Managing a Remote Team: Expert Advice From Business Psychologist Gunjan Odedra

In the last five years, remote work has shifted from a temporary solution to a long-term reality for many organisations, and the new Employment Rights Bill is set to progress this even further. While benefits such as flexibility, wider talent pools, and potential productivity gains are clear, the challenges of managing a dispersed team are significant. Communication barriers, feelings of isolation, and difficulties in maintaining motivation are common.

For neurodivergent employees especially, remote and hybrid working can provide a more comfortable and controlled environment that reduces sensory overload and social stressors. It also allows individuals to structure their day in a way that best supports their focus, energy levels, and communication preferences. In short, it is a useful neuro-inclusive accommodation when managed appropriately.

To explore how leaders can navigate the challenges and make the most of the benefits, I sat down with Gunjan Odedra, Business Psychologist and our Occupational Delivery Team Leader here at Genius Within to get her professional perspective on managing remote employees effectively.

Remote work has changed not just where we work, but how we work. The traditional office provided structure, routine, and a sense of shared purpose. Without those in-person cues, managers must be more deliberate in creating a cohesive team culture. Establishing trust and maintaining connection require conscious effort, especially when most interactions take place through screens. We asked Gunjan for some advice on achieving this, she said:

“Remote work does impact team dynamics and employee well-being. While flexibility and autonomy can enhance work-life balance, the lack of face-to-face interaction often leads to social isolation, communication gaps, and weakened group cohesion. Virtual environments challenge trust-building and emotional connectivity, which are fundamental for team synergy. To address this, schedule check-ins and non-task-focused team time humans need informal bonding to build trust and group identity. Without this, teams become fragmented, reducing collaboration and morale. Develop business etiquettes policy because unclear expectations increase anxiety and misinterpretation, harming productivity and well-being. Leaders should proactively model psychological safety by ensuring remote workers are equally visible in meetings, feedback loops, and recognition. This combats proximity bias and fosters fairness, boosting motivation, trust, and emotional well-being.”

One of the most frequently cited challenges of remote management is communication. Without hallway chats or informal catch-ups, misunderstandings can grow quickly.  It would be easy to think the solution here is to have more meetings but in reality it’s about having better meetings as you don’t want to fill up people’s schedules with constant comms and no time for task completion. Managers need to balance asynchronous communication (like emails and chat) with synchronous moments that encourage real dialogue and relationship-building. Gunjan suggests starting with a focus on psychological safety:

“To know how to build on psychological safety understanding what it means is important. Psychological safety develops in stages: 1) Inclusion safety which is feeling accepted, 2) Learner safety where individuals feel safe to ask and grow, 3) Contributor safety when team members are free to share ideas, and 4) Challenger safety when they are able to question or innovate. Set clear norms for channels, response times, and meeting purposes. Model openness by admitting mistakes, showing empathy, and inviting feedback. Be consistent and transparent in updates, ensuring every team member feels informed and included. Rotate facilitation to ensure equal voice and use asynchronous tools for inclusion. Celebrate progress and reinforce shared purpose to strengthen belonging, at all times be curious, listen actively and give people the positive benefit of doubt.”

Keeping a remote team motivated requires clarity of expectations and recognition of effort. Employees working from home can sometimes feel “out of sight, out of mind.” Managers who provide regular feedback, celebrate successes, and set achievable goals can help sustain engagement and prevent burnout. Gunjan shares what we know from the research on this subject:

“Research shows that motivation and engagement in remote settings depend on autonomy, meaningful work, and connection. Give team members freedom in how they do their work, but be clear about goals, expectations, and deadlines. Share evidence-based feedback using both spoken and written formats so everyone can process it in their own way. Offer different ways to communicate e.g. video, chat, or email and give individuals time to respond. Most importantly, build a culture where different brains and working styles are respected and understood.”

One of the biggest risks of remote work is the blurring of personal and professional boundaries. When your home is your office, it’s easy for the workday to expand without limits. It is essential to long-term productivity and well-being that you support employees to set healthy boundaries. This is done through flexible hours, time-off policies, and cultural modeling from leadership. Gunjan suggests:

“Encourage people to set work hours that suit their focus patterns for example, blocking “deep work” time in the morning or using meeting-free afternoons depending on individual level preferences. If working late at night works well for you using functions like delayed send or scheduled send to model healthy boundaries and no expectation to reply at that hour. Provide accessible mental health support, such as coaching, EAP’s, peer support or employee networks. Finally promote a culture of rest and recovery instead of rewarding overwork or burnout.”

Managing a remote team isn’t about surveillance or constant check-ins; it’s about trust, communication, and empathy. As organisations continue to adapt to hybrid and remote models, leaders who invest in their team’s psychological health will not only improve performance but also foster loyalty and resilience. A final word from Gunjan:

“Leading remote teams successfully requires more than technology it demands empathy, clarity, and consistency. By fostering psychological safety, promoting open communication, and respecting individual working styles, organisations can create an environment where people feel trusted, valued, and motivated. Investing in mental health support, flexible structures, and inclusive practices ensures sustainable performance and well-being. Ultimately, the future of work depends on leaders who balance accountability with humanity, creating virtual spaces where everyone can thrive and contribute authentically.”