Top 3 Ways To Help Your Remote Team Feel Connected

If the last year has taught companies around the world anything, it’s the fact that remote work is a feasible alternative to a traditional workspace. Productivity levels have generally stayed the same throughout this working from home phase, and now more companies are buying into the idea of creating a remote workforce. However, “every rose has its thorn,” and we shouldn’t turn a blind eye towards some of the disadvantages employers and employees face while working remotely.

Keeping remote teams connected and engaged with their colleagues and the company has been the biggest challenge faced by most employers worldwide. The relationships we form at work are necessary to our job satisfaction levels, and there is nothing like good companionship among team members that can turn a corporate crisis around.

However, forming meaningful relationships while working far away from each other is easier said than done. Luckily, with the help of our tips below, you can turn things around for good.

Organize Virtual Team-Building Sessions

Virtual team building is an ongoing process that brings remote teams together. It helps employees build deeper bonds with one another and create a collaborative and friendly environment that’s similar to an in-office setting.

The physical distance while working remotely can quickly turn into an emotional distance that can make people feel isolated and alone. This can lead to a decrease in productivity and can hurt the organization’s overall performance. This is why it is important to make sure that all your employees know each other and are comfortable talking and communicating. To break the ice between them, you can schedule virtual team-building sessions.

• Your virtual team building sessions can include the following activities:
• A quick round of introductions at the first session
• Motivational or inspiring 5-minute speeches
• Icebreaking conversations and questions
• Virtual board games or other online trivia games
• Quizzes and other fun, competitive activities

Some tools you can use for your virtual team building sessions can include Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, GoToMeeting, and more.

Help New Recruits Get Onboard With Their Remote Jobs

Onboarding a new employee can be a tricky business, even more so in a remote work setting. Usually, the process includes a series of paperwork, a tour around the office, and a formal introduction with the team. However, when you’re working remotely, onboarding becomes a little different. Now, not only are you responsible for introducing the recruit to the company’s policies and objectives, but you’re also responsible for making him feel comfortable with his team and his job.

It is an important opportunity for an employer to share all relevant details with the recruit to help him succeed in his new job role. If you do the onboarding process correctly, you’ll gain a valuable new employee; if you do it wrong, it will cost you a lot of money and time. So, make sure your remote recruit has all the essential tips and a list of people they can rely on to ask important questions or get access to key information such as:

• Job responsibilities – so they know what is expected of them
• Company culture – so they understand the rules and regulations around the organization
• Employee benefits – so they know they are valued

You can also set up a quick ice breaker video meeting between the recruit and his team. This will help him get comfortable with everyone and will help him build coordination with his team.

Empower Your Employees To Take Charge

Unlike in-office employees, how a remote workers’ day unfolds is out of their control, so it is necessary to give them some autonomy and help them feel empowered wherever you, as an employer, can. For example, you can be flexible about working hours and let them take charge of small things like asking if they prefer a video chat or a phone call.

Empowering employees to take charge of small things will help increase trust between employer and employee, increase communication among team members, and lead to a strategic delegation that can smoothen the company’s operations. You can empower your remote employees through the following steps:

• Entrust responsibilities
• Set clear expectations
• Give constructive feedback
• Give employees autonomy over various assignments
• Provide necessary resources for improved communication
• Make sure your remote employee is heard and seen
• Accept ideas and input
• Recognize your employees’ hard work

About Worktually

Worktually is a world-class remote recruiter that helps employees connect with employers from around the world. For more information on remote team-building strategies, visit our website or contact us here today.