How to Keep Your Remote Team Feeling Connected
Keep your team feeling connected, no matter how far the distance
Remote work, telecommuting, and hybrid offices — the way we work is swiftly changing. Remote workers currently account for 26% of the U.S. workforce, which is four times what it was in 2018, and it appears to be a trend that will continue to rise. Whether it’s due to increased productivity, better availability of qualified applicants, or better quality of life, remote work isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. To stay ahead of this movement, managers and leaders need to find ways to stay connected to their remote teams, which takes dedicated effort and energy.
No matter how your office looks, supporting your remote employees is a rising priority for every business with long-distance team members. Whether you’re moving your paper processes to digital forms or opening more forms of communication, here are some unique ways you can work to support your remote employees.
Prioritize Communication
The adage “out of sight, out of mind” absolutely applies to employees too. Just because your employees and colleagues aren’t in the same room (or timezone) doesn’t mean you can communicate less or leave them out of meeting invites. It can be easy to let the disconnect between you and your team widen if you aren’t focused on prioritizing communication with them. Make a pointed effort to check in with your employees, and if you’re a remote employee yourself, proactively reach out to your colleagues as well.
Communicate Often and Openly
Check in with your team members regularly, whether that be through chat or messaging services, or video calls, that connection will pay off in the end. Loneliness is one of the biggest drawbacks of remote work, and while on the surface that may not sound drastic, feeling socially isolated has been linked to a variety of health concerns, including premature death. Keep the lines of communication open to build better relationships with your team and keep expectations on workload clear. When you’ve put in the effort to let your team know how important communication is to you, they’ll be more likely to keep you informed of any project concerns or slowdowns.
“Lacking social connection carries a risk that is comparable, and in many cases, exceeds that of other well-accepted risk factors, including smoking up to 15 cigarettes per day, obesity, physical inactivity, and air pollution.”
Share the Meeting Invites
While it may be tempting to keep your remote team’s calendars as open as possible, always try to send the meeting invite. Supporting hybrid meetings with your in-person and remote teams can sometimes mean a little more logistical planning, but it ensures everyone feels like part of a team. Whether it’s major updates, project planning, or even team celebrations, inclusion in these events can prevent isolated feelings for your telecommuters.
Cultivate a connection with your team by making the extra effort to check in with them individually. Not only can this help keep work priorities in order, but it can also keep your team healthier and happier. Additionally, a communicative and open environment means your employees are more likely to feel comfortable sharing their unique ideas and perspectives with you for more collaborative solutions.
Provide the Tools Everyone Needs
Nothing makes remote work more difficult than not having the tools you need to do your job effectively. While there is a BYOD (bring your own device) trend in some industries, providing the tools your team members need to succeed can lessen the burden on them while letting them know you have their best interests at heart.
Video Capable Computers
Though external web cameras aren’t as popular as they once were, computers with built-in cameras aren’t your only choice. Make sure that all team members have the ability to join in on meetings for as much face-to-face time as possible. Not only does providing the device add the expectation that you would like to see them on camera sometimes, but it also sets a standard that everyone is welcome to join in on the video portion of the meeting to encourage employee connection.
Systems That Work Together
When you’re working remotely you don’t have the same IT access as the in-person employees do. IT support is usually only a phone call away, but when platforms and devices aren’t working the way they should, it can cause frustration and even occasional panic. Try to build out your tech stack with systems that communicate well with each other. Whether that means implementing digital sign-in sheets for office attendance visibility, a global intranet for employees to access their secure data easily, or even a synchronized messaging system for collaborative meetings, these are all ways to minimize problems your employees may encounter.
Providing the tools and systems your employees need most, and making sure they work smoothly together, can keep outside stresses at a minimum and help your employees stay focused on their work. With perks and benefits being what most employees seek, it’s also an easy way to keep employee morale high and lower turnover risk.
“Nearly four in five (79%) of employees would prefer new or additional benefits to a pay increase.”
Keep Company Culture Top of Mind
Don’t be shy about your company values and culture. Whether it’s a mission statement that drives your leader’s business decisions, or a pledge to promote employee health and safety, these little things can have a big impact. Building a company culture with a remote team is more of a challenge, but by having core values that each employee can take to heart, you’ll make a much easier time of it.
Promote a Work/Life Balance
Remote employees are known for boasting increased productivity, but an OwlLabs study in 2021 found that 55% of remote workers also put in more hours than those working from an office setting. Given that the line between the end of the day and going home is more ambiguous for remote employees, the risk of letting work overtake your life is higher. Encourage your remote team to take breaks and set strict end times. They may still work later some days, but without the added pressure from managers to be available all the time they’ll be free to rest, recharge, and return to work feeling refreshed.
“On average, those who work from home spend 10 minutes less a day being unproductive, work one more day a week, and are 47% more productive.”
Don’t Skimp on the “Water Cooler” Conversations
You don’t have to create a new Slack channel for random conversations and team bonding (though it’s not a bad idea), but you should still encourage your team to connect. This can be as simple as making space for extraneous conversations at the top of daily stand-up meetings. Just a few minutes before diving into agenda items can be enough for your team to share what’s happening in their lives, and feel more connected. You never know where the next great idea for your team may come from, and giving space for collaboration and non-worked related conversations may foster creative solutions.
Try to engage in fun activities with your remote colleagues too, your interactions don’t all have to be based on the business. You can host virtual happy hours or even create a virtual book club. If you’re spending a third of your day with your coworkers, team building can make all that time substantially more enjoyable.
About GoFormz
GoFormz is a digital forms solution that helps bring your data into a single, actionable place. We believe everyone should be able to fill out their forms online and deliver products and services that redefine how people and businesses collect and process information. As a proudly hybrid team, we know how important it is to keep remote employees connected through seamless software platforms. Whether you need to convert a PDF to a fillable form, streamline your data capture and delivery, or fill out forms on the go, GoFormz can help you gather and analyze your form data like never before.
