As a startup, building a remote team may seem a little daunting, especially due to the myth that remote employees are largely unproductive. While this can be true on some level, the trick is to find employees who have proven to work well in remote teams. This is especially crucial for budding startups looking to scale fast without much hassle.
Here are some points to keep in mind:
1. Clarity of goals
Many startup teams are dysfunctional and fail to achieve expectations and goals because of leadership failures. You have to ensure that irrespective of geography, team members are clear on what your goals are. This way, they can work independently and performance can measured.
This will ensure everyone is working on what truly matters. Remote employees love it when they don’t need to continuously ask you what is expected of them.
2. Build personal relationships
This may be somewhat stretching things but it won’t hurt to know a little about a team member’s interests offline and online. Building personal relationships encourages trust and bridges expectations on both sides.
It’s almost like having conversations at the office virtual water cooler. People like to feel wanted, appreciated, and like a valuable part of a team.
3. Allow for innovation
As a startup owner, encourage remote team members to try their hands on personal projects. If, for instance, you run a tech startup, you can allow those with interests in web development use your network to build their passion.
It would keep their creative juices flowing and make them more motivated while handling their primary role with your company.
4. Chat
Encourage team members to chat occasionally. Unless your remote staff are extreme introverts, they will be glad for the opportunity to share these little times, and hopefully they will be able to ask you questions in a relaxed atmosphere.
Enable your team to interact with each other on a Chat platforms of your choice for serious or casual chit-chats.
5. Meet
No matter how often you chat, once you meet in person, it all becomes easy. If it’s feasible, get your team to at least meet once a month or quarter. You can also invite your virtual staff for the company’s anniversary party or some special event. These are great ways to build bonds and make them feel rewarded for their work.
At the end of the day, when everyone is back to work, overall relationship and work engagements would have improved.
Share your thoughts!
