Keeping Remote Teams Connected

It’s safe to say that the global pandemic has completely changed the way businesses operate! Remote working has become the norm and teams are totally changing the way they work and communicate.

As VA’s, we’re pretty used to working remotely, but lots has changed for our clients and we’ve had to go without HQ sessions for quite a long time now, so we thought we’d share some of our top tips on managing a remote team during these tricky times.

Communication

Remote working will have been more of a shock for some than for others, as social connections are such a huge part of the work experience. However, we’re pretty lucky that we have so much amazing technology which allows us to do all our work remotely. There’s no doubt about it, communication when you’re managing a remote team and keeping everyone connected is so important!

If you’re not meeting in the office anymore, you’ve got to find new ways of talking. Obviously, email has been the preferred corporate tool for some time now, but it’s fairly rigid and it’s here that we’ve found that Slack (an amazing app) dissolves this rigidity and breaks communication down into channels. You can have a channel per client or project, you can have channels to discuss work matters and channels to discuss personal things – it’s a great way of chatting privately with colleagues in a quick and informal manner, and we find it goes a long way to helping remote employees all feel connected!

Video calls and team meetings

Technology has made it so easy now for people to communicate through video stream. If you’re missing your team meetings, then Zoom and Skype are two platforms which have really come into their own during the pandemic for both clients and teams alike. They offer the face to face time that connects remote employees and are the perfect place to conduct team catch ups or client calls. You can even use them for a bit of fun time – from employee quiz nights, catch ups or even drinks events. It can all still be done – just virtually.

Encourage health and wellness

We’re in exceptional circumstances right now and so making sure your team are prioritising their wellbeing really is pretty essential to help them stay connected and focussed. Mindset is a big part of staying sane during Covid-19, so pushing health and wellbeing will be just what your team members might need. You may have a big team or a little team, but either way, encouraging them to take their lunch breaks, get outside walking or trying new activities is a good place to start. You could even all jump on a Zoom yoga or fitness session or follow the same workout on YouTube and have a chat about how you find it – all these things keep people connected and motivated.

The personal touch

Obviously when it comes to leading remote teams, you’ve got to strike the right balance between personal and professional. You want your team to work hard but equally, you’ve got to remember that they’re humans too with family, loved ones and passions outside work – keep tabs on what they love to do and what’s important to them, this is great remote employees sense of value. Remote employees will feel more engaged and committed to the company and their role if they know you care about them not only as employees but as people.

Let’s all stay connected!

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