In every workplace across the globe, building the right company culture is key for its success. However, it can be a challenge to do especially now that remote teams are becoming popular for many industries. Since your team mates does not report to a workplace, it can be hard to make them feel like a part of the team. 

Why The Need to Feel that You Belonged

A workplace provides a venue to allow employees to gather, identify and associate themselves in a social group. While working remotely have its advantages, it can be very lonely for the person behind the keyboard.

This loneliness or negative feelings are grow, creating discord and disassociation among team members. It may cause members to feel undervalued and under appreciated. They no longer feel the pull to produce quality work and any work they do submitted will leave them unsatisfied.

Eventually, there will not be any loyalty left and the employee will just look forward to jump on board the next passing ship.

Oh No! What Can I Do?

If you value your team and wish to keep them, here are some great tips for you to apply and build a strong culture with your remote team:

1. Make it easy for people to communicate

Communication can go a long way in establishing a strong culture between teams, especially for remote teams. However, it can be hard to establish open communication because some companies fail to invest in the right communication tools.

Find ways to reach out to your employers and propose team communication apps if you can. There are many network and service providers that offer secure encrypted communication, for instance, encrochat, for enhanced security that might be needed when remote working. 

You should schedule regular one-on-one meeting with your employer or teammates for them to learn how you are doing despite being in a remote location. 

How often? My recommendation is to have at least one meeting per week if your team is under 10 people or one meeting per month if your team is over 50 people.

If company’s budget allows, it will be good to at least meet up your remote employees once a year.

2. Use technology to allow employees to also have fun interactions

Even if you are working on a remote setup, it doesn’t mean that you should not have fun in between tasks.

Hold special events like polls or watch parties so that your team can bond with one another. Do online trivia or charades on Zoom.

You can also hold daily meditations which you can do on video chat to help spread positivity. 

3. Be clear about your work culture and values

Every company must have a clear set of values and work culture and it must be applied in the company’s daily operation.

Always do your best to apply the company’s values in your activities, especially during remote meetings. You should also comment on others who are applying the company’s values in their tasks. 

This means they need to make an effort to dress up during video conferences (not deck out half naked in front of the web cam). Or they should always meet deadlines.

4. Build small subgroups for community

Isolation is often a concern for remote teams because they can’t build strong relations with their team who are also far away. As a result, they do not have any deep ties with the company and may feel left out.

Do your best to join subgroups or make one so that you can reach out to your team leaders and teams who have the same interests or are working in the same field. You can schedule virtual meetups as well. 

5. Always prioritize health as part of your company’s culture

Remote working can be stressful. Although they are not working with their colleagues in the office, the feeling they are working on their own and unable to be with their colleagues can take a toll on anyone.

As much as possible, extend your company’s staff benefits to your remote team. Like discount on staff purchases or dental claims.

With this said, health check-ups and assessments must be done to make sure everyone is doing ok. This shows to remote workers that the company and their team is concerned with their overall well-being and ready to assist at any time. 

Conclusion

Working in a remote setup can be tricky to work with, especially if this is your first time to have it done for your company. If you want the setup to work, everyone must work together to make sure that everyone feels included in the company even with remote solutions.

Do you have a remote team? Here are some articles you need to read:
Is Remote Work Right for Your Company?
Easy Solutions To Your Business Problems
How to Hire The Right Freelancer for Your Business?
5 Ways to Build Great Relationships with Your Freelancers
7 Ways You Can Effectively Manage Your Freelancers For Your Business

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