Remote working has become the norm nowadays, most office jobs have work-from-home arrangements. The pandemic has encouraged the transition from offline to online workspaces and technology has provided great support for remote teams. The convenience and flexibility of remote working has been brought to light and it seems that the option to work out of office will remain post-pandemic. However, it is not easy for your employees to adapt to a new mode of working, the following are some tips to help you create the best team culture on a remote team.

Set Up a remote working guideline

Under a new mode of working, it is easy for employees to come across a lot of problems. A clear set of instructions and an FAQ can help them efficiently solve common problems themselves. It can also provide consistent information for all employees to reduce misunderstandings within the team. Guidelines should be set up according to the company’s or team’s needs but there is some general information each guideline should contain.

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What to include in your remote working guideline:

1. Which job positions can work remotely?

Who can work remotely, how many days a week can they work remotely?

2. What are the working hours when working remotely?

Are there any flexible time arrangements? Is there a system for employees to record their working hours?

3. How will teams meet up and make decisions? 

How will work be assigned and approved within the team, when will team meetings be held.

4. What are the security measures to be taken?

Are there any security protocols to be followed, for e.g. using the company VPN, company email accounts and dedicated communication tools

5. What technological support can the office provide? 

Can the company provide any software or hardware support for the employees and how to request for technical help when working remotely.
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Utilize online tools and apps

Your remote team is essentially working in a virtual workspace. Most companies will opt to use some apps to organize their online workspace. It is important to choose online tools that are suitable for your team. Some common online tools include communication platforms, cloud services and planning tools. You should at least be able to provide a well-organized and accessible space for your team to store and locate files and an effective channel for communication within the team. Also make sure that the tools you choose have good security to safeguard the company and your team.

Slack and Teams are great apps for communicating within the team. The apps allow you to chat with individual team members and on specific custom channels. It is also a great way to call other team members. There are many apps on the market, so choose one with features that your team needs. 

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Develop a shared leadership and self-motivating environment 

When working remotely remotely there is no manager constantly watching over your team. It may be difficult to control the productivity of the team. Working from home makes it easier to lose motivation and get distracted. Some tactics to help combat this issue are to give employees extra responsibilities like onboarding new team members, holding team meetings and arranging team-building activities. This helps boost their sense of belonging within the team and to the company to facilitate a self-motivating culture. 

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Have channels for non-work topics

The lack of face-to-face contact makes bonding between team members more challenging. There is less opportunity for teammates to have casual conversations on topics unrelated to work. Setting up conversation channels for non-work topics in your communication app can encourage casual conversations within the team. Developing a good relationship with team members is great for team culture. You can also be the conversation starter to encourage your team to talk about their daily lives. Try setting up channels such as #Food #Music #Sports #Activity.

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Avoid contact outside office hours

WFH arrangements blur the line between work life and personal life, contacting coworkers outside of working hours can give them unnecessary stress. Inform your team to refrain from contacting other team members outside of office hours unless it is for urgent matters. If one would like to contact the team outside of working hours for non-urgent matters, an additional note saying that it can be waited till the next work day is also a great reassurance. A positive and considerate team culture is great for team effectiveness. 

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Prioritize the well-being of employees 

The lack of F2F interaction makes it difficult to care for the mental and physical well-being of the team. It is important for the team to stay happy and healthy even while working remotely. Working during the pandemic can be very stressful, blüüm team group insurance medical plan offers digital well-being services e.g. guided meditation, symptom checker to pre-diagnose early symptoms and step tracker. . Providing employees resources to help them maintain their well-being can not only help employees on their health journey, it also shows that the company truly cares for their employees. 

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Remote working can be a benefit

Even though we are being forced to work from home due to the pandemic at the moment, remote working is definitely going to stay even post-pandemic. The convenience and flexibility of remote working is a great benefit that employees can truly appreciate. Employee benefits are a great way to motivate teams, here are 5 Simple Ways to Enhance Team Effectiveness.

These are some tips to help you and your team to work remotely. We hope that you can utilize the advantages of a remote team and create an amazing team culture virtually. Learn more about employment benefits and group medical insurance for your team here, or feel free to WhatsApp us at +852 5379 8911 or email us at info@bluum.hk.