Developing a remote team is not an option anymore; it is a necessity. The pandemic halted on-site operations around the globe, which led businesses to shift to work-from-home models. While some saw it as a benefit for both employers and employees, others had to make an abrupt shift just for the sake of it. With this sudden change, businesses had to deal with the most interesting question – how to keep a remote team connected? Remote teams can experience a lack of connection due to distance, no social interaction, and no physical involvement in work activities. Social interaction and engagement are just as fundamental to employee satisfaction and morale. Therefore, keeping them engaged will result in higher productivity and job satisfaction. 

If you want to know how to keep a remote team connected, continue reading our blog post and make virtual environments fun and collaborative. 

How to Keep a Remote Team Connected 

Foster Open Communication 

Many organizations often overlook the importance of maintaining open and honest lines of communication, which results in a delayed schedule, missed deadlines, and misunderstandings. Therefore, fostering an open dialogue policy is, so far, the most effective way to connect remote teams. It allows companies to make employees feel heard and track their feedback. Companies with remote teams should also maintain a company culture that motivates employees to raise their concerns without any fear of consequences. 

Integrate Different Collaboration Tools and Technology 

Rethink your current collaboration tools. If you depend on email, it is high time to change the strategy. You do not want to track the file from months ago by searching through hundreds of emails every single time. Different collaboration tools offer seamless search, file-sharing options, and a user-friendly interface to connect remote teams and streamline communication. Slack, OneDrive, Dropbox, and Hive are a few tools companies use to connect remote teams in real time.

Geographically-dispersed field workers and remote experts can collaborate using assisted reality devices, such as RealWear. The technology uses assisted reality and features different collaboration software to streamline communication and improve productivity. 

Instant messaging tools

One of the most popular remote working tools is Slack. Slack is an instant messaging tool that organizes conversations into channels. These channels allow you to further organize communications based on teams, projects or even office locations. Implementing a communication tool, such as Slack, will allow your remote workers to feel like they can get a hold of someone quickly if they need to.

Aside from creating Slack channels based on teams and projects, you should create some general or family channels that allow your remote workers to chat with each other about topics unrelated to work. Many remote workers miss the opportunity to chat with their co-workers like they would in a traditional office setting. If they have a space to talk about whatever’s on their mind, they’ll feel like a true member of your work family.

Team collaboration software

There are several great team collaboration software options on the market to help your team stay connected and up to date. For example, Zoho Connect allows organizations to build an enterprise social network for team members to collaborate on projects.

Cloud-based storage tools

The cloud has become an integral part of many businesses. It allows users to easily store and share information like documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. This also ensures team members can access critical documents wherever they are. You can keep your team in the know by incorporating cloud-based storage options like Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive and Dropbox.

Provide honest, frequent feedback.

Another way to improve employee engagement and connectivity is by offering frequent feedback. Feedback is a great way to not only show your remote workforce that you are paying attention to their contributions, but it can also help you identify and improve any areas that may be underperforming. Feedback should be constructive and honest.

If you build a remote culture that encourages frequent feedback, team members are more likely to be on the same page with performance expectations, and employees are less likely to be caught off guard by any negative remarks.

Schedule Lunch and Coffee Dates 

Use Google calendars to schedule lunch or coffee dates over video with your work buddy or a geographically-dispersed co-worker. As we mentioned, social interaction is a human need, and in remote team settings, it becomes quite difficult. However, a few strategies are in place, and you can make the virtual environment fun too. 

Ensure Employee Flexibility 

Normalize giving employees the flexibility to set their working schedules. Let them choose their working hours so that those who have families to take care of can do so easily while meeting deadlines without any burden. Not only will it allow you to connect remote teams, but the strategy also enhances your employees’ well-being and allows them to adapt to changing working dynamics. 

Empower employees with flexibility

Let your employees have flexible working arrangements. Flextime policies let employees choose their own working schedules, which can be especially beneficial for remote workers who have to take care of children or other family members during the workweek. Giving your employees the autonomy to choose the working hours that best suit them can serve your business in many ways. It can improve employees’ well-being, gives them a better work-life balance, and it allows them to adapt to changes in their personal lives. These benefits can help your team feel more connected to and appreciated by your organization.

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Establish fun company traditions

It’s easy to establish fun company traditions in an in-person work environment. For instance, on the birthday of each of your employees, you can have a pizza and cake party in the office. On the last Friday of every month, you can have a board game day. If you want to make your remote team feel more connected, it’s important to continue these types of fun company traditions online. So how do you do that?

Well, to celebrate birthdays, you can post “happy birthday” messages on Slack. This way, other employees can chime in with their own birthday messages and GIFs. Maybe you could even deliver a pizza to your remote employee’s location. You could also create online scavenger hunts or get everyone together to play an online game. Including remote workers in a fun company, traditions will create stronger bonds and help you keep your company culture intact.

Celebrate Special Occasions, Birthdays, and Milestones 

Even though the cake-cutting ceremony may not actually happen, you can always remember special occasions and birthdays to make employees feel remembered. There are a lot of ways you can think outside the box and make the virtual fun happen. Also, do remember workers’ milestones and small achievements to make them feel appreciated and recognized. 

The Importance of Connecting Remote Teams

Work-from-home model is generally beneficial for employees because they do not need to spend on the commute, and they can also maintain a healthy work-life balance. However, if the approach is not handled well, remote working can be challenging due to a lack of communication, collaboration, and engagement. A study by Harvard Business Review reported that remote workers felt left out and disengaged from other co-workers, which led to affecting their mental well-being. Therefore, to make remote teams feel a part of your organization, you need to employ a remote-friendly approach where the workforce feels more engaged and connected virtually. 

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