A remote team isn’t any different than a traditional team, it’s just comprised of individuals spanning multiple geographies. However, there are unique challenges to leading a remote team since many of management’s day-to-day responsibilities are absent. However, you can combat these challenges by building a culture of respect, collaboration, and open communication. And for remote teams, building the right culture is essential, which is why remote managers should set clear expectations for their team and lead by example.
One of the best things about working remotely is being able to build a company culture that transcends distance. As technology continues to advance, remote teams are becoming more common. But building a strong remote team culture takes work.
Successful remote teams share common characteristics that make them successful. These traits include having a clear definition of a team, having high trust, and having awareness of the team’s current strengths. It also helps remote teams work efficiently and productively. Here are a few tips to help you create a culture where people not only want to work together but want to work together remotely.
Understand what remote team culture entails
As a remote team, we are dependent on each other for the success of our business. We work in different locations, collaborate remotely on different projects, and rely on each other to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. As humans, we are wired to be social creatures, and we thrive when we are in relationships with other humans. Yet, remote work pushes us away from human relationships. As remote workers, we need to keep up with our social and communication needs.
Create a remote team culture charter
A remote team culture is a lot like a remote team, but with less face-to-face time. That means team members have to manage their work on their own, without supervisors or direct managers who can walk them through all their work. That’s why it’s essential for team members to create their own remote team culture charters.
Creating a remote team culture charter can be a great way to document your company’s remote team culture. It can also create a framework for maintaining that culture as you grow and expand. This can be especially helpful as your company evolves and grows.
Create a team agreement
Creating a team agreement is not only good for your team, but it can increase the effectiveness of leaders. A team agreement on issues such as work schedules and responsibilities helps everyone understand their role on the team and what is expected of them. It creates more cohesion, which should ultimately improve team performance.
Define responsibilities
Defining the roles and responsibilities of employees is key to any workplace. A clear job description, which includes each job’s responsibilities, benefits, and expectations, helps set employee expectations and improves satisfaction. A clear job description also allows employers to ensure that each employee is fulfilling his or her job duties. Managers that assign responsibilities clearly and concisely are more efficient, more productive, and less likely to have major conflicts.
Write out company culture
Writing out company culture is important for a few reasons. First, it sets a standard for the culture you want to foster. If there are certain standards you want your employees to live by, then that should be outlined so your employees know what is and is not acceptable behavior. Next, writing out your company’s values is an important step in creating a cohesive workforce. Employees who are working together toward a shared goal feel a sense of belonging and involvement.
Create a company culture statement
It is important for all businesses to have a company culture statement. A company culture statement is a document that expresses the values, the goals, and the standards that the business works towards. It outlines what the business believes are important. Employees and other stakeholders will refer back to a company culture statement to help them understand how to behave and how to communicate. When employees understand the company’s culture, they will work more efficiently and together.
Include in employee handbook
If a company wants to attract and retain the best employees, it needs to treat its employees well. The employee handbook contains all policies and rules one needs to know, and it’s important for employees to familiarize themselves with it. It includes everything from how employees should dress to how they should conduct themselves in the workplace. It outlines some very important rules employees must obey. Including company culture in the employee handbook is a way of showing an employee that the company cares about the employee’s well-being.
Making important decisions early
It’s critical to make important decisions early on for work. If you wait until the last minute, there’s your big idea, and you’ve already passed the deadline. What’s worse, you might fail to execute your idea right, which would result in failure. You should make important decisions early on for work because this way, you’ll make sure that your idea will be perfect.
Respect people’s time
As more and more employees work remotely, the importance of respect when working remotely becomes even more important. If employees stay off task or don’t meet deadlines, it can hurt their employer’s reputation. So, it’s important to respect people’s time when working remotely.
Regular Communication
It is very important to communicate regularly with coworkers when working remotely. Remote workers do not always have the opportunity to socialize or socialize with coworkers during breaks. This can create loneliness among remote workers. Communicating regularly can help remote workers create more friendships. Remote workers can get to know each other better, which helps them work better together.
Celebrate Success
Every job has challenges and obstacles. Embracing those challenges makes us better workers. And celebrating those achievements encourages others. When you work from home, it’s sometimes difficult to take a step back and reflect on achievements. Working from home can be hard. It’s easy to let days and weeks go by without acknowledging your achievements.
Let workers participate
Almost every workplace these days has some remote workers. If managers and employees can’t communicate and work together effectively, remote workers will face communication barriers that hinder workplace productivity. Remote workers also need regular face-to-face contact with their managers, so they can share feedback on their tasks and assignments.
When workers are allowed to participate, it gives people a sense of feeling needed, it makes them feel connected to something larger than themselves, and it makes them feel part of the organization. It boosts morale, and it can also bring unexpected, positive benefits to the company.
Hire the right people
When hiring people for work, it’s important to hire the right people. Hiring the right people is not just about hiring people who are qualified for the job. It’s about hiring people who fit the company culture, working well with others, enjoying working with the team, and having the right work ethic. If the company doesn’t hire the right people, these employees will be a stepping stone to the company’s success.
Keep communication open
When someone is working remotely, it can be difficult to stay focused and on tasks. Remote workers tend to get distracted easily, which can lead to wasted time and either missed deadlines or low-quality work. When working remotely, it’s important to keep communication open. When a worker is in an office environment, they can typically physically see and speak with co-workers, which helps to increase productivity. Remote workers, however, must communicate through text and emails, which can be difficult to read. In order to stay focused, remote workers need to find a way to effectively communicate.
Make team check-ins a weekly ritual
Team check-ins are important when working remotely, because they allow team members to get to know each other outside of a work setting. In addition, it’s much easier to work with people you know, rather than strangers. Set time aside each week, preferably on a Friday or Monday, for everyone to meet online.
Summary
In Conclusion, business leaders who understand remote team culture are better able to develop unique remote team cultures that can grow and thrive. The structure of remote teams, however, does not affect culture. Instead, culture can shape the structure of teams.
As remote teams become more popular, the need to build a strong remote team culture will rise. I believe remote teams should prioritize building strong relationships with each other. As part of your remote team culture, you should be actively encouraging your team to communicate using a variety of mediums, such as in-person meetings, video chat, or group discussion. You also want to create opportunities for your team to meet each other in person, such as group meetings, retreats, or company outings.