Remote work culture is here to stay and when half your team comprises of freelancers, you have to go the extra mile to foster a connection with the team. A little mindfulness goes a long way and setting the right intention with the team working remote jobs works wonder on overall morale!
Every workplace has a company culture, whether you’re intentional about it or not. Whatever behavior is normalized within the organization, end up forming your identity as an employer. It’s just the way you do things, and sometimes it’s not as easy to define the culture but it’s important to do so.
Company culture impacts productivity, and plays a crucial role on your employer brand. Without interpersonal interactions within your remote team, you have to put in greater effort to ensure your company is living up to its values.
And that’s where culture actually sets in – your company’s core values. Define them. Build on them. Let them steer the direction you’re going in.
Here is how you can make remote jobs more bearable by fostering the right culture.
Build trust with open communication
The stepping stone to a sustainable work environment and virtual culture is trust. Team members that trust each other, work better. They feel more connected to their roles, colleagues and are more motivated at work. However, sometimes virtual communication makes it difficult to have natural conversations or for some team members to step outside their comfort zone.
Managers should check in on their employees and schedule calls with employees working remote jobs to listen and learn.
It’s a good practice to take more feedback during these conversations instead of imposing your “solutions.” If you want to build a sense of ownership with people who report to you, ask them questions such as, “What do you suggest is the best way to work together?” “What is your preferred method of communicate?” or “How can we best support you during your time working remotely?”
Create a collaborative environment
Just because you can’t see employees working at their physical desks, doesn’t mean they’re not carrying out their tasks. Prioritize timely deliverables and quality work and create a space where your team can reach out for help should they need to.
Emphasize competence over high-performance. Encourage all employees to keep everyone in the loop about where they stand for tasks so there’s visibility on the progress.
Remote jobs are difficult to manage and not everyone will have a similar work environment but if you set an example of complete transparency and integrity, you’re off to a good start!
Maintain your boundaries
Initiate a conversation with all employees working remote jobs on defining their roles and responsibilities and discussing their boundaries. Most employees working remotely struggle to separate between their personal and professional lives. The work day never seems to end and the lack of structure and clear demarcation between a work day ending leads to burnout pretty quickly.
It’s important to discuss everyone’s expectations about working hours, and response time. It’s okay not to lull the team into a false sense of urgency for every task so avoid assuming that everyone should respond immediately.
Most importantly, inculcate the habit of respecting people’s boundaries and giving them personal space. Do not contact employees after their designated work hours and encourage people to use their time during work productively.
Engage employees creatively
Every now and then when work life gets monotonous, it’s a good idea to switch things up to boost employee engagement. Spread a little positivity and goodwill with regular and timely activities that remind employees they’re part of something bigger. You can plan something that’s festive like celebrating birthdays virtually, or you can host virtual happy hours where teams can discuss the challenges they’re facing.
Some activities might require you to set up separate events but others can be easily done during regularly scheduled meetings. Surprise your employees!
Join Synerge Meta for more insight into what it takes to build a remote culture that allows remote job workers to thrive!
