Bringing Your Remote Workers Closer Together

The advent of telecommuting and remote work has allowed many people to work from anywhere they want, even at the comforts of their homes. But while this is a welcomed development, it does introduce a challenge for remote teams. With members not seeing each other face to face, the team can end up having weaker interpersonal connections. This could affect your overall performance significantly. So, how do you close the gap and foster tighter remote worker relationships?

Remote workers\’ relationship tip no. 1: Have the right piece of tools

While technology has made remote work possible, it can also help to close the gap between separated workers. There are a variety of teleconferencing apps and software teams can take advantage of for this purpose. But the next question is what tools should you go with exactly?

Video and chat apps are some of the first tools you should consider getting. You will use these for official correspondence and more personal communications with team members. Get both the PC and mobile versions, as the latter will let you quickly communicate with others even when they are not in front of their PCs.

Additionally, you would want a good telepresence system. These provide clearer video and audio than regular video chat software, making them ideal for important video conferencing sessions. There are a variety of budget systems like Jabber, 3CX, and Slack you can take advantage of for creating your virtual conference room.

Other tools

Aside from good communication tools, your team of remote workers also need to have the right ones for sharing resources. Cloud-based storage tools like Google Drive and Dropbox are ideal for this since the files can be accessed wherever your members are. Note that some of these tools’ features might already be integrated into your main project management software but you would still want them for back up.

You would also want to have feedback tools for the team. These will let you quickly know how your members are generally feeling. Chimp or Champ is one such item, which lets you see the overall happiness of your members through anonymous feedback. The info will be handy in determining how you should please your team more.

Remote workers\’ relationship tip no. 2: Set regular video meetings

Since remote workers don’t see face to face often, even occasional video meetings become a welcome opportunity to interact. So you would want to make these meetings a more regular fixture of the team’s schedule. A weekly session would be a good start and you can set aside additional time as needed.

While these weekly meetings will often focus on work, don’t let them be just about it. This can end up boring your members and causing them to feel more restless during such meetings. Instead, you can make the meetings as a chance for your members to unwind a bit.

For instance, online repository platform GitLab has turned such video call meetings into so-called virtual coffee breaks. Here, team members can randomly call each other and have a casual chat. The company says that this is an effective way for them to develop a more comfortable working environment for their team.

Establish a lighter tone in your meetings. Create ice breaker moments at the start of the session, like letting them share some of their experiences during the previous week. At the end of the meeting, encourage them to talk about the things that they might have thought about during the session. This helps members become more attentive to the meeting since they are allowed to share their knowledge.

Remote worker relationship tip no. 3: Create fun traditions

Creating fun company traditions for your team of remote workers can be a bit of a challenge since you need to think out of the box to get them involved. For instance, playing online computer games can be an effective break for your team. To avoid interrupting your work, opt for mobile games that everyone can play on their phones. Do this video game breaks once or twice throughout the day to serve as stress relievers.

Having a virtual birthday celebration for members is another fun tradition you can establish. This can be as simple as setting up a video chat session where everyone greets the birthday celebrant online. And if you and your team are feeling generous, you can pitch in to buy them gifts online and have these shipped to their houses.

Another essential tradition you should have is recognizing team members. Create an Employee of the Month program where the featured member gets to showcase their workspaces and other interests. This is a great way for your team members to familiarize each other.

You should also make it a point to praise specific members for achievements. This can be as simple as posting about their work on your group chats. You can also give them some small rewards as part of your appreciation. Additionally, encourage members to submit their praises for their peers who they think have done a great job.

Remote workers\’ relationship tip no. 4: Get together

Even with all the virtual interactions that your team have, everyone will still yearn to see each other in person. Give them that by organizing frequent get-togethers. There are a multitude of coworking spaces around the metro where your team can hang out for a day. But don’t just stick to work-related stuff the whole day. Use it as an opportunity for everyone to socialize, which newer companies like Virtua Solutions regularly do.

You can also organize a yearly retreat for the whole team. Ask them where they want to head out to and make early arrangements. This will be a great motivator for everyone to strive and complete their tasks in preparation for the retreat.

Do note that not everyone in your team might be able to join the retreat. Don’t let them be left behind on the fun. You can patch them for a short video call to join some of the activities. And don\’t forget to send them some souvenirs from the retreat.

Get your team even closer with these tips

Keeping your team of remote workers closely knit even if they are in different locations is vital for the success of your virtual office. As these simple tips show, doing that is not hard to pull off. Make these ideas part of your management strategies and you will see stronger remote worker relationships and a more productive team.