Is the golden age of remote work over? Several major U.S. companies have been slowly but surely bringing their employees back to the office—something to do with productivity and team building. However, remote work is built into company culture for global teams or companies without an official office. It has to be.
Does that mean remote workers are less likely to be efficient and collaborative team members? Absolutely not. Remote work may look different from an office team. But that doesn’t mean team members aren’t equally dedicated to successful outcomes. Managers and team leaders have every opportunity to make remote-first teams function just as well, if not better, than their in-office counterparts.
Three Core Pillars of Successful Remote Culture
Tools for Communication
Remote teams need to find ways to communicate with each other in real-time, often over time zone differences or in different stages of a workflow. Tools like Slack, Trello, and Basecamp make this possible.
Using these tools alone doesn’t make for efficient communication. During a busy work day, there is nothing worse than receiving a string of messages, “you there?”, “????”, “nvrm, got it.” It’s bad enough if these messages come from a friend or family member. If they are coming from a colleague or boss, it’s a problem.
Team leaders should encourage team members to write in full sentences to relay all useful information in one message. That way, if other team members are busy or sleeping, they can still get all the necessary information when they have availability.
Scheduling and Routine
One of the hardest parts about working at your own home is how easy it is to accidentally get sucked into “just finishing one more task” and then realizing four extra hours have passed. It’s important to encourage your team to define their core working hours—not to monitor them, but to protect their sanity and productivity. Remind them to always take their lunch breaks (and you should do the same). Give them tips about working in focused sprints using methods such as the Pomodoro Technique.
If you must reach out to your employees after their core working hours, be sure to let them know that you don’t require a reply. Unless their jobs require them to be available for after-work emergencies, tell them to turn off work notifications when they are not actively working (and be honest with yourself, do they really need to be available for emergencies?).
Online Security
Remote working teams need to focus on working efficiently, which also means working securely. Office networks are (hopefully) professionally set up and monitored regularly for security weaknesses. Remote workers likely do not have the resources to configure their home networks with every cybersecurity best practice in mind. They may choose to work from a cafe or co-working space, where countless strangers can access the same network.
Invest in providing remote teams with cybersecurity tools and know-how. The benefits of a VPN for small business include allowing remote employees to encrypt their internet connection—no matter where they are—to protect their data on any network. Remind your team of the importance of using strong passwords and enabling multi-factor authentication.
Remote Leadership Roles
Micromanaging has been a faux pas for quite some time now. Overseeing and trying to control every aspect of your team’s performance can lead to an overall decrease in productivity, employee engagement, and retention. Competent workers thrive when they are entrusted to do their jobs. Good leadership is about visible support, not puppet strings.
As a remote team leader, focus on results, not the number of hours your team members are putting in. Check in on how each team member is doing in private and with cameras on to aid in the feeling of connection.
Model good remote working behavior. Take vacations. If you have an urgent appointment, let team members know (transparently) that you’re stepping away from the computer and will be back the next day to answer questions. Set clear goals for yourself and for the team around healthy productivity and task effectiveness.
Building a High-Performing Remote Work Culture
For creative teams, flexibility can improve inspiration, output, and the result of the final product. For task-based teams, the privacy of working independently can lead to better outcomes. Remote teams often lead to more inclusive contributions, as employees can work from anywhere and with any background or circumstance.
There are more pros than cons to creating a thriving remote work environment. It’s just not something that happens from sheer force of wanting. Remote team managers and small-business owners must make a conscientious effort to structure, encourage, and model excellent remote company culture and values.