Because employees of a distributed workforce are in different locations, it is tougher for them to feel a part of the company and team. Feeling like a member of a strong team is critical to their overall motivation and drive behind company initiatives.  Establishing or reinforcing the company culture when managing remote employees can be a challenge for even a seasoned manager, but a concentrated effort yields the reward of a cohesive team that knows they can rely on each other when circumstances call for it.  Social engagements and team activities are key in this effort, but what activities can you design that build a strong virtual team? Know your Goals When you begin to design a team-building activity, try to build it around one (or more) of these important goals: It’s Virtual, so make it Virtual As these activities are about virtual teams, you will want to create activities that can be done in a virtual format. Some tips along those lines: Things to keep in Mind As you create these team activities, keep in mind that you are working to create a sense of team identity, so that your team members can feel proud to be part of something. That is a very human desire. After all, it’s why we buy logo wear for our favorite sports team, or sing the team fight song at a game. A sense of belonging to a strong team is a great motivator for team members to follow through on tasks while on the job. Make sure your team activity is one in which everyone has to participate, rather than one in which some can sit quietly while others dominate the conversation and/or tasks. Also, avoid activities that are likely to recreate that grade school sports team feeling – No one wants to be the last picked for the dodge ball team. In a remote work environment, the most outspoken members on conference calls are likely to be the most well-known (“popular”), but those who are shy at a meeting still can have plenty to offer their team. Setting up a situation that makes them feel like the unpopular kid is not likely to get them more engaged with the team. Keep the activity fun and light. Avoid things that tend to separate people, like politics or religion. Team activities that can carry over into the ongoing work environment can be especially impactful.  Try to create activities that might be fun and light, but help change the way the team sets goals, or tackles problems, or thinks strategically. For example, there is a brainstorming technique where people physically wear different hats to take different sides of an issue (virtually, this can be done by team members creating labels representing each role to affix to their hats).  One person plays devil’s advocate, one is the financial/cost watcher, one is the overly optimistic, etc.  With each role defined by the label, people won’t get upset with the team member adopting that role during a meeting, because it is the role talking, not the individual.  Roles are changed up each meeting or problem-solving session.  This helps team members get better at looking at all sides in the future when they try to solve problems in their regular work. Finally, your team’s regularly scheduled conference call is an opportunity to have your team engage in a group activity, but you need to make sure that no one is waiting to rush out into the field, or “get to work” in some other way. You may find that a separate training session is a better time to engage in team-building activities, if the activity is time intensive. As your team gets a better understanding of each member’s strengths, through these types of activities, they will be much better able to work together to reach project goals and overcome obstacles, as they tackle their work in the field. Want to learn more about the best ways to manage your virtual team? Check out our our self-paced Remote Employee Management course. To upgrade your career skills, we offer a wide range of Professional Development courses.

As the pandemic continues its cycles of waning and resurging like a bad storm that won’t end, companies are weighing the options of remote workers versus in-office employees. Even as we look forward to the hopeful future, when the pandemic storm finally ends, we have to ask what is the best solution for a workforce that has gotten into the routine of working from home? Do you bring them all back? Do you keep them working remotely? Or is there a hybrid approach? Many companies were pleasantly surprised by how successful they were when they were forced to quickly transition to an all-remote work situation. Many companies thought that remote work would result in an unengaged and low productivity staff. In fact, the opposite is true, as remote workers are statistically much more productive than those that work in an office. Statistics have shown that remote workers are 7-13% more productive than their in-office counterparts. Also, offering remote work-based positions aids in company hiring and retention, as it is a highly desirable benefit: If a company doesn’t allow remote work, three in ten employees said they would seek another job. According to a Gallup poll in October 2021, 91% of workers in the US who were working at least partially from home hoped to continue to work from home in some capacity, even after the pandemic ended. Overall, 54% of employees said they would like to work in a hybrid arrangement (where they could split their time between an office and home), 37% said they would like to work from home exclusively, and only 9% wanted to return to the office full time. If this is the case, why transition back to an in-office situation? It’s important to weigh whether bringing employees back in-office is based on a valid reason, or on outdated fears and policies. Most fears of keeping to a remote environment, such as a negative impact on productivity, communication, or culture, are unfounded. All of these things can be overcome by using management methods designed for a remote workforce. It is easy to keep that culture and cohesion alive in remote teams with the right techniques. If a hybrid approach is taken, it’s important to manage the entire team with management styles that favor the remote worker. Too often, hybrid approaches, if not managed correctly, fall short of what the remote team needs, leaving them disconnected from the rest of the company, and passed over for growth opportunities. To avoid the whiplash of employees trying to adapt to in-office as well as remote policies, it might be worth considering a permanent remote work solution. The remote work approach will remain more stable and safer as the pandemic ebbs and flows. What do you really want? Productive, happy workers in a thriving company culture? It can be obtained more optimally with a remote workforce. As the pandemic storm ends, the companies that thrive in this new climate will be working remotely. Learn more about the best management techniques for a remote workforce with AdvantEdge Training’s Managing Remote Employees course.