5 tips for building a remote team
Published
Learn how to find, hire, and retain a reliable team that is productive and excited to be there (virtually).
Are you considering building a remote team for your company?
Wondering how to start the process if you're used to only working with internal employees?
You'll be surprised to find that forming a remote team is easier than you think - especially if you follow the tips in this resource.
At the same time, you will learn how you can reduce the fluctuation of your employees in the field.
Are you ready to get started?
Let's start with a solid foundation.
#1. Lay this important foundation before building a remote team
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If you want your remote team to function smoothly even though they're not in-house, you can't skip these first two steps. They lay the foundation for a reliable remote team:
First, identify the needs of your team members and their roles
It can be tempting to start hiring a remote worker right away.
Of course you want to ease the burden on your company and hopefully help it grow. But rushing this essential work will do your business a disservice and could become a costly mistake.
Finding, hiring and training new employees is expensive - both in terms of time and money.
So before you waste both, sit down and figure out exactly what your team needs right now .
Think about positions that you need to fill immediately and those that won't be useful for a few months.
Since most people are visual learners, you should Create an organizational chart that includes both current and future team members .
For potential new employees, Make a list of positions you want to fill and identify the specific skills needed to do the job successfully .
It may seem like extra work, but doing this now will actually save you time later.
Once you get this information out of your head and onto paper, you can begin to define your needs and what you want in a candidate. This is useful when it comes time to write a job posting and set expectations for your remote team.
Determine how you will communicate and manage projects remotely
Next, think about how you can stay in touch with your team and manage their workload.
Will you be holding weekly remote sessions?
How does this change with different time zones?
Are team members expected to be on camera?
What about everyday conversations? Will these be done via email or another means of communication?
Do you force asynchronous communication?
Do you force asynchronous communication?
Answering these questions and determining how often and in what ways you want your team members to stay in touch can help you decide which tools to use.
It also highlights the expectations for employee communication, as previously mentioned.
The most popular communication tools for connecting with remote workers include:
Slack is a great option for everyday communication for several reasons.
First, you can set up separate channels for company updates, funny banter, and department-specific conversations. These different channels keep things organized and easy to track in your business.
Slack also keeps a record of your conversations (up to a certain number in the free version) that can be easily searched. This is great for referencing important messages - which can even be starred and quickly accessed later.
Now you can start thinking about how you will manage your remote team's workload.
The best project management tools for external and internal teams include:
Try each project management software to see which one fits your budget and your company's needs.
#2. Find team members with remote work experience
After you've done this important groundwork, you can start looking for team members who match the skills and positions you previously identified.
Before you decide to tap into the usual 9-to-5 talent pool and convince someone to work remotely, we suggest looking for team members who are already used to this type of work.
You save time on training and hiring costs. And you may find remote workers who are already familiar with your communication preferences and project management tools.
So how do you find qualified remote workers?
Skip the traditional job boards and find a remote work job board to post your ad .
Many experienced remote workers browsing these job boards already have the skills you're looking for, such as organization, discipline, and excellent communication.
And they don't want to be tied to a specific location for a job, so they'd be happy to join your new remote team.
To find a qualified remote worker to join your roster, post your next job on our remote worker job board and join the world's largest remote community.
#3. Set expectations early
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Once you have found remote workers that you want to interview, it is advisable that you let them know your expectations and also what they can expect.
For example, if you are a small start-up company and the person in question has to take on a lot of tasks, you should tell them about this in the interview so that there are no surprises about the workload later.
This reduces the fluctuation of new employees and saves you the trouble of finding, hiring and training a new employee after a short period of time.
You should also make these expectations clear if you plan to move forward with a candidate. This will ensure that everyone involved is still on the same page.
#4. Create a pleasant onboarding experience
The next area to focus on is welcoming your new team members remotely.
This is much easier if someone shows up in person on their first day of work. If this is done remotely, you need to think a bit more about how to do this well.
Don't worry, the effort is minimal and the result is well worth it.
Simple actions, like sending a " Welcome to our team! Message in Slack” to promote team camaraderie.
To get to the point, Share a digital packet or PDF file that explains your company, its mission, training procedures, and what new employees can expect in their role .
To take it a step further and make the onboarding process memorable, you can also physically deliver a welcome package to your new employees.
Include a card signed by your internal team welcoming them to the team. Then fill the box with promotional items with a company logo - mugs, pens, t-shirts, drink packs, etc. all work well!
This simple act will make your new employees feel like they are part of the team.
Think about how you can improve your onboarding experience today and you might see less turnover.
But this is only possible if you follow this last tip:
#5. Continue to maintain communication
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Whether you've been managing your new remote team for just a few weeks or months, it's important to maintain the positive momentum you started with during onboarding.
Freundlich " Good morning! "Messages in Slack can add a positive touch to every day.
Staying in touch frequently (which can border on micromanaging or complaining - so there's a balance!) also connects your internal and external teams so they feel less distant and isolated.
Are you ready to build your remote team now?
Now that you know how to tackle these five steps, you'll create a work environment that experienced virtual employees can't wait to work in.
