It is important to consider the health and well-being of team members working remotely. Unsplash
It is important to consider the health and well-being of team members working remotely. Unsplash
It is important to consider the health and well-being of team members working remotely. Unsplash
It is important to consider the health and well-being of team members working remotely. Unsplash

These are the key lessons I learnt when leading remote teams


  • English
  • Arabic

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world, like many business owners, I had to shift my business operations entirely online.

While I had followed a remote work model for years, I was often able to meet my team members physically.

However, leading a business during the pandemic was exceptional and meant that I onboarded team members who I had never physically met, did not meet my colleagues for months on end and worked on rethinking how our business operates and serves our clients, all from behind a computer screen.

With remote work becoming a reality for many businesses, I’ve learnt key lessons in the past 18 months that will help business leaders navigate this work model.

Be transparent with your team and maintain frequent communication

With many employees working from behind screens, it’s not uncommon for them to feel lost and isolated.

This is why it’s especially important to keep your team in the loop, and maintaining frequent communication is one way to ensure that. Share company updates with your team and involve them in discussions where possible.

It will provide them with a sense of empowerment, makes them feel trusted and is a great way to hear their feedback on what could be done to overcome a challenge or take advantage of an opportunity. Frequent company updates could be shared through an email, with news highlights and updates or in the form of a weekly meeting.

Embrace failure as a learning experience

When employees are unable to meet their leader or colleagues, they are bound to make mistakes. Working physically away from your team requires a different kind of adjustment.

Build a company culture where failure is embraced and employees are encouraged to make mistakes. The way I see it is that when we provide room for error, creativity and genius are born.

Focus on well-being and mental health

Several studies and surveys have revealed that employees are on the lookout for employers that are focused on their well-being and mental health.

Build a company culture where failure is embraced and employees are encouraged to make mistakes
Manar Al Hinai

Explore options to provide virtual sessions with well-being experts for your team members. Present your team members with subscriptions to mobile apps such as Calm or Nafas Meditation that provide meditations to relieve stress and anxiety.

This takes us to an important point that many of us have overlooked over the past 18 months: it is essential to take time off from remote work, even if you are working from home.

Work and life have to remain separate for the sake of our mental well-being and our productivity. There are different ways that business leaders can enforce this.

They could start with introducing a company policy where no work communication is to take place after office hours. Another way to do that is to force employees to take an annual leave or short breaks two to three times a year.

Schedule time for brainstorming and creative thinking

One of the things I missed about meeting my team members were the meetings where we didn’t discuss company updates, but rather ideas that inspired us.

A physical workspace where we caught up with our team members over lunch or shared an important update in the lift is one way to build rapport and inspire creativity. But when we are working away from our team members, this could be challenging.

If you follow a hybrid or a remote work model, then you could, if possible, schedule physical meetings dedicated to innovation and inspiration. They can take place in a relaxing environment and dedicated solely to discussing inspiring ideas,

As businesses continue to navigate the remote work model, there will be more lessons to learn and mistakes to be made. One thing that will always need to remain a priority is our team members and their well-being.

Manar Al Hinai is an award-winning Emirati journalist and entrepreneur who manages her marketing and communications company in Abu Dhabi.

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
PSL FINAL

Multan Sultans v Peshawar Zalmi
8pm, Thursday
Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi

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How to apply for a drone permit
  • Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
  • Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
  • Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
  • Submit their request
What are the regulations?
  • Fly it within visual line of sight
  • Never over populated areas
  • Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
  • Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
  • Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
  • Should have a live feed of the drone flight
  • Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
While you're here
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AndhaDhun

Director: Sriram Raghavan

Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18

Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan

Rating: 3.5/5

A MINECRAFT MOVIE

Director: Jared Hess

Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa

Rating: 3/5

The specs

Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8

Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm

Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km

Price: Dh380,000

On sale: now 

SEMI-FINAL

Monterrey 1 

Funes Mori (14)

Liverpool 2

Keita (11), Firmino (90 1)

Groom and Two Brides

Director: Elie Semaan

Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

Rating: 3/5

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The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm

Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km

Price: from Dh94,900

On sale: now

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

WHAT IS GRAPHENE?

It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.

Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.

By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.

In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. 

Infiniti QX80 specs

Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6

Power: 450hp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000

Available: Now

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg

Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).

Second leg

Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm

Games on BeIN Sports

The specs

Engine: 5.2-litre V10

Power: 640hp at 8,000rpm

Torque: 565Nm at 6,500rpm

Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto

Price: From Dh1 million

On sale: Q3 or Q4 2022 

The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 6-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km

Price: Dh133,900

On sale: now 

Warlight,
Michael Ondaatje, Knopf 

Scorebox

Sharjah Wanderers 20-25 Dubai Tigers (After extra-time)

Wanderers

Tries Gormley, Penalty

Cons Flaherty

Pens Flaherty 2

Tigers

Tries O’Donnell, Gibbons, Kelly

Cons Caldwell 2

Pens Caldwell, Cross

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FULL%20FIGHT%20CARD
%3Cp%3EFeatherweight%20Bout%3A%0D%20Abdullah%20Al%20Qahtani%20v%20Taha%20Bendaoud%0D%3Cbr%3EBantamweight%20Bout%3A%0D%20Ali%20Taleb%20v%20Nawras%20Abzakh%0D%3Cbr%3EBantamweight%20Bout%3A%0D%20Xavier%20Alaoui%20v%20Rachid%20El%20Hazoume%0D%3Cbr%3EFeatherweight%20Bout%3A%0D%20Islam%20Reda%20v%20Adam%20Meskini%0D%3Cbr%3EBantamweight%20Bout%3A%0D%20Tariq%20Ismail%20v%20Jalal%20Al%20Daaja%0D%3Cbr%3EBantamweight%20Bout%3A%0D%20Elias%20Boudegzdame%20v%20Hassan%20Mandour%0D%3Cbr%3EAmateur%20Female%20Atomweight%20Bout%3A%0D%20Hattan%20Al%20Saif%20v%20Nada%20Faheem%0D%3Cbr%3EFeatherweight%20Bout%3A%0D%20Maraoune%20Bellagouit%20v%20Motaz%20Askar%0D%3Cbr%3EFeatherweight%20Bout%3A%0D%20Ahmed%20Tarek%20v%20Abdelrahman%20Alhyasat%0D%3Cbr%3EShowcase%20Featherweight%20Bout%3A%0D%20Mido%20Mohamed%20v%20Yazeed%20Hasanain%0D%3Cbr%3EShowcase%20Flyweight%20Bout%3A%0D%20Malik%20Basahel%20v%20Harsh%20Pandya%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:

Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE

Game is on BeIN Sports

ENGLAND SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope 
Defenders: John Stones, Harry Maguire, Phil Jones, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Gary Cahill, Ashley Young, Danny Rose, Trent Alexander-Arnold 
Midfielders: Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Fabian Delph 
Forwards: Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford, Danny Welbeck

Updated: October 31, 2021, 3:30 AM