If you have to manage a team remotely, one of the most important things you need to do is to make the team roles and responsibilities clear. It is vital for team members to know exactly what is expected of them at work, and what they can expect from their roles if you are not always on the shop floor. Providing employees with clear job descriptions and a thorough induction to explain how your role will operate are both effective ways of doing this. And if team members take on new responsibilities as they progress and develop in their roles, their job descriptions should be updated to reflect these changes.

It's also important to be as transparent as much as possible: make your team aware of your expectations from the outset of a project or initiative. You can provide reminders of this from time to time during conference calls and one-to-one telephone conversations. Setting expectations half-way through a project or in response to a mistake or setback will only confuse and frustrate team members, especially if you are managing the team remotely.

It's just as important to demonstrating the link between your expectations and your organisation's strategy while employees undertake their tasks outside of the office. This will help employees understand how their work relates to the wider objectives of the organisation when they might sometimes feel cut off. For example, a strategic objective of fostering a collaborative working culture could translate into an expectation for team members to work effectively together.

To manage your team's expectations effectively, you first need to understand what these expectations are. An effective way of doing this is to circulate a survey around your team. Use email to send a personal message along with a survey just as if you were sitting beside your team in the office. In the survey, you may wish to include questions about team expectations relating to working practices, resources, development opportunities and the team environment centred around working remotely.

Don't lose sight of individuals within your team. As part of your regular one-to-one conversations with team members, you should aim to gain an understanding of their expectations as individuals. It is a good idea to ask employees to be as specific as possible during these conversations, as this will provide you with a more accurate impression of exactly what their expectations are. Asking open questions such as 'how do you think this could be delivered?', and 'what do you think this would help you achieve?' will help you to do this.

Because you are working remotely, it might sometimes we tempting to pacify your team or keep problems at bay by promising something you can't really see through. But it is vital that you are realistic when responding to team member's expectations. If something simply isn't feasible, you should be honest with team members and explain the reasons why. Of course there may be times when circumstances change and it becomes difficult, or even impossible, to deliver something you have previously promised your team. If this happens, it is important to be honest about this and provide your team with an explanation.

If it is possible to meet a basic expectation in a slightly different way, you should discuss this with your team. For example, if you are unable to provide external training and development opportunities, you might be able to develop employees through internal coaching or mentoring instead. Similarly, it might be feasible to reward your team financially for discretionary effort or exceptional performance; for example, with a cash bonus. It's a good idea that you know company policy inside out before you embark on this type of reward. It might be that certain countries, for example, cannot adhere to this type of reward. Consider giving another, non-financial reward, such as an additional day's annual leave, as an alternative.

If you become aware of any changes that are going to take place in your team or organisation, it is important to inform your team of them as soon as possible. Use email and conference calls for that personal touch. It's easy to explain why the change is going to happen, how it will affect them, and whether it will alter your expectations of the team. Wherever possible, aim to give your team plenty of notice about changes or new initiatives and provide realistic timescales. Being open and honest about what the team can expect, and what you expect from them, can help to build trust, increase engagement, and prevent frustrations from arising wherever you or your team are.