Looking for ideas on how to build a remote team with a strong culture? This task is necessary if you are new to remote working or have been in the virtual world for some time.

Your company’s culture will guide your team in the right direction and influence their decisions. It gives them a framework to work, communicate, and collaborate as a team, no matter where they clock in.

If you don’t get the company culture right, you could be dealing with miscommunications, low productivity, low morale of employees, high turnover rates, and more. 

In today’s guide, we share our best ideas and tips for businesses to build a remote team with company culture. Before moving on, let’s first consider the following:

What is a Remote Team?

A remote team is a group that telecommutes from different locations, such as cities, countries, or continents. Remote teams have been around for some time, but their importance grew after introducing digital tools, applications, and ecosystems. Remote teams make up a large part of today’s global workforce. It is particularly true for organizations in the information industry.

Some businesses began to digitally transform a few years ago. Cloud-based systems and agile technology are already in place. They can adapt quickly to today’s inadvertent shift towards remote work.

Well-known companies, like Shopify and Twitter, are leading the way in providing remote work opportunities. Other companies are now following suit due to digital workplaces’ benefits. Employees will enjoy more flexibility and convenience in travel time. Rents, hiring, and leasing costs could be reduced for companies.

Benefits of Hiring a Remote Team

 

When you hire a dedicated team of developers who work remotely, it is beneficial for both employees and the company. So let’s look at the employee benefits that can be helpful when you build a remote team for your business. 

1. Remote Workers Stay Around for Longer

Working remotely can help solve many of these problems. Flexible hours may make your best performers even more loyal. If you give your team a choice to work remotely, they won’t have to leave if one decides to move to another city.

Employee turnover is costly. You will have to replace the employee, your team’s productivity can also be affected, and services or projects can be delayed.

Remote work is a great option for a team that you have. It allows them to remain together as long as they can, and ultimately, it will save you money.

2. Remote Work Reduces Overhead Costs

It’s expensive to run a business. Rent, electricity, heating, and cooling are only the beginning. Add everything up, and the number can be quite high.

These expenses are no longer your responsibility if you have a remote team. Rent and electricity are not an issue if you do not have an office.

A remote workforce might also help you save money on certain insurances or other employment-law-related expenses–just be sure to talk with your lawyer about what costs you might be able to cut before you officially remove any policies.

Some companies offer financial incentives to their employees who work from home. These include cash for setting up a home office, money towards membership in a coworking space, or reimbursements for internet and phone.

3. Remote Workers Enjoy Greater Flexibility

In a traditional workplace, you’re usually out of the house from early morning to late evening. Depending on how you commute, you could spend up to 12 hours at work or on the way there. You won’t have a lot of free time for enjoyable things. This means less time for chores, family time, and relaxation. 

Employees working remotely have greater freedom and flexibility in managing their time. Instead of taking a 10-minute coffee break at the Starbucks across the street, workers could use the same 10-minute period to do laundry or empty their dishwasher.

Working remotely can encourage your team to prioritize better. Because they are not bound to a desk all day, they can be more productive.

 

 

4. Remote Workers Enjoy Greater Autonomy

You’re forced to work in the conditions that are provided for you. This could mean cubicles or an open floor plan or no desks at any. What if you prefer your own desk instead?

They may seem insignificant, but they can become frustrating over time. You won’t be able to focus if the person sitting next to you is eating their lunch loudly or your air conditioner is too low.

The employee may even look elsewhere for work if they are in an uncomfortable situation. When you build a remote team, the employees can set up their own home offices. The employees can control the environment, from what they wear to how hot it is.

If they want to change the atmosphere or get some fresh air, they can go to a café, coworking space, or park.

5. Remote Workers Have Better Health

Sitting in an office for eight hours is not bad for your health. However, it’s likely that you share the space with coworkers and other employees who are sick. The UK’s Office of National Statistics also found that commuters who spend more than 30 minutes each way to and from work report higher stress and anxiety levels than those with shorter commutes or no commute at all. 

Coso Cloud’s survey found that 42 percent of remote workers are better at home than in the office. It makes sense that when you work from home, you can cook your healthy lunch, heat leftovers and keep healthier snacks on hand throughout the day. Remote working also gives you the opportunity to exercise more. You could do a quick workout during your lunch break or when you return from not having to commute.

6. Remote Workers Save Money

Working costs money. We spend a lot on work-related expenses, from commuting costs like train tickets and gas to business casual office attire or eating out at lunch.

It’s possible that these factors are taken into account during salary negotiations, but wouldn’t you rather not spend your hard-earned money on pants you won’t wear outside the conference room?

These expenses are eliminated (or reduced significantly) when you work remotely. No longer do you need to buy a monthly train ticket or choose a new outfit every day. You can use that money to spend on something that you value.

What are the Challenges to Building a Remote Team? 

Building remote teams is not much different from team building, which takes place face-to-face. It is your responsibility as a remote leader to make up for remote workers. This absence of interpersonal interaction may have a variety of detrimental effects on your company. So let’s have a look at the challenges that you might face when you build a remote team.

• Distant Collaboration 

It is obvious that your team cannot be in the same room to collaborate. It has to rely heavily on digital tools. In this setup, problem-solving is more difficult than when people are physically together. Joint successes are, therefore, harder to achieve, and the feeling of achievement is lessened.

• Lack of Team Cohesion

When remote workers are unable to spend time together, they miss out on a crucial part of team cohesion: personal interaction. It takes more time to develop personal relationships. Your team’s bonding depends on these relationships.

• Handling Conflict is Ineffective

We get a lot about people from non-verbal signals. When you build a remote team, the perception of employees is only limited to video calls. These non-verbal clues are especially important in conflict situations.

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• Establishing Company Culture is Difficult 

It is difficult to create a culture when you are not exposed to your coworkers, office space, or other cultural artifacts. Imagine a team member who is located on another continent and has only three calls per work week. It is challenging to persuade him to accept, comprehend, and promote the corporate culture.

• Intercultural Collaboration

The majority of remote organizations work with teams that are distributed across different cultures and locations. It isn’t easy to navigate cultural differences daily.

How to Build a Remote Team

Now the main question is “ how to team build remotely”. Well, you must follow the below seven steps to build a remote team for your organization:

Step 1: Choose a Remote Team Structure

Every company has its method of implementing a remote team. You can, for example, run your software development company completely remotely, with specific teams working remotely, or by having certain employees work off-site. You need to decide which approach to use, whether you are a brand new business starting the hiring process or if you have decided to allow employees to work remotely.

This decision is usually left to your personal preferences or your company’s specific needs. In some cases, it is out of your hands. For example, the COVID-19 Pandemic. You may build a remote team for your company using the methods below.

Step 2: Select Your Candidates Carefully

Hiring is a process that requires care. When it comes to building remote teams, the need for reliable, skilled, and disciplined employees is even greater.

Off-site employees are required to be more autonomous, as they do not receive direct supervision. They may also not have the same support system they would stay in an office. There are certain things to look out for when hiring remote workers:

• Expertise in the field
• Communication skills are exceptional
• Quick response times

Start by reviewing your current hiring process to make sure it is effective at helping you find exceptional talent to strengthen your remote team.

Step 3: Establish Clear Guidelines & Expectations

Setting performance goals and establishing guidelines for your team’s workflow is important to maximize their productivity and hold them accountable. Here are some examples of how to set expectations and guidelines with your off-site workers:

• Online during specific hours of the day or at certain times
• Check-in how often?
• Documentation for processes
• If they should track time
• Team and individual goals
• Who should be contacted for certain issues/projects?
• What is the best way to communicate in what circumstances?

You can find more ways to help your employees understand and meet their expectations depending on the nature and scope of your job. Just make sure that you communicate them clearly and implement them fairly.

Step 4: Continue to Engage With Your Team

Remote workers can easily feel isolated from the rest of the team. This can have a greater impact on your business when the mobile app developers for hire and the entire team are located off-site. Disconnection can impact your business’s bottom line and the quality of work. Gallup says highly engaged teams are 21 percent more profitable. This means you should make a conscious effort to keep your team engaged. How do you achieve that?

• Monthly or weekly departmental meetings are recommended
• Check-ins between managers and employees
• Have monthly company meetings

It’s important to include and acknowledge remote team members in these meetings. You can provide socialization opportunities to your team in addition to the meetings that are related to their work. This will help build a sense of camaraderie between members. You can do this by organizing virtual happy hours or games that encourage team bonding.

Step 5: Establish Reliable Communication Channels

Communication is essential in all business settings, but it is especially important when you build a remote team. It’s also a major challenge. According to a Buffer survey, 17% said that collaboration and communication were the most difficult aspects of working remotely.

In the digital age, it is now easier than ever to stay connected, no matter where your employees are located.

• Employees should use internal direct messengers for direct communication
• Employees should use email to communicate with clients or officials
• Employees should use the project management system to ask or comment on project-related questions.

Communication processes ensure everyone is on the exact same page and knows how to contact each other.

Step 6: Provide the Tools Teams Need to Be Successful

The right tools will improve the performance of your team. Some tools, such as project management software or direct messenger, may be beneficial when you hire dedicated developers for your team. Other tools, however, could only be needed by a certain department or person. Your graphic designers, for example, may require access to a stock photo site, a platform that allows collective editing, and an Illustrator.

You should ensure that each team member has access to the tools you’ve chosen, whether by providing them with company-wide credentials or setting up their accounts.

Step 7: Implement Time Tracking

Time tracking, as mentioned above, is a way to hold your employees accountable for meeting their work expectations. Time-tracking data is not only useful for holding employees accountable to their work expectations but also in pricing products, identifying inefficiencies within project workflows, and determining which employees need more structure.

These apps are available for free and can be used by your employees without any additional costs to your company. These apps are often integrated with other software tools, such as your project management tool. 

If you want to build a remote team or switch to remote working for the first, it is important to communicate all expectations, processes, and resources to your team. There are several other strategies to raise a remote team’s productivity. But these seven steps will get you started. 

How to Equip Remote Teams With the Right Tools

Reaching the benefits of remote work is great, but you have to plan ahead. It’s not enough to send your team home and expect them to be productive. To make remote teams successful, it is important to use the right tools. The following guidelines and ways to team build remotely will help you get the most from when you build a remote team.

• Project Management Software: It allows you to keep track of your tasks, plans, and projects in one location. Thanks to it, you can manage all of your chores, plans, and projects in one place. Trello is a great tool to help your team stay on top of what is happening. They can also keep them focused on what needs their attention. This is Monday.com’s bright and easy-to-use interface.
• Cloud-Based Storage of Documents: To keep your projects moving, you need to have access to real-time files. Investing in Box, Dropbox, or G Suite lets you make all your files and documents available to everyone in your organization–regardless of where they’re located.
• App for Time Tracking: Without an app, it’s impossible to track how remote teams spend their time. Use a time-tracking app such as TimeDoctor or Toggl to review the time spent on each project and to ensure your employees don’t work extremely long hours.
• Shared Team Calendar: When you cannot just walk over to someone’s desk and see if they are available, you’ll need a way to know when people are at meetings, working, or away. For remote teams, a shared calendar like Google Calendar is essential.

Conclusion 

Technology has changed how we view work and employment in the digital age. Distributed teams can effectively hire the best candidates, no matter where they are located.

These teams can lead to high satisfaction levels and higher productivity and quality of life. Consider the tips and suggestions above to determine if a distributed workforce can benefit your business. For better results, you can even take help from a mobile app development company who are proficient in facilitating business solutions and providing efficient resources for your company.  

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