The Covid-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed how we see and interact in the world. It’s especially affected how we work! It’s accelerated the shift toward remote and hybrid work models. For marketing agencies, this transformation presents both challenges and opportunities. Managing a global workforce in this new era requires a deep understanding of remote team dynamics, a commitment to flexibility, and the adoption of new tools and practices. This guide explores how agencies can efficiently manage and fulfill marketing services with a global team in a post-Covid world.
Embracing the “New Normal” of Remote Work
An Upwork study suggests that 22% of the American workforce will work remotely by 2025 and approximately 14% of employed Americans (aged 18 and over) work from home all of the time, according to Pew Research Center. While 41% of employees work remotely on a hybrid basis.
In 2021, 70 percent of those who worked from home during the pandemic report virtual meetings are less stressful, and 64 percent now prefer hybrid meetings according to a report by Owl Labs
The pandemic has shown that remote work is not just possible, but often preferable for many employees. As agencies adjust to this new reality, it’s important to embrace the cultural shifts that come with it. According to Census.gov, the average one-way commuting time among those who travel to a workplace increased by almost 1 minute from 25.6 minutes in 2021 to 26.4 minutes in 2022. While this isn’t the highest this statistic has ever been, it certainly shows a trend towards people living farther away from where they work. Remote/hybrid work has been the response to this cultural shift.
Cultural Change: Remote work has democratized the workplace, offering employees greater flexibility and autonomy. This shift requires agencies to adopt a results-oriented approach, where the focus is on outcomes rather than hours worked. This is a very complicated place to work from considering tracking hours (from either a billing standpoint or capacity management for production) is essential to how agencies still run. We aren’t saying to abandon the hourly model entirely. You simply have to be more flexible and trusting in how it’s managed and tracked.
Tip: Implement policies that support flexible working hours and allow team members to choose their own schedules, as long as they meet deadlines and deliver results. In their book “REWORK,” Jason Fried and David Heinemeir Hansson (the founders of Basecamp), remind us that, “Working more doesn’t mean you care more or get more done. It just means you work more.” While this might sound reductionistic (or dumb), the fact is, productivity in our world (agencies) might be billed by the hour, but hours worked don’t equate to productivity. There has to be some nuance and context applied to the concept of working – be it time or other measures of performance.
Enhancing Communication and Collaboration in a Remote Setting
With teams dispersed across the country (sometimes the world), effective communication and collaboration have become more critical than ever. The key is to create an environment where remote employees feel connected and engaged and not penalized for being in a different time zone. This can be managed by level-setting expectations and fostering a collaborative remote culture.
Asynchronous Communication: In a global team, synchronous communication isn’t always feasible. Asynchronous communication—where team members respond to messages and tasks at their own pace—has become the norm. There are certainly moments where the team needs to align at the same time – and this is possible either via a late-day/early morning weekly alignment meeting or flying team members in quarterly to connect in person as a sort of “cultural recalibration” session. But generally and in the day-to-day, you need to have a healthy communication cadence and – with that – a plan for escalation as needed.
Tip: Encourage the use of project management tools like Basecamp or Monday.com, which allow team members to collaborate on tasks without needing to be online simultaneously. Use Loom for video updates and tutorials that can be watched at any time. Also, have a hierarchy of communication” that goes something like this:
– Email: Respond within 24 business hours
– Slack: Respond within the next working hour
– Phone call/text: respond immediately (within reason)
Virtual Team Building: Building relationships within your remote team is essential to fostering collaboration. Virtual team-building activities (non-business critical topics for calls) can help bridge the gap and create a sense of community. Learn more about your team and schedule time to do so collectively. Everyone’s favorite topic is themselves. So schedule times to cover everyone’s favorite topic – this will grow loyalty and open communication that in other ways wouldn’t be possible.
Tip: Organize regular virtual meetups, such as coffee chats or online games, to help your team members connect on a personal level. Ask deeper questions to get to know your team and ensure everyone engages! You can even mail people swag or things to display on these calls.
Leveraging Technology to Manage a Global Workforce
Technology is the lifeblood of remote team management. The right tools can streamline workflows, enhance productivity, and ensure that everyone stays aligned, no matter where they are. But the wrong tools will kill productivity, damage your brand, and even cost you clients!
Remote Work Tools: Equip your team with the best tools for remote work, including communication platforms, project management software, and cloud-based collaboration tools. Having SOPs and shared documents and clearly communicating how to work remotely will maximize productivity and set you apart from your competitors.
Tip: Using tools like Slack for communication, Notion for team documentation, Drive for shared folders, and Figma for collaborative design work will all help keep everyone on the same page remotely. Ensure that all tools are integrated, allowing for seamless workflows across different platforms. If integrations aren’t available, use tools like Zapier to help create those connections and automate as much of your processes as possible!
Cybersecurity: As remote work becomes the norm, cybersecurity is a growing concern. Protecting your agency’s data and your clients’ information is paramount. 2FA and limited access to certain documents not only help your agency remain compliant, but they’ll eliminate a lot of Rework as well – locking down an annual shared content calendar for example to only-owner editability will help protect your business as well as your and your client’s privacy.
Tip: Implement strong cybersecurity measures, such as VPNs, multi-factor authentication, and regular security training for your team. Use tools like LastPass for secure password management or lock certain folders or documents to keep information secure.
Navigating Time Zones and Cultural Differences
Managing a global team means navigating time zone differences and cultural diversity. Some of this was touched on above, but it certainly warrants it’s own consideration. While these differences can be challenging, they also offer unique opportunities for your agency. One such example is our agency is based in Pennsylvania (EST). The director of our Agency Accelerator product lives in Arkansas (CST) and our lead Ad Specialist is in Wisconsin (also CST). They both start their days an hour earlier than the rest of our agency – giving us a head start on reporting and baking in an extra hour of work across our workdays. Some companies have international teams that allow their company to work 24 hours a day!
Time Zone Management: Use time zone differences to your advantage by organizing work in shifts, ensuring that progress on projects continues around the clock. If you manage this well, schedule meetings at appropriate times and communicate expectations for productive hours then you can literally add hours to your day! Take this to a global scale and your team could work 24 hours in a day without anyone losing sleep.
Tip: Use scheduling tools like Doodle or share calendars in Google Workspace to find the best meeting times for team members in different time zones. Create a shared calendar that displays everyone’s working hours and ask team members to block their “non-working” hours. This will display appropriately across time zones for the one scheduling any calls or virtual meetings.
Cultural Sensitivity: Understanding and respecting cultural differences is crucial for building a cohesive global team. This includes communication styles, work habits, and holidays. This is especially important for international agencies. Some communication styles or assumptions are made state-side that require thorough communication and unpacking for, say, an Indian development team. It’s not extra work to be thorough and speak appropriately to different cultures. In fact, it can enhance your productivity, positively impact your bottom line, and even help you be relatable to prospective clients who are navigating the same sort of challenges.
Tip: Provide cultural sensitivity training for your team and create a cultural calendar that includes holidays and important events from each team member’s country and have an open line of communication with your team that allows them to bring to you any and all questions or challenges they may have encountering cultural differences for the first time.
Maintaining Productivity and Accountability in a Remote Environment
Here’s where most companies get it wrong. Truly, one of (if not THE) biggest challenges of remote work is maintaining productivity and ensuring accountability. Without the physical presence of an office, agencies must find new ways to keep their teams motivated and on track. We mentioned above the tracking of hours for client billing or capacity reporting is one way to manage this challenge, but there are other factors to consider in tracking productivity from remote associates.
Several studies over the past few years show productivity while working remotely from home is better than working in an office setting. On average, those who work from home spend 10 minutes less a day being unproductive and work one more day a week. These same remote workers are up to 47% more productive than office workers according to a Stanford study.
Performance Tracking: Use data-driven methods to track performance and ensure that your team is meeting their goals. This includes setting clear KPIs and regularly reviewing progress.
Tip: Implement task management reports or performance management tools like ClickUp, 15Five, or BambooHR, which allow for continuous feedback and goal tracking.
Employee Well-being: In the discussion around productivity, it’s import to not neglect the fact that remote work can blur the lines between personal and professional life, leading to burnout. It’s important to prioritize your team’s well-being to maintain productivity in the long term.
Tip: Encourage regular breaks and time off. Use tools like Calm or Headspace to offer mindfulness and relaxation resources to your team.
Adapting to the Future of Work
The post-Covid workforce culture is still evolving, and agencies must remain agile and open to change. This means continuously assessing and adapting your remote work strategies to meet the needs of your team and clients and being flexible in fostering quality communication, delivering results for clients, and making your company a preferred working environment – even remote!
Continuous Learning: The remote work landscape is constantly changing, with new tools and best practices emerging regularly. Stay ahead of the curve by encouraging continuous learning and development and inviting ideas or feedback from your team around best practices or new software to consider making your remote work more productive and efficient.
Tip: Offer online courses and resources to help your team stay updated on the latest trends and technologies in remote work and marketing and encourage certification programs either via LinkedIn or Google Academy to help folks not only stay sharp in their roles, but report back on any adjustments in the market they may have gathered in their continuing education.
Conclusion: Thriving in a Remote Work Environment
Managing a global workforce in a post-Covid world requires more than just adapting to remote work—it requires embracing it. By focusing on communication, leveraging technology, respecting cultural differences, and maintaining a results-oriented approach, your agency can thrive in this new era of work.
As the future of work continues to evolve, agencies that master remote team management will be better positioned to deliver exceptional marketing services to clients around the world and open themselves to a global (instead of regionally locked) talent pool!
Read more about how to better your agency at doneforyou.com/category/agencies