How can you build a stronger remote team?

Another important element of setting clear expectations is for managers to learn, respect, and share how each person on your team and in the org likes to communicate and what their work hours/week is. Remote work has turned us into an always on/always online society --which can be great, or can be disruptive and even in some cases disastrous depending on the style and frequency of comms and expected response times and on-call availability.

Remote working is a new concept for most of the managers. First and foremost, the leaders need to let go of their insecurities and start measuring the performance not by number but hours, but by productivity. Once done, define the roles and measure of productivity. Make sure everyone on the team knows exactly what they are supposed to do and what's expected of them. Create clear rules for when people should be around to chat, how quickly they need to respond and how we talk to each other so everyone understands each other's needs and can work well together.

To strengthen your remote team, begin by setting clear expectations. Define project goals, roles, responsibilities, deadlines, and tasks. Decide on communication methods, tools, and rules too. This prevents confusion and ensures everyone knows what to do and how success will be measured.

Setting clear expectations is critical for a successful remote work environment . A well-defined vision is required for shaping these expectations. While autonomy is essential for team growth and innovation, it’s vital to create the right environment. A clear vision and well defined expectations allow teams to innovate effective solutions. Neglecting these for the sake of autonomy creates a vicious cycle of poor results. In remote work, we need to be deliberate about our communication and culture. The lack of face-to-face interactions leaves room for misinterpretation. Take the time to define your vision and establish expectations to realize it. This approach will empower your team to work efficiently while fostering creativity.

Regular lessons learned/retrospective are valuable to correct the course team is work and cooperate. And a psychical safety environment is a good approach for daily-basis communication.

In my experience over this last 3 years at has been challenging to maintain then “I see you” ethos people when WFH loose that capacity to see and feel and sense each other how they did before COVID. It’s hard to have a real sense of each other when isolated for so long from the consistent face to face humanity of being with each other it just diminishes and we need to find ways regain that beyond this hybrid world of work.

Meet with your team 1:1 and study their love language. Not everyone likes public praise, others do. Adapt to their communication style and speak of their achievements in a way that matches/accommodates each person! I love words of affirmation, but I have team members who prefer acts of service, so rather than public praise, I take things off their plate as a grateful response to their hard work.

Be the example as well. Gone are the days where overworking is seen as a positive. Don't log in to do work outside your shift, don't expect nor encourage it from your team. I focus on building trust and I set a clear expectation for when/how PTO is managed, so when my team needs time off, I don't ask why, I don't check for proof. I trust they are adults who know themselves best and I thank them for reaching out to inform me. It's my job as their leader to fill that gap while they're out. I also encourage them to uninstall work-related apps from their mobile devices to remove the temptation to "check in". Work will always need to get done. Time with their family is not endless.

Be human, while respecting the work. Icebreakers about what kind of food you like with 20 people can take 30 minutes - not helpful. But icebreakers that allow people to share an insight about themselves which create a sense of belonging go a long way. Establish team norms openly and early - will you celebrate small wins along the way? How? Will the team celebrate wins only at major accomplishments? How will the team communicate - will the team send reply-all thank you emails? Who is in charge of what? What are our preferred meeting formats and cadences? These seemingly small things add up when you miss, which leads to resentment. Seek feedback and incorporate what you hear - try, evaluate, adjust, and try again.

“The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team." - Phil Jackson. Embracing flexibility while emphasizing shared goals creates a sense of unity. Just as a well-coordinated orchestra creates harmony, a remote team thrives with synchronized efforts. #RemoteTeamSuccess #VirtualUnity #TeamCollaboration