As more and more companies embrace remote work, building a successful remote team is becoming increasingly important. Building a remote team that works well together can be a challenge for any organization. The key is to create a culture that fosters collaboration, trust, and communication across distances. In this blog post, we will explore some of the best practices for building a remote team that works well together.
Daily status syncs that everyone attends
One of the best ways to ensure that everyone on the team is on the same page is to have daily status syncs. These can be short meetings where everyone gives an update on what they are working on. Having daily status syncs that everyone attends can help build a sense of community and connection between team members. Videoconferencing is also essential for effective communication, so make sure to use reliable tools that everyone is comfortable with. There are many options available, including Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Zoom, so find the one that works best for your team's needs.
Choose the right tools
To build and manage a remote team that works well together, it's important to choose the right tools. There are several tools that work really well for managing remote teams, such as Microsoft Teams, Slack, Discord, Asana, Trello; communication apps like Google Meets, Zooms, and productivity tools like Calendly - appointment scheduling software, and CrystalSound - a noise reduction application for calls, recordings, and online meetings that can work well with all communication apps.
Self-contained projects for each site
Each site should have self-contained projects to avoid coordination issues across regions that can lead to frustration. It's essential to give each team autonomy and control over their projects and goals.
Be explicit about cultural differences
It's important to learn about the different communication styles of different regions and be explicit about cultural differences. This is true even within countries that speak the same language and between different regions of the world.
Travel often
There's something about face-to-face time that technology still can't replicate. While you're visiting, do fun things together. Don't make it all about work. This is something far too many managers do not understand. The relatively small cost of a visit to other team members pays immense dividends in better communication and closeness of the team.
Have side channels for fun
Have side channels in Slack, Hangouts, or whatever your organization uses that are explicitly for fun. Joking is the opposite of fighting. Side channels for casual conversation can also be helpful, but make sure to keep the content appropriate and inclusive. Make sure everyone is invited and the content stays PC. These things can turn toxic very easily.
Make unpleasant meetings equally unpleasant for all sites
If your schedule requires unpleasant meeting times, make them equally unpleasant for all sites by rotating which site has to get up early. Similarly, travel should be roughly equally unpleasant. If one site is much smaller than others, it's acceptable to make them take more of the unpleasantness. Just make sure they know that's the deal when you hire them.
Actively maintain team culture across sites
As the manager, actively maintain team culture across sites. Communicate your values and expectations through words and actions. Otherwise, the teams will tend to drift apart.
Building a successful remote team takes time and effort, but with the right tools and strategies in place, it's definitely achievable.