How to Encourage Your Remote Team to be More Productive
20/11/2018
4 Minute read
The key to generating positive and meaningful results from your remote team will in large part boil down to your ability to create an atmosphere and culture where your team are driven to succeed. But, how do you create this environment amongst your remote team? It may take a bit more effort, due to the fact you can not have face-to-face conversations but that doesn’t mean it can not be done.
Below we outline a number of easy to employ strategies that will help you create this productive and committed environment.
Take an interest
How much do you know about your remote team members? If someone asked you to list several things about your team members, could you?
One of the major keys to boosting your employee’ productivity is showing them you care. Take the time to get to know what they are interested in, what they value, capabilities and aspirations. By taking a genuine interest in your team members lives, you will be demonstrating that they are more than simply a number or a cog in the machine. In turn, this will make them want to strive to produce high-quality results for the company.
Recognise performance
This is key to fostering a productive and empowered remote team. Chances are you are very vocal when your local team achieves a great result or reaches a meaningful milestone, make sure you do the same with your remote employees.
Whether you celebrate by sending out a company-wide email after a big project or highlight individual achievements in a Monday morning meeting, your remote team will greatly appreciate it. By doing this, you are acknowledging and praising the role your remote team plays in the long-term success of the company. This will go along way to inspiring them to continue going the extra mile.
Build them
Offer your team the opportunity to expand on their current skill sets and responsibilities. There are a number of ways for you to provide them with incentives that will make them want to go that extra step for the company.
Whether you provide opportunities to learn new skills, take on a leadership role or attend a workshop or course. Not only will this give them something to strive for, but it will also show them that there is real potential to grow within the company.
Communicate your expectations
In order to get the most out of your remote team, this is vital. Clearly communicate your expectations early and often by ensuring all lines of communication are clear and open from the start of their employment.
This will ensure everyone is on the same page, reducing the chances of any miscommunication or misunderstandings regarding work or performance expectations. Your remote team will want to understand what is going on, whether good or bad. By communicating early and often, your remote employees will know where they stand and how their actions are impacting the business.
Inspire them
As the leader of the business, you are the driving force behind its success. Just like your local team, your remote office will be looking to you to show them the way forward. They will want to understand the companies vision and mission and understand what their role is in achieving this.
Empower them to make a real difference and be a part of the companies success. Invite collaboration and participation among all your employees and encourage them to make decisions and act on them.
Ask for feedback
If you preach an environment where everyone is equal and you all have a say, make sure you are open and encourage receiving feedback yourself. If you are willing to stand up and seek feedback, positive or negative, it shows you are also willing to learn and grow. This will have a great trickle-down effect throughout the entire company.
For your staff, it reinforces the fact that no one is bigger than the company and in order to achieve the business’ goals, everyone needs to be accountable, even you.
Building a business is never an easy thing, and as you start to get bigger and bring on more employees, you will need to learn to build a positive and productive culture. By implementing the above strategies you will be building a structure that is conducive to success.
At Deployed, we understand what it takes to build a successful remote team. It is not always easy but if you take the time and partner with the right outsourcing provider, the results could be amazing. If you would like to discuss the options that Deployed has available for outsourcing to the Philippines, get in touch today.