The number of companies now employing a remote, global workforce has grown substantially in the last few years, thanks in part to the pandemic and improved software and connectivity. Yet, teamwork in a global team isn’t simplistic and often creates challenges.
When people are not working in the same building – not to mention the same time zone – it’s hard to build the teamwork atmosphere that’s so critical to the growth and development of successful teams.
That doesn’t mean you should give up on global workers, but instead, implement strategies that build skills that will let your team work together in this new digital age. Putting some time into developing these strategies through knowledge sharing with each person on your team could help you to see the following:
- Improved productivity
- Lower turnover
- Better efficiency
- Better employee loyalty
- Less stress and better mental health in your workforce
The Best Strategies to Improve Teamwork Skills from a Distance
Developing a culture of teamwork across borders creates challenges in communications related to time zones, cultural differences, and language barriers. These strategies can help to smooth the lines to reduce those risks.
Teamwork skills are not just about focusing on providing employees with a sense of being but also facilitating the way people work together in a successful manner.
Imagine that your entire team is working in the same building. You would have to facilitate and manage relationships, communications, arguments, and successes. To encourage people to build fundamental teamwork skills when they are working at a distance, consider these strategies:
#1 Create Live Check-In Opportunities
Seeing a person over a virtual call is an important way to create a bond and connection within teams.
While being in person allows managers to reach out to an employee they see struggling, that’s hard to do when you can’t see them. Yet, with regular, live check-ins, it’s possible to get a better level of insight into what’s going on.
We here at Voxy work 100% remotely and asynchronously, and it’s common, in live meetings, to meet people we often talk to at work meetings, to hear comments like “It really seems like we already knew each other live!”.
Mixing these real-time sessions with a bit of personal and professional conversation encourages people to open up and connect. You want to know what their children are up to or what they did over the weekend. Those small bits of information create bonds that help to build teams.
#2 Put Tools in Place to Facilitate All Types of Connectivity
Knowledge sharing between members of a team not only helps get the project worked on and wrapped up but also allows individuals to build relationships.
For example, when one employee can provide information or share a tip they have for accomplishing a task, that small bit of support can help to create a better sense of teamwork. People feel connected and like they matter.
To do this, ensure there are multiple tools in place to facilitate connectivity and communications in multiple ways:
- Set up solutions for reliable video calls
- Use tools like Asana or Slack to allow people to chat
- Built in software that enables easy project management
- Then, encourage people to interact, share, and connect
The goal here is to ensure that every member of your global team can reach out and get help, talk about their day, or just say “hi” to the other members of their team.
#3 Create Opportunities for Team Bonding and Celebrations
Teamwork is about celebrating the good times and working through the challenges. With a global workforce, managers still have to maintain that “positive” feeling of accomplishing goals.
- Reward people in public for their support and help. Even a quick company-wide announcement about wrapping up a project can help create a sense of teamwork.
- Facilitate opportunities for people to talk and bond. For example, place people in groups where you know they can add value. Encourage them to get to know each other before diving into the day’s tasks.
- Build rapport with each employee, no matter the distance. Make sure they know how they can get support when they need it.
#4 Consider Hosting Fun Events – Virtually
To create a culture of teamwork within your business, find ways to bring people together. Here are some more unique opportunities to do just that.
- When is someone’s birthday, make sure to send a card or a small gift to them to arrive on their birthday. Even if they are around the world, celebrating their birth is an easy way to make them feel like they belong.
- Play a game online once a week or every other week. There are plenty of virtual games that have nothing to do with business that can create a sense of bonding and facilitate the feeling of being part of something bigger.
- Hold an after-work video chat and encourage each member of the team to spend some minutes of their work day once a week hanging out in a virtual chat or video call. Talk about work or just about anything else. This more laid back experience creates the same sense of team that employees would have standing over the water cooler in person.
#5 Create Group Projects
There is no better way to learn to work as a team than to jump in and do so. While each person may have a list of tasks to handle, ensure there is a project that everyone within the company is working on collaboratively – or within sectors of the company.
Appoint different leaders and role players over time, encouraging each person to maintain a key position.
#6 Role Play Virtually
When disagreements occur or when employees do not seem to get along with each other, incorporate a few team building skill sessions.
Role playing is one of the most common. In this process, which can be done through a video call, employees work through fictional scenarios to accomplish a goal.
For example, one person may be the manager who needs to provide direction to an employee who is brand new. Another person may be a team leader who is responsible for explaining a project.
The key here is to get people talking, interacting, and recognizing their roles and that of others in the group. This way, they are a bit more comfortable with working together, and they have better insight into what other team members do.
#7 Invest in Seminars and Educational Programs
To improve teamwork skills, especially at leadership levels, consider investing in podcasts, virtual seminars, educational lectures, and other types of hands-on opportunities for people to learn from guest speakers, industry leaders, or even the company’s owners.
Facilitate opportunities to expand their knowledge and skills. You may wish to encourage people to take a virtual course to help them improve key skills or instruct the entire team to take a team building workshop specific to your industry. Provide opportunities for teams to learn each other’s language. Create opportunities to explore cultures.
Final thoughts
Organizational success is often based on the ability of a company to empower employees to work together. To build a culture of teamwork in a digital world with global, remote-working employees, incorporate these strategies.
Put the time into building your people and utilize the right supportive tools to help you throughout the process.
