Having an efficient remote team is beneficial for the smooth sail of your company. For the team to continue to grow, it is vital to build trust with your employees who work remotely. We know it is normal for you to be sceptical about everything and everyone, especially when you do not regularly see them physically. However, staying sceptical would not do any good in the long run.
For your remote team to continue to work effectively with one another, you have to build trust in them. Do not expect that trust will come automatically. Like everything else, you have to put in the work to make it work. So how exactly do you go about building trust in your employees who work remotely?
Study Their Past Performance and Trust it
One significant way to ditch your trust issues as an employer or team lead is to focus on your remote employees’ past achievements. Why did you hire them in the first place? What have they been able to achieve in your company, individually and collectively? Do they understand their job descriptions and how it aligns with the company’s objectives and goals?
When you find out that your remote workers are unpretentiously good at their jobs and are genuinely doing their best to promote your company’s growth, you can let go of the skepticism and distrust.
Set and Discuss Work Expectations
There has to be a basis for your distrust and skepticism. Do you feel that your remote employees might not be working when they should be? If that is the case, finding ways to spy on them will only look immature and distasteful. A better option is to draw up a clear picture of what their job entails throughout the day or the week. Make a list of projects you expect them to complete and figure out what kind of distractions they might battle with during the course of their day.
Once you have this figured out, communicate your expectations to them individually. This will help them plan their day better and optimise their productivity.
Communicate With Video Calls
Make it a point to communicate via video conferencing platforms. Seeing your employees via video calls give you the opportunity to read their body language, facial expression and study how they communicate with each other. Ensure to keep the meetings and video calls short. Setting up several avoidable meetings a day will only be counterproductive as the time spent in those meetings can be better utilised to work on tasks and projects.
At this point, it is also crucial that we remind you to do all you can to avoid micromanaging your employees. Nobody likes to work for a pesky boss who breathes down their necks and monitors their every move. Back off and allow your employees to do the job you hired them to do.
Use Online Tracking Software
No, we are not asking you to stalk your employees. However, one fantastic way to stay on top of projects and progress is via online task tracking tools. There are several of them available for you and your team to use. With these apps, your workers can share the work they are doing in real time, and you will see who is doing what, when and for how long. It also helps you appreciate their efficiency and skills because they are more visible to you than ever, and your trust in them will continue to grow.
Applying these four steps will help you ditch your skepticism and build more trust in your employees who work remotely. It will also help them trust and value you because they will see that you are invested in their growth and productivity and are not out to witch hunt and demoralise them.
For more articles on employee management and remote work management, click here.
