Many organizations rely on remote employees to remain competitive in today’s workforce, especially in knowledge-based industries like software development, engineering, and IT services. And while working remotely gives your employees the ability to choose where they work and save on office space costs, it can sometimes lead to difficulties in retaining top talent and making sure that the team stays connected outside of the workplace. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to solve these problems!
Read on to find out seven tips on how to make your remote working team social.
1) Get your remote team talking
Making the transition to remote working can seem tough, especially if you’re used to having everyone in the same office space. However, there are plenty of things you can do to help your remote team gel and even get closer than you ever thought possible, including using the following seven pro tips on how to make your remote working team social.
2) Use GPS Tracking Software
An easy way to do so is through social media. Set up a company Twitter account for your team, and allow employees to share with their followers interesting posts about what they’re working on that day or just company culture happenings. You can also use an app like Glympse, which lets you share your location—and whatever you’re doing at that time—with a few taps on your phone.
3) Use Employee Monitoring Software
You can’t stop them from socializing if you don’t know where they are. Use GPS tracking software to monitor where they go during non-work hours and remind your team that socializing outside of work hours is a privilege, not a right. This allows your remote coworkers to feel connected when they don’t physically have access to one another, while also bringing transparency into remote work environments. Sharing Gmaps gives workers easier access to see where each other are in real-time without crowding one another’s personal space or disturbing others working mode by making them check email all day long. The app allows you to track co-workers whereabouts in real-time whenever needed.
4) Allow Flexible Hours
One of most significant challenges with managing a remote team is that it’s difficult to know what they’re doing all day. Whether you’re looking for an affordable employee monitoring solution or want something more advanced, workforce management software is vital when running a remote team. Employee monitoring tools allow you to track individual employees, see what applications they are using and measure their productivity. With so many options on offer in 2017, finding high-quality employee monitoring software has never been easier.
5) Encourage Physical Meetings
Every time you meet with a remote employee, talk about what they’re doing well and how they can improve. Tracking software isn’t just for keeping track of where people are or making sure no one steals office supplies; it’s also for giving your employees regular feedback on their performance. A lack of feedback is detrimental to morale and job satisfaction, so keep an eye on how employees are performing, even when you aren’t physically there to supervise them.
6) Provide Virtual Guidelines for Non-Work Behavior
Providing regular feedback is one of the most important components of a successful remote team, whether it’s performance-related or not. Managers need to be there for their employees, not just in times of crisis but also as a sounding board and cheerleader. In order for that kind of feedback to be effective, though, you have to schedule regular one-on-one meetings with each employee.
7) Give Regular Feedback
Just because your team members are virtual, doesn’t mean they should stay in their cubicles while they’re not working. If you want your remote employees to get close with one another, make sure you communicate boundaries for when it’s okay for them to chat outside of work hours—and when it isn’t. It will help employees know what appropriate behavior is.
CONCLUSION
This helps make sure your remote team knows what’s expected of them, and helps everyone feel like they are an important part of something bigger. There are many ways to do regular feedback, but video calls are a good starting point. For more on setting up structure for your remote team through regular feedback, checkout our guide here.
SOURCE: Seven Pro Tips to help Remote Teams Socialize
