Companies everywhere are re-evaluating what can be done to increase flexibility and work-life balance. The pandemic has opened the door to a new wave of work. Now is probably the perfect time to look at your team’s interpersonal operations. What can you do to maximize cohesion? Building an engaged, motivated, and productive team isn’t always easy, but it’s essential for any big or small business that wants to thrive in today’s marketplace. Here are 4 tips to build team cohesion in remote teams:
- Establish the rules
The best teams need a clear set of rules to abide by. If all team members know what the rules are at the beginning of a work project, it is a lot easier to work together and feel comfortable giving each other feedback. Team rules or expectations should include exactly which member(s) is responsible for what element of a project. Goals should also be defined and listed together as a team. Clear rules are so crucial to team cohesion because they set up the expectations for each person to commit to and understand their role within the group. Accountability is important for teams to succeed. With clear expectations set at the beginning of the project, everyone will be able to see what they need to do and how that will impact what everyone else needs to do. Plus, you’re showing your team that you play an active role and are just as responsible if work is not completed on time.
- Group diverse members of the team together
Creating diverse teams can help improve overall operational achievements and market performance. Diverse teams with varied thoughts, backgrounds, and inputs can help the team come up with creative and innovative ways to solve problems. Each team member will have a different perspective and ideas, which will make the overall conversations and meetings a lot more creative. Homogenous teams might not uncover these innovative solutions because they are all used to working in the same way with the same like-minded people. Employees who work together in a diverse environment can develop and expand their existing skill sets. This can benefit a company because enhanced skill sets may result in improved productivity, performance and quality of work. Some examples of skills employees develop in a diverse team environment include communication, negotiation, problem-solving, and critical thinking abilities.
- Promote a culture of trust
For individuals to reach their fullest potential in a team, they need to feel comfortable enough to ask questions, give feedback, and share any grievances that arise. They also need to feel that their voices can be heard and acknowledged. This culture of trust takes time to build especially with work from home. It is best to criticize people in private and praise good work in public. Having 1:1 video chats privately to critique is one method of doing this. Without safe practices, people won’t allow themselves to build trust in the team. Commitments need to be upheld consistently, and it should be an expectation for all members to be truthful and have the best interest in each other at all times.
- Provide training
It’s no surprise that team members who feel confident in their work are more likely to interact and share their opinions within the team. These same individuals are often more productive and complete their tasks more efficiently. Not everyone is able to get the flow right away or be as confident in their work even though they might be succeeding just as well as their confident peers. Offering training and development opportunities is a great way to encourage team members to take control of their skills and abilities and give them confidence when performing tasks. These opportunities can be offered after work hours through video calls. The company can also invest in outside development programs that can be all paid for the employees who want to further their skills and build confidence. This will ultimately help to improve their work and overall contribution to the team as a whole.
Taking these approaches is the first step to remote team cohesion. There will be a definite increase in productivity, and you will see a difference in the way people treat each other. To build your company with people looking for remote opportunities visit bettsrecruiting.com.