As more and more companies bring their operations online, it has become an increasing struggle to make sure that remote workers are engaged and satisfied in their roles. However, with many remote workers being unaccustomed to remote work, it falls on company leaders and managers to find ways to effectively manage their virtual teams. That being said, there are many ways that virtual teams can be built up and engaged, and in the following article, we’ll explore some of the most effective methods for doing so.
Create a Company Culture
The term ‘company culture’ gets thrown around a lot in modern offices, but less so when it comes to working remotely with virtual teams. Because of this, many remote offices decline to set any sort of company culture, and employees and teams tend to feel disconnected from each other. This shouldn’t be the case though, as there are many tools at a company’s disposal to keep their employees engaged.
Chief among these are Slack and Zoom, which have gained outsized influence in the remote working space in recent years. Within these tools, you can create different events, off-topic channels for teambuilding , and ways to celebrate the achievements of your employees. Using these tools, you can also do things like set up weekly or monthly happy hours, conduct informal polls, share GIFs, and more.
All of this helps to create a company culture of inclusivity and productivity. It shows employees that their leadership team cares not just about their employees as ‘resources’ or ‘assets’ but as human beings who desire connectivity and empathy from those they work with. This is particularly the case when your employees are dealing with a difficult project or a frustrating client; you should do everything in your power virtually to make sure that they feel appreciated and connected to the culture of your company.
Live Your Values
On top of creating an open and inclusive company culture, you also need to set clear values for your company. These values should make employees feel like they are working for a company that values their time and commitment to their positions. In terms of doing this while managing a virtual team, you have to make sure that you openly display these values that you set.
If, for, example, you want growth to be a core value of your company, you can lead a webinar on Zoom to teach your employees or fellow team members job skills, or you can even provide monetary credits for them to look into their own courses to work on self-development. Whatever value you choose, you can use the remote work system to espouse these and make your virtual team feel like they are working toward something together.
While working with virtual teams can be a struggle, there are certain methods you can use to further engage your workers and make sure that they feel like they are a part of the company. Even without the physical meeting space of the office, there are many ways that you can use technological solutions, such as Zoom and Slack, to make employees feel connected to company culture and values.
