How to effectively manage a global workforce

Having a global team has become increasingly commonplace in the business world. 

It’s no secret that many companies want to attract global talent, and there are now more opportunities than ever for international workers. Career prospects are no longer restricted to a location, so managing and working with people around the globe is now a reality for many businesses. However, a global workforce presents several distinct challenges, such as time zones, cultural differences, and communication. 

Whether it’s a manufacturing or an oil and gas business, leaders must be able to provide effective management to ensure success. Below, we explore the best ways to manage a global workforce.

1. Set clear expectations

When it comes to managing a team, creating clear expectations is paramount—this naturally extends to managing a global workforce too. 

Every employee should know exactly what you expect from a leadership point of view, it’s vital for improving performance. For example, how often does your company plan to check in with employees or provide performance reviews? 

It’s also important to acknowledge any cultural differences and find different ways of working better as a team. Managers should learn how to best communicate with all staff members, as workplace cultures can differ from country to country. This is especially important for those in economics and planning roles. Within the oil and gas industry, these professionals are responsible for ensuring organizational objectives are achieved in relation to the budget, as well as overseeing health and safety. So, with good and open communication, leaders can build strong relationships and a high-performing global workforce.

2. Establish trust and core values

For international employees, it’s all the more important that managers establish trust with their team members. This includes reinforcing structure, purpose, and core values, as well as planning how everyone’s work fits into the overall business strategy. 

Whether you’re a renewables, manufacturing, or engineering company, it’s important to ensure that the team is a single entity working towards a common goal. When managing a global workforce of distributed teams, allow your team to understand your leadership style, encourage collaboration, and create positive team dynamics. This can lead to increased morale and greater productivity for professionals in a variety of roles, from process engineers to quality specialists.

3. Create a culture of continuous learning

There’s always great value in consistently learning. 

One of the best ways to build a successful organisation in a global environment is to create a culture that helps people learn and grow. 

The key challenge of managing a global workforce is making sure everyone is engaged, especially if your team connects remotely. It can be hard to strike the right balance between too many meetings and not enough meetings, even if this is for internal organisation deliverables, like learning & development. 

With development and growth being one of the main reasons people leave a role, creating a learning culture can be a way to boost engagement, as well as retention. Since global teams are comprised of people from a range of backgrounds, cultures, and religions, an environment of continuous learning is crucial. Leaders should encourage an open dialogue about workplace practices and offer consistent training and support.

How to manage a conflict in a team as a manager

Whether it’s a global team or not, as a manager and a leader that people look up to, it’s important to know how to manage diverse groups of people. 

Make sure everyone feels seen and heard as you mediate the conflict, and explore what works for every team member involved in the conflict. It will help to ensure all parties enage in active listening as well as writing down what would be the ideal solution to the issue at hand.

TRS Staffing can help your business

At TRS Staffing, we have an excellent team of recruitment consultants who have a strong knowledge of a range of sectors. We specialize in oil and gas and renewables staffing, mining recruitment and civil engineering staffing. 

As a result, we have access to a global network of candidates, and we pride ourselves on our ability to consistently deliver an outstanding service to our clients. Over the years, we’ve built outstanding relationships with those we work with, and we’re always growing. We work around the world to ensure organizations are equipped with the best professionals to maintain their production services. 

Our consultants are highly dedicated and passionate about the sector they recruit into. If you would like to know more about our services, contact us today.