Simple and Effective Ways to Build Trust In Your Remote Team
Trust is always a topic when you transition to a remote work model. For business owners, it may seem more natural to trust employees when everyone is physically together in the same location. Since there is some level of uncertainty when applying working-from-home policies, accountability naturally comes up as a concern. How do you make sure people do their job?
Fostering a culture of trust and confidence is essential for remote teams to thrive. It should be like that no matter if they’re in the desk next to you, in the office down the hall, at home, or in an entirely different country. That will require a certain level of change, which can be a little scary, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t something worth investing time and effort. After all, employees who aren’t trustworthy or productive will behave the same way regardless of where they might be.
Here are some ways in which you build trust in your remote team:
Always Be Transparent
Transparency is incredibly important to build trust in life but in remote teams too. Keep communications open. Communicate with your entire team rather than on a one-on-one basis, unless you need to treat a personal matter. Create group chats with your whole team to make communication simple and transparent. That tells people there is nothing to hide and leaves no room for surprises.
Intentionally Get to Know Each Other
Social connections matter. The more you get to know someone, the easier it is to trust that person. Make time for you and your team members to socialize with each other. Tools like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or Slack allow you to create channels for all sorts of topics. Why not create a channel dedicated to fun topics, where people can share fun comments or stories? Have a call once a week just to chat about anything not work-related, like you would if you sat together at the cafeteria in your office or start your daily calls with something fun that will get people talking. There are so many ways you can get creative with this and help people feel connected.
Show Vulnerability
It’s impossible to build trust in an environment that makes you feel like no mistakes are allowed. Encourage your team members to speak up when they need help and let them know you have their back.
Keeping your employees accountable comes down to trust. Successful businesses have trust as their foundation. Invest in it and watch your remote team thrive.
