Building a sense of team among your remote workers

Remote working is here to stay, and the majority of people in the UK are happy about that. But keeping cohesion and alignment among remote teams so physically disparate can be challenging

‘Empower each member of your team to be curious and share their views for improvement.’ That’s the gem of advice from Gemma Cutting, Managing Director of marketing agency PromoVeritas, on how small-business owners can spark genuine engagement among their remote or hybrid workers. Because when your team isn’t sharing a physical space, trust and collaboration don’t just happen. They have to be nurtured.

Lead with empathy

Traditional task-oriented leadership – clarifying expectations, specifying procedures, delegating work – might seem enough for managing remote teams, but research suggests it falls short in building closeness. Anders Friis Marstand, Associate Professor in Leadership and Organisational Behaviour at Durham University Business School, and co-author of a recent study of remote workers, found that such behaviours didn’t make employees feel psychologically closer to their leader or cope better with tasks. Instead, leaders should focus on understanding their team’s unique challenges, whether it’s juggling childcare, dealing with dodgy internet connections, or avoiding screen fatigue. When leaders model that level of care, everyone feels safer to open up.

Although Marstand says no study has yet directly measured empathy’s impact on remote-team morale, he says meta-analyses confirm that ‘feeling empathy for others is positively related to helping colleagues. We know that individuals tend to reciprocate favours and because helping others should facilitate more positive social interactions in teams, we can expect that showing empathy eventually increases collaboration between individuals.’ To embed empathy in your organisation, Marstand recommends you not only demonstrate empathy through actions but also communicate values that emphasise empathy and reward other employees for showing empathy too. That way, leaders can avoid being what Marstand describes as ‘pseudo-empathetic’.

Establish a clear rhythm

Regular, predictable interactions are the backbone of remote team cohesion, according to Kevin Hayler, Director of sales training firm Sales Made Easy. Hayler is based in France, his team members are based in England and Wales and their clients are scattered around the UK, Ireland, Mexico, Brazil, US, Australia and New Zealand. Hayler reckons 95% of client work is done remotely and says he has found three keys to successful teambuilding: rhythm, frequency, and communication methods. He organises a daily huddle on Microsoft Teams, daily messaging via Teams, Slack, and WhatsApp, a team ‘wrap-up’ session on Friday afternoons and, weekly one-to-ones. It’s a schedule that ensures his team members stay aligned on priorities while still getting those all-important personal check-ins.

Leverage technology and face-time

Cutting says that consistency in video calls is crucial as it reinforces presence and accountability. During work calls she asks that cameras are on so people can read body language and feel more present. Beyond formal meetings, carve out slots for purely social interactions, recommends Hayler – think virtual coffee breaks, trivia nights or even a themed ‘show-and-tell’. These lighter gatherings might feel cringey at first but can help recreate the spontaneous chats that used to happen by the water-cooler in an office.

Hybrid thoughtfully

If your business can afford it, blend remote and in-office days. When PromoVeritas shifted to a three-days-in, two-days-out model, Cutting made sure teams shared at least one day in the office. ‘It means that at least once a week, everyone sees everyone else,’ she explains. The face-to-face catch-ups don’t have to be long, just enough to spark the serendipitous learning and collaboration that can be so important. ‘Of course, some people would prefer less office time and others more office time, but we firmly believe the split is positive, allowing people to learn and observe through osmosis whilst giving time for focus when at home,’ says Cutting, who also created a ‘leadership forum’ with representatives from each department given responsibility for improving and driving forward the culture.

Recruit for remote success

Not everyone thrives in isolation. ‘When recruiting a new team member, we must understand their home context,’ says Hayler. ‘Can they set themselves up with an office to have the right environment in which to work? But also, do they have the right personality, temperament, and drive to work from home? It’s not for everyone. Arguably, the work is more intense spending up to six to seven hours a day on Teams calls with clients, so they must be the right character to be able to handle that intensity.’ During onboarding, walk new recruits through every collaboration tool, schedule daily check-ins in week one, and assign a ‘buddy’ for informal support. If someone’s internet connection is patchy, consider helping them upgrade their broadband. Small investments like this usually pay off in reliability and morale.

Keep refining

Culture starts at the top but flourishes when team members feel ownership. Remember Cutting’s advice about empowering your people to share their views? To track effectiveness without micromanaging, review productivity metrics monthly… not as a stick to beat people, but to ‘identify if our measures are right, if processes can be refined’ she says. ‘Remote working does create an opportunity for team members to “hide” – to do the minimum amount of work and their relaxed attitude takes time to pick up on’ concedes Hayler. ‘My advice? Be very clear on what the role is and what your expectations are of that person. Over-communicate and schedule daily meetings. And yes, cover the work stuff but also have fun on camera. In Friday’s wrap-up session, have a beer or glass of wine in hand and tell people what you’re doing at the weekend. Let the team into your life!’

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