Organising a large team may seem like an impossible task. Innumerable meetings, an impossible to do list and a lengthy recruitment process means there’s plenty to keep on top of. However, it’s small teams who have the really tough job.

Keeping a small team organised can be an even harder task. While there may be fewer staff members to address, this can mean processes slip and things start to get sloppy. For those managing their first start up everything’s new and you learn as you go, which can mean you’re in store for at least a couple of mistakes.

Here are our top tips on how to keep your small team in shape and working to the best of their ability.

Schedule meetings

As a small business it can be tempting to slip into a routine which fails to include scheduled meetings. However, even when there are only a few in the company, you need to manage yourselves with the framework for a growing business.

For example, when you gain more employees, you’ll need to ensure you’re communicating effectively so you know what tasks need completing and what areas aren’t being covered effectively. If you begin your business with meetings, you’ll be well prepared when you start to bring new employees on board and grow.

Organise regular reviews

Along with meetings, you should organise regular reviews for your employees even when you’re only operating within a very small team.

Particularly with younger employees, it’s important to remember that they have their own career goals, and that you should be working on helping them realise these and remembering your employees’ value to your company.

Regular reviews give employees personal career goals to work towards which can help give small businesses the push they need to not only survive, but thrive.

Manage remote employees

As a small business, it’s probable that you’re saving money on overheads by embracing flexible working and allowing employees to work remotely. While they’re not in the office, this doesn’t mean you should ignore them and only talk to them when they send over work or when you need them to do something.

Keep regular contact with remote employees by starting conversations and, if necessary, asking them to come in every once in a while to sit in on meetings. By keeping regular contact you’ll prove that they’re still a valued member of the team, even if they aren’t in the office.

Get your priorities straight

Make sure you’re investing money in the right areas by sorting your priorities. Those managing a small business for the first time will know that a bootstrapped micro-business will struggle to keep all its priorities in order.

A missed delivery or an urgent investment meeting can throw all your other responsibilities out of the window for the day, so it’s vital that you manage everything before another pressing matter ruins everything.

Figure out what will impact your business the most and prioritise this. Clear goals are invaluable when working in a small team, as they’ll help you all work together to achieve them.

Encourage a work/life balance

In a small team, the tendency can be to work for longer to ensure your start-up gets off the ground. While extra hours may be part and parcel of being the company’s director, that doesn’t mean you should expect your first few precious employees to do the same.

Instead, you should encourage employees to balance their work/home life as well as they possibly can. Perhaps you could allow for one afternoon off when it’s particularly sunny, or a Friday from home when it’s too cold for the commute.

Even the smallest actions can keep employees happy and keep organisation a priority as everyone has the interests of the company at the forefront of their mind.

What extra measures do you take to make sure you and your team are organised? Tell us in the comments below or come and say hi over on Twitter or Facebook!