How to build trust in remote teams

A sense of connection and community develops naturally when employees work side-by-side. But establishing mutual trust can be more difficult when you’re collaborating with and relying on team members who you’ve never met in person and only connect with digitally. While there’s no replicating the unique camaraderie that comes with in-office work, remote teams can still build trusting relationships that are just as strong, thanks to modern technology and HR know-how.

Here are 4 great strategies to build trust among remote employees at your company:

1. Use the right technology

The first, and most basic, requirement for building trust is providing the tools remote employees need to connect with each other. These include everything from modern video conferencing platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, to messaging apps like Slack and Google Chat, to project management software like Jira and Wrike.

Offer regular internal training opportunities and adopt platforms that offer exceptional support to ensure that your employees can get the most out of the tools your company provides.

2. Enable frequent shows of appreciation

While tools and platforms are great, those types of solutions aren’t the only way to help develop trust in remote teams. Frequent, organization-wide recognition is one of the most effective ways for employees to show they value one another and develop the connections that real trust relies on. Make showing appreciation easy by adopting a dedicated?recognition and reward platform?that is?built for the remote workforce?with a mobile-friendly design philosophy and seamless app.

When considering adopting a recognition solution – organizations should ensure it includes both social and monetary recognition — with engaging, fun ways to say thanks, by using gifs, images, and emojis coupled with reward points that allow employees to redeem items. Both types of recognition serve a purpose from social praise and organizational-wide recognition to tailored gifts and personalized, intimate recognition. No matter how recognition is given or received though – ensure it is done so meaningfully, highlighting what the employee did and building that deeper sense of belonging.

3. Build channels for anonymous feedback

Developing easily accessible, confidential channels where employees can give voice to their thoughts is critical. When team members know your company values each and every piece of input they have, they’ll have the trust and confidence necessary to take risks and call out issues that would otherwise undermine organizational performance and culture.

Don’t waste time attempting to?create and administer employee surveys?on your own, though. Instead, rely on the expertise and science-backed tools that come with the?best employee engagement platforms. These include?pulse surveys?— focused, anonymous questionnaires that let your organization stay on top of employee engagement trends — and always-on feedback channels like?AI-powered HR chatbots. Your enterprise’s solution should also feature easy-to-use reporting and analytics tools that enable people leaders to?quickly identify and act on critical issues?before they cause a breach of trust.

4. Practice clear, consistent communication

Finally, managers should set the tone by avoiding ad-hoc communication practices, which tend to veer into either micromanagement or too-intermittent contact. They should instead discuss when and how to touch base with each remote employee directly, collaboratively setting a cadence for meetings and other means of contact?— establishing a sense of predictability and availability for team members.

Establish clear expectations for when remote team members should be available and by what means of communication. Another way to help build connections among your team that would otherwise be lacking, is by organizing fun?events and activities geared for remote employees, like virtual coffee dates, book clubs, or even movie nights.

You can learn more about how to build trust in your workforce here.