Ray Pigott A lot of businesses have made the move to remote working, whether it’s due to necessity or simply because more and more workers are demanding it. Either way, while it can certainly offer some advantages, such as decreasing office costs, it comes with challenges. The isolation that can affect the morale of your team members is more potentially devastating than you realize. Here, we’re going to look at why that’s the case and what you can do about it.
Provide tips for working from home
For a lot of people, this might be their first remote working opportunity, which can be something of a challenge. The feeling of loneliness can be compounded if an individual finds difficulty in acclimating to their work. As such, you should provide weekly tips or a knowledge base on tips people can use to make remote working fit their lifestyle a little more easily. It will help your team feel like their needs are being seen, which can make them feel a little more connected to the company.
Keep communication consistent
The online world is crucial for your business and it’s about to become a lot more important as it will be the primary realm for your team to keep in touch with each other. However, rather than letting disparate emails and IMs run the course of communication, you should focus it in one place, using business communication software as a hub space. That way, people can connect to the team all in one place.
Ensure face-to-face time
The software mentioned above can help people feel much more connected to the team in general. However, there is an importance to face-to-face communication and actually speaking to people that should not be underestimated. With the help of Zoom meeting licenses, you can make sure that you have time to actually talk with people. Getting that interpersonal connection can help even far-apart members feel much more connected.
Show appreciation and recognition
One of the easiest things to miss when running a remote team is the need for people to be recognised for the work that they do. Check up on people individually and thank them when they have done good work or helped the business through a challenge. Weekly emails should also centre appreciation of employees and teams that have shined in particular. Feeling appreciated can do a lot to make a person feel like their position matters.
Organise a meetup
Not all of your communication should be done over the internet. Once a month, or even once a week, you should plan for a company lunch or in-person meeting, just to help keep those interpersonal relationships strong. If you’re hiring from across a much wider space, you may need to look at a more spaced-out event, even an annual get-together. It is important to have some real time together, however.
Working remotely always comes with something of a trade-off when it comes to company culture and team cohesion. As such, you need to put in a little extra work to ensure that it’s in place.
