For a business team to be successful, one core element of teamwork is crucial: trust. This is the shared belief between two or more parties that reliability, truth, and ability are in place. However, it’s difficult to establish and maintain trust between any group of people. And when it comes to remote workers, employers often struggle to validate this trust. But this doesn’t mean it’s impossible. So, if you want to know how to build trust with remote teams, this is the article for you.
What are Remote Teams?
Remote teams are the result of a number of different events all unfolding together at the same time. Starting with advances in internet technology, which made high-speed internet connections both possible and affordable, this soon combined with an increase in the number of remote workers in almost every industry you could think of. Finally, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic meant that remote teams suddenly became the new normal, and business owners could now see the benefits.
But how do these remote teams actually operate? After all, for centuries, workers had commuted to their workplace. It seemed to work pretty well, so why change things up? Well, it’s all to do with progress and efficiency. Just 20 years ago, the thought of remote workers seemed impossible. Internet connections may have been getting faster, but they weren’t fast enough, and certainly not reliable. But 20 years of progress makes all the difference.
Now, as long as a remote worker has a high-speed internet connection and a PC, they can simply log on to the internet and use a set of login credentials to access your IT systems. All from the comfort of their own home. Naturally, this leads to an exciting new world of benefits.
The first, of course, is that you can now employ people from anywhere in the world, the commute is dead. This means you can choose from a global pool of talent, rather than a limited local selection. Cost savings, too, are a significant benefit, with savings of up to 78% in operating costs a real possibility. And don’t forget, many remote workers are based in different time zones, opening up opportunities for 24/7 coverage.
As you can see, for any business owner, remote workers represent an exciting new employment solution. But the trust issue still needs to be addressed. Luckily, learning how to build trust with remote teams is easier than you thought. And all you need is the help of a world-class VA company to get you there.
Understanding How to Build Trust with Remote Teams
Establishing trust within a team may appear straightforward, but the real difficult lies in maintaining it. Therefore, when you need to know how to build trust with remote teams, it’s a good idea to keep things simple. This way, everyone can get on board and maintaining this understanding between everyone is easier. So, where do you start?
Thankfully, you don’t have to invest in corporate team building courses, which many business experts consider a waste of money. Instead, you should pour your efforts into taking action and ensuring that your business vision and goals are reflected in your organization’s daily practices. Accordingly, if you want to learn how to build trust with remote teams, make sure you follow these best practices:
Excellent Communication:
One of the cornerstones of trust is communication, and it has to be world-class in order to bring teams together. However, when working with a remote team, the distance between team members can put a few obstacles in your way. And this is why you have to work a little differently. Therefore, regular communication is crucial, so make sure you schedule in regular and productive team meetings and 1:1 supervisions over video calls. And remember, remote workers may often be working in different time zones, this is where digital whiteboards and recorded meetings can prove invaluable in terms of communication and trust.
Set Clear Goals:
Remote workers, separated from their teammates, need a clear sense of purpose and direction. So, when it comes to tackling how to build trust with remote teams, putting a set off clearly defined goals in place is paramount for success. These clear goals will ensure that mistakes are minimized, and your team members know how to make the most effective use of their time. And, for the team as a whole, this will deliver a level of team cohesion where everyone knows that their colleagues are focused on accomplishments.
Hold Regular Check-ins:
It’s very easy for remote workers to feel isolated, so it’s important that you demonstrate their value to your business by regularly checking in on them. A quick video call, once or twice a week, will show that you care about them and provide some much-needed social interaction. And it’s important to stress that these calls should purely be on a social level, there’s no need to discuss workloads or targets. By instilling a sense of value in the individual, you’ll find that their trust in your organization skyrockets. It really is a win/win situation for everyone.
Celebrate Successes:
Nothing builds trust in a team like celebrating successes. This means that your organization should make a concerted effort to regularly highlight achievements. These achievements could range from most sales leads generated through to employee of the month awards. And you don’t just have to focus on individuals, you can also generate team awards. By recognizing the contributions your remote team has made, you are publicly acknowledging their efforts and underlining their value. This not only builds trust, but also encourages repeat successes.
Don’t Micromanage:
Remote workers need to feel trusted, but if you micromanage them, their trust towards you and organization will quickly evaporate. So, while you should definitely check in on your remote team members, you need to know how to balance this. Repeatedly asking your team what they’re doing and what they’re planning to do next will, over the course of a day, frustrate your remote workers. And this is where trust starts to break down. This is why it’s so important to set clear goals which should, if clearly defined, ensure you can trust your remote team to be working towards their objectives.
Provide the Relevant Tools:
Understanding how to build trust with remote teams in today's business landscape is essential, and you can facilitate this by providing your team with the tools they need. For example, remote workers are going to need access to high-level collaboration software, such as Slack and Microsoft Teams, to be able to work together as a cohesive team. Likewise, making sure that your team has access to the relevant training materials is a major necessity. And by providing your remote team with these tools, they will feel equipped, more confident, and trusted.
Design a Team Vision:
If you can generate a sense of unity between your team, you will also find yourself with a trustworthy team. A team vision’s objective is to underline your team’s values, goals, and expected behavior. Your team members, with a team vision guiding their daily activities, will quickly develop a shared understanding of the principles they should be working towards. Decision making and conflict resolution will, gradually, improve and maximize your team’s dynamic. And ultimately, it will instill a sense of unity which solidifies trust between employee and employer.
Promote Inclusivity:
It’s vital that you promote inclusivity in a remote team as this will allow you to foster an environment when team members feel valued. Everyone, of course, will have a different perspective to share, and it’s important that you can recognize their unique views and corresponding skills. Therefore, work at creating an atmosphere which is inclusive and encourages team members to contribute their ideas. Once you establish a sense of inclusivity, you will find that you build both strong connections with your remote team and trust.
Build Great Trust with a Great VA Company
Combining all of these best practices will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of how to build trust with remote teams. But how exactly do you put that amazing remote team together? Well, you have to start by turning to an amazing VA company. And the best one we know is Pineapple.
With years of experience in the virtual assistant landscape, we understand the importance of remote teams to modern, forward-thinking organizations. And thanks to our vast array of global talent, we’re perfectly poised to help you build a remote team which can take you to the next level. So, if you need a remote worker who’s skilled in business or even multimedia, we are the VA company to turn to.
It must be difficult though, right? It can’t be easy bringing these experts in to your team? Well, yes, it’s easy and quick. All it takes is one click to get started with Pineapple, So, just click here and we’ll get to work on upgrading your workforce in next to no time.
