Building teams made of remotely working employees has many advantages for companies. No matter the reason you choose to build a virtual team, it is up to you to ensure that its members feel the same sense of belonging as their counterparts in traditional offices. Five practical tips on how to achieve it were published on openforum.com.
Do not forget to phone
When we cannot see each other and we have e-mail or online chat at hand, we start to prefer writing over calling quite soon. That, however, steals the verbal component of our communication, we start to grow apart and often poorly understand each other. To some extent, this can be resolved by videoconferencing but it is the most effective to go back to the good old telephone.
Keep your awareness of where your team members are
To better understand your people, inquire where and how they live. If you are familiar with their conditions, you will see more clearly what you can require from them.
Build a friendly environment
The easiest way is to create a shared e-mail group to share non-work issues. Manager should lead by example, engage in discussions and encourage his team informally.
Extend corporate culture
Look for ways to enrich your corporate culture by the local culture of the people working remotely. Share various elements of their local cultures within your team communication.
Do not underestimate travelling
Travel to meet individual members of your virtual team can be expensive and time consuming but it is definitely worth it. During personal meetings, you will learn more about the environment in which they live and work and whether your co-operation can continue.
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