Feel that you don’t know how to get a remote team to realize their potential?
Many people think about it. Remote work can inadvertently affect the level of trust between team members and managers. It is very easy for team members to feel underestimated, to lose the sense of belonging that affects trust. Nobody wants that to happen. But today there is no safer alternative to remote work, so we must do everything to ensure that distance does not affect productivity. Building trust should be the first step. In this article, we want to show you various virtual team activities (fun virtual activities, virtual chocolate tasting), as well as give useful tips.
Frequent communication is a must for remote teams. And yet it is here that many team leaders underestimate the importance of their contribution.
The most common mistakes in communication are:
- Work-oriented communication. If all the conversations are about work, you don’t let your team members get to know each other more casually.
- Liquid and long contact. This means that you prefer one meeting of several hours instead of several short ones. This practice does not allow the development of a sense of belonging.
As a result, you have a team that is likely to conflict frequently. The reason is that team members do not feel part of the group.
To build trust:
- Try to communicate more casually. Start and end the week with a non-work conversation to find out what your team members are doing.
- Make frequent video calls. Communicate with each team member at least once every two days – this frequency will help create a feeling of continuous contact.
To get acquainted in a more informal setting, you can organize virtual group activities. A good idea for virtual fun activities is Virtual chocolate tasting. Your team members are tormented by having to sit in front of their computer screens all day and burn out faster. By the way of creating chocolate, they will be able to relax after a hard day’s work and spend time interestingly and deliciously. This is an ideal option for everyone to feel in an informal setting and get closer to other team members. Employees will be able to relax and feel free. In addition, this type of activity will allow you to involve whole families. It is not only virtual activities for adults, and this will strengthen the atmosphere of unity.
Virtual activities for teams
You also definitely need a lot of activity related to the process itself, so that no employee feels lonely. So, you should make virtual activities. Weekly employee surveys are a great way to identify potential problems and concerns and gather ideas to improve team performance. Create employee surveys to assess their job satisfaction and find ways to help. Try asking questions in categories such as job satisfaction, team culture, and ease of use. Also, try to limit yourself to five questions to make the survey quicker and easier.
Create a chat for non-working conversations
How do you like the idea of creating a channel in Slack (or more) just to talk about news, events, food, interests – something unrelated to work? This would be an ideal place for your team to feel connected and build trust with each other. Also, be sure to ask your team for channel ideas.
Support the well-being of the team
Working from home can be difficult. Buffer’s research found that remote work can provoke feelings of loneliness, inability to relax and “switch off” after work, and lack of communication. As a leader, you need to take action to address these issues and support the team. In this way, you will increase your self-confidence.
Improve the process of hiring a remote employee
The best way to build a team whose members trust each other is to cultivate a sense of trust from the beginning.
- Start with a video meeting. Many companies have manuals for new employees and even chatbots, but they should be a secondary tool.
- Keep the team informed. A new team member should not come as a surprise to someone.
- Talk one-on-one with the newcomer after the first week. It can be difficult for him to infuse, and he can have a lot of questions. To address these issues and potential problems, have an individual conversation.
Regardless of the industry, business size, or leadership style, trust is a defining feature of successful companies. We are still adapting to the conditions of teleworking, but trust is something that no company should underestimate.
Any remote worker will tell you that he prefers to work with team leaders and colleagues he trusts. We hope this article has helped you understand how to build a culture of trust in your company. Use these tips about virtual activities for teams to see how employee satisfaction and efficiency increase.