings around the coffee machine. In hindsight, that open office everyone used to grumble about feels surprisingly warm and cosy.

Still, more and more people are choosing remote work. The freedom to work when and where we want is a luxury many find worth the trade-off, even if it means giving up a bit of casual water-cooler chat. After all, flexibility is a powerful thing, and it’s reshaping how we think about work and connection.