Giving your remote workers value in disconnected environments
The explosion of remote work infrastructure created a steadfast environment where jobs of all sorts can be handled from a staff member’s home. And while the concept of “working on the go” is nothing new, the COVID-19 pandemic created high demand for stability via remote resources. Today, remote work still remains a sought-after option by many in either totally remote organizations or hybrid setups.
However, numerous challenges arise when utilizing remote services. Security, for instance, is one of the biggest pain points organizations face. The growth of Shadow IT and lack of traffic insight can create stability risks and security problems. Another difficulty is maintaining an organized framework and sense of team coherency.
For productivity reasons, workers need to feel valued and know their work is benefiting not just the company, but themselves. Feedback and organization play a critical role in this. But in remote environments, that is difficult.
One of the obvious culprits behind an eroding sense of culture and teamwork is communication. Or specifically, lack thereof. It’s easy to get feedback and direction in a physical space since other staff and managers are available. In remote settings, staff members may operate from only one communication platform. Or in rare cases, none at all. Even with the presence of business communication tools – such as Zoom or Slack – it’s not always guaranteed a sense of “coherency” carries over.
Why is “team culture” important?
Finding value and challenge with work tasks is integral to quality performance. Knowing you make a difference combined with financial incentives and encouragement drives growth, the backbone of a good enterprise. Teams also form professional bonds and important communication structures. They handle tasks more efficiently, respond to troubleshooting events with increased practice, and form important professional bonds.
This is separated by remote working, both literally and figuratively. While it’s not impossible to maintain a secure and coherent staff culture in remote environments, fine-tuning is required. Remote workers need to feel the same value and also be mindful of the company’s overall goal and mission.
The negative fallout from a lack of remote structuring can result in decreased performance, poor staff retention, and a gig-centric relationship with their workplace. In other words, it feels as though the job is a temporary position instead of a commitment.
Bridging the gap with better team building and collaboration
A new environment requires new solutions. Remote working remains a popular option for its flexibility, and thus, modern organizations should learn how to incorporate this new era of hybrid workers into their mission goals.
But how you collaborate and what you decide to do comes down to the business. As mentioned, it’s still critical to utilize communication tools. Not only are they necessary, they’re the first point of contact between staff, management, and project goals.
Taking advantage of these digital town halls is one of the key ways to foster a better team and business culture. Watercooler chats and community projects are encouraged. Highlighting specific accomplishments and goals of team members can also help them feel appreciated and instill the sense their progress is not going unnoticed.
The idea from that example is to provide a safe way for staff to interact in their professional environment, even if it is remote. If a remote member feels their only communication with a business is strictly work, they’ll treat it with a growing irreverence. More so, a lack of acknowledgment regarding their work ethic is a surefire way to encourage high turnover rates.
Virtual town halls and interactive meetings are also important to cultivate a strong foundation of interaction. It allows management to keep a hand on the pulse of worker interactivity and provides them the chance to talk about their values and what’s needed to help them feel connected to the enterprise.
Ultimately, it requires using modern tools, apps, and communication platforms to engage with a workforce. Understanding how they feel about their place in the business and what can be done to involve them more helps build a healthy remote work culture.
For more information and additional IT assistance, you can reach out to Bytagig today.
