Remote Work Integration | How to Incorporate Your Remote Team with Current Employees
Remote work is becoming increasingly popular as more and more companies are hearing about the awesome benefits for both the employee and the employer. Zillow, Twitter and Spotify are some of the biggest tech companies that have adopted remote work as they’ve seen its potential and have implemented it within their own company.
Work does not need to be done in a specific place to be performed successfully. In fact, people are more focused and productive when they are in a comfortable place and that could be anywhere out of the office cubicle. As long as the work gets done correctly and on time the location does not matter.
Reduced cost: There’s a huge financial saving for a business to offer remote work since they don’t need the added office space, supplies, utilities.
Fewer distractions: In an office environment, there are plenty of distractions happening at any given time. Employees are much more effective when they’re not constantly distracted by the action of the office. Studies show 34% of employees like their jobs less when they are in a distracting workplace.
Healthy work-life balance: People who work remotely tend to be happier and healthier too so the benefits can fall into family life and work-life balance while improving their personal health.
While there are many advantages to remote work there are also some downsides. One of the downsides to remote working is the potential for employees to feel isolated and not part of the team which can have a negative impact on performance and employee retention.
The way you manage your remote workers will have a long-term impact on your business and its potential to grow. Your current employees may be intimidated or even jealous of your remote workers. It’s important for you to get all of your staff to come together to work as a team. The morale and productivity will be higher if you manage your team right.
Tips to incorporate your remote team with your current employees:
Open Communication
Great communication is the key to success in many situations. This is also true for effectively managing a team. As a manager, it is your job to keep your remote workers engaged and informed just as you would your in-office employees. Keeping open lines of communication and communicating often is super important so your employees know you are available and want to hear from them when they want.
Give clear and honest information to your current employees on what exactly your remote team will be handling for the company. Assure them the remote team won’t be taking over their duties and their position is important to the company and not going away. Giving them reassurance of job stability is important and will help with their commitment to your company.
Everyone on The Same Page
Ensuring that your entire team, both remote and in-office, are on the same page is vital for the successful completion of your projects. This is especially true when they need to collaborate on big projects and work together seamlessly. To save yourself the time as the middleman, you could get them working together and in direct communication with each other as this will ensure a smoother process. Encourage continuous engagement with one another and make collaboration light and fun. Hard work doesn’t have to be stale and serious to be successful.
Define Goals
Your entire team, both remote and in-office should be fully aware of the business goals and what it takes to accomplish them. When everyone works together to achieve the goal you are more likely to accomplish your goals and surpass targets. This will also help your team feel like they are working toward something bigger than the project that is in front of them which will push them to be super productive.
Get your team together
Getting your team together could simply be face to face meetings or virtual meetings if all of your team is not local. If distance isn’t a factor, getting your team together outside of the office for team building activities is a great idea. When there’s a more relaxed environment your team members are able to chill out a little and be more comfortable being their true self which will help foster closer relationships between each other.
Teamwork
A team is a group of individuals working together to achieve a goal. It is important for the success of your company that your team works together to achieve the same common goal. In order for them to do this your remote team and current employees need to see each other as teammates and not have any kind of grudge against each other. Your current employees may initially look at your remote team as if they are third parties and not really part of their team.
As a manager, it is your job to get them to have the vision that the remote workers are very much part of your team and should be treated as such. Introduce new team members to the entire organization right away to make them feel welcomed. The more your entire organization works together the more powerful they will be.
Keep Everyone Happy
Let’s face it, employees that are unhappy at work are just a drag. They complain a lot and bring everyone around them down and in a negative mindset. Even if nothing is really wrong they will find something to complain about and it will cause a toxic working environment. So it’s so important to put in the effort to ensure your employees are happy. This means listening to any concerns they may have that may even be about your new remote team. Hearing them out and giving reassurance to the remote team is a great addition to the company and will help with company growth.
Your current employees as well as your remote team should get the same appreciation and acknowledgement for their hard work and achievements. When an employee feels valued and appreciated they will work harder to be even more productive and surpass goals. If you have weekly staff meetings together, virtually with your remote team, it is a great time to give acknowledgements and awards to thank your employees for their hard work for your company. When your employees are happy they will show it through their work and attitude.
Company Mission and Values
Your company mission statement should be known by all of your staff both in-office and remote workers. They should be able to recite the mission statement verbatim after a short time of working for your organization. The statement should be placed in areas they will be seen by your staff daily as a reminder what the mission they are working for is. It could be said out loud by all staff at the end of your staff meeting. Whatever you have to do to ensure your team knows your mission and the values of the organization, do it as it will help create a positive company spirit.
Culture
Company culture is a set of shared values, goals, practices, and attitudes that characterize an organization. It's the way your employees interact with each other and work together, how they enjoy the work they do, and their values. As the leader it is your job to decide early on what you want your company culture to be like and modeling that behavior as it will set the tone for the rest of your team. If you want a more relaxed light and fun atmosphere then set that standards for that.
When you are hiring staff, either in-office or remotely, you should ensure they share the same attitudes and values as the culture you are creating for your company. This will ensure your company culture is strong as they will encourage each other by modeling the positive attitude and strong values. When your entire team has the same attitudes and vision it will help develop great working relationships and excellent teamwork.
Result
Getting your remote team and current employees on the same page and working together will ensure a great working relationship between them. When your team is able to effectively communicate and collaborate the work output will be excellent. It’s important that your current employees understand the duties and responsibilities of your remote team and why you make the remote choice.
Your entire team should be able to effectively communicate with one another especially if they are working on the same project. Your remote team should be formally introduced to your current employees just as you would if they were in-office. It’s your responsibility to ensure all of your workers operate as a team.
It starts with the employees you hire so it’s crucial to bring on team members that have the same culture and values as you want within your organization. Hiring individuals with a positive attitude and good work ethic will be the key to your company's success.
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Sources:
https://smallbusiness.chron.com/activities-promote-team-building-21444.html
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/work-life-balance