Team Building Tips for Remote Workers Every Manager Should Know

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Teamwork is when a group combines their forces toward completing a task and achieving a common goal efficiently and effectively. It is a cohesive work that creates a positive environment and encourages individuals to stand together, complete each other’s shortages, and support each other’s weaknesses. But what would happen if team members had to collaborate remotely?

Remote work has become a popular trend over the past few years, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic forced companies to embrace remote work to stay afloat. It offers several benefits to employees and companies, including reduced overhead costs, better work-life balance, and increased productivity.

However, remote work also presents several challenges, including the lack of physical interaction between team members. Furthermore, all types of workers, even the most hardworking and committed ones, may not perform best when they feel the absence of executive presence, which is the case with remote workers.

This article will discuss team-building tips for remote workers that every manager should know.

Strategies for Effective Communication and Collaboration

When team members work remotely, they may easily overlook engagements and interactions between employees and managers at the office. However, these interactions are important for discussing ideas, tying up loose ends, and addressing project details that may not be mentioned in official meetings. Therefore, managers of remote teams must find ways to replace the live interactions that occur in the office by utilizing various forms of communication.

The team manager should also communicate clearly to team members that working remotely does not mean they can work based on their schedules and timing and must still adhere to the rules. The team should clearly understand what is expected of them, with unified meeting schedules and clear communication. The manager should also emphasize establishing ground rules for remote workers.

Employers must prioritize clarifying the best ways for teams to work together and the importance of promoting healthy behaviors that lead to a positive work environment. Additionally, it is crucial for teams to see their manager’s engagement and interest in the tasks and progress being made, even when working remotely with team members they have never met in person. Establishing ground rules for communication is essential in these situations.

Importance of Clear Communication

Workplace communication is important since it raises team morale, involvement, performance, and satisfaction. Thus, communicating clearly among team members is required in remote jobs to complete assigned tasks successfully.

Managers should keep in contact with their teams to build trust and dependability, respect everyone’s family circumstances and modify schedules accordingly, as mentioned by Jim Harter, Gallup’s chief scientist in workplace management and well-being.

The flexibility of remote work is for the workers and managers. Managers must show flexibility in their approach, like accommodating different time zones and the willingness to adjust deadlines.

Tools for Remote Collaboration

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There are many tools available that can help remote teams collaborate efficiently. Following are some of the most popular tools for collaboration remotely:

• Video conferencing platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet allow teleworkers to hold meetings, share screens, and chat in real-time.
• Project management solutions, such as Asana, Trello, or Basecamp, help teleworkers organize tasks, track progress and assign responsibilities.
• Cloud storage services like Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive enable teleworkers to access and share files from any device and location.
• Collaboration platforms like Slack, Discord, or Workplace by Facebook create a virtual workspace where teleworkers can communicate and collaborate on various topics and projects.

One popular technique is the employee clock-in clock-out system, which allows team members to log their hours and track their work. It enables teleworkers to collaborate by establishing clear expectations, roles, and responsibilities for each project or task.

They can set regular meetings or check-ins to monitor progress and address any issues or challenges. As a result, teleworkers can enhance their throughput, creativity, and fulfillment by collaborating with their colleagues.

Virtual Team Building Activities

Virtual team-building activities are designed to foster collaboration, communication, and trust among remote workers. They range from simple icebreakers and games to complex challenges and simulations. Virtual team building activities can help remote teams overcome the challenges of distance and isolation, such as lack of social interaction, cultural differences, and low engagement.

Examples of Virtual Team-Building Activities

1. Online office games are a form of office Olympics with spirited challenges
2. Virtual bingo may seem weird at first, but it is a great activity to be played by team members, and it helps them bond in a fun way
3. Holiday activities are many of those to choose from. They bring on the holiday spirit and help the team loosen up during the holiday season. Plenty of games and online sites can help accomplish this goal
4. Puzzles and mystery-solving activities
5. A virtual escape room involves team members solving puzzles and escaping a virtual room.

A successful manager should facilitate social interactions in the remote work environment created for their associates, like adding an informal part to the daily video briefing.

Employee Development

One of the main challenges that remote teams face is maintaining engagement and motivation among team members. Employees working from different locations and not interacting face-to-face with their colleagues and managers can easily become disconnected and disengaged.

To address this challenge, managers need to invest in employee development, which enhances employees’ skills, knowledge, and abilities through training, education, and other professional development opportunities.

Employee development can take many forms, depending on the needs and goals of individual team members. Managers should regularly check in with their team members to understand their career goals and aspirations and to provide feedback and support as needed.

Importance of Employee Development in a Remote Work Environment

Employees must adapt to new technologies and work processes in a distant environment. This means managers should structure ways to keep their team aligned with the latest information and provide the necessary tools to improve their skills.

Employee development benefits organizations by increasing employee retention, innovation, and customer satisfaction.

Strategies for Employee Development in a Remote Work Environment

Teleworkers’ development can take many forms:

• Setting clear and measurable goals and expectations for each employee and providing regular feedback on their performance and progress.
• Encouraging employees to take ownership of their learning and development by providing them access to online courses, webinars, podcasts, books, articles, etc., related to their positions and areas of interest.
• Collaborating and sharing knowledge among remote employees using online platforms and tools that facilitate communication, brainstorming, problem-solving, peer feedback, etc.
• Offering coaching or mentoring programs that pair up remote employees with more experienced or senior colleagues who can provide guidance, support, advice, etc.

Conclusion

It is important to prioritize communication and collaboration among remote team members, establish clear communication channels and protocols, and provide the right tools to facilitate collaboration. Virtual team-building activities can be an excellent way to build trust and camaraderie among remote team members. Additionally, managers must invest in employee development to help team members stay engaged and motivated and develop their skills to adapt to new technologies and work processes.

Recognizing and appreciating the work of remote employees is critical to maintaining team self-esteem and enthusiasm. By recognizing and rewarding employees’ efforts, remote teams can feel more connected to their company and work, increasing job fulfillment.

In conclusion, remote work is here to stay, and managers must adapt to new management styles catering to remote teams. Team building, effective communication and collaboration, virtual team-building activities, and employee development are important factors that can help remote teams stay productive and engaged. By investing in these areas, managers can create a positive work environment that supports remote teams and enables them to achieve their goals.