As a small business owner, you know eventually you are going to need a strong team to assist in growing your business. You could rent an office space and hire employees to work on site. However, a remote team can be beneficial to you in many ways. You won’t need an office or the extra expense. You can hire the best person for the job. Even if they live thousands of miles away from you. There are many other perks too. The only issue is you need to be prepared to build a remote team the correct way. If you don’t, the results will be anything but growth in your business.
How to Build a Successful Remote Team
- Consider a Person’s Skills and Traits Carefully
Everyone has their own specific skills and traits they bring to a job. Some people work really well in remote settings. Others do not. You will want to keep that in mind during the interview and hiring process.
The skills and traits you will want to look for the most include:
- The ability to work independently
- The ability to do the work without hand holding
- Strong communication skills
- Create Your Expectations and Goals Prior to Hiring
The last thing you want to do is hire a remote team and then let them decide how and when they are going to work. Or what they are going to work on. It is important to know your expectations and goals before you hire anyone. This will ensure you can share those goals and your team will know what is expected of them.
- Create a Communication Schedule
Communication can be difficult for remote teams. Everyone may be in different time zones. Emails can be misconstrued. A feeling of disconnect can happen and deadlines and projects fall apart.
To prevent this from happening with your remote team, we recommend creating a communication schedule. Determine which communication tools you want your remote team to use.
There are numerous options available. You can choose email, Slack, Asana, Trello, or any other option available that will work best for your business and team.
Scheduling regular video conferencing meetings can also be helpful. It gets everyone together for team building and to get to know one another.
This communication schedule will be perfect for all those overthinkers you hire for your remote team. You know who they are. They are diligent in their work. They work hard, are engaged, and are always ready to help a teammate.
However, all those strengths can be an overthinker’s weakness. This is where communicating with them regularly can be helpful. They will continue to hear that they are doing well. And since they can see body language during video chats, they won’t start to worry about whether they are reading something the wrong way.
- Utilize Appropriate Software Tools
If you have been working on your own, you have probably used whichever tools have been available to you. Those tools may or may not work once you hire a remote team. If you want your remote team to be successful, you must have the appropriate software tools in place before you hire anyone.
Above, we mentioned communication tools. Other software tools will include anything that makes it possible for your remote team to complete their work. And share it with others.
- Create Team Building Opportunities Virtually
It isn’t as simple as ordering a couple pizzas for lunch when you want to team build with a remote team. Your video chats are an excellent place to start. However, you can also send out weekly prompts everyone can respond to and get conversations going.
There are dozens of ways to form interpersonal relationships, despite not working in the same office. Play a game together online. Do online yoga or another workout class. Send out a scavenger hunt for people to complete and share the results.
- Celebrate Milestones
Celebrating milestones is just as important for a remote team and it is for in-person teams. Don’t let those milestones pass by unnoticed. Instead, celebrate them virtually. DoorDash everyone on the team their favorite lunch. Send out gift cards.
Oh, and don’t forget your team members’ birthdays and hiring anniversaries.
If you follow these six things, you will find yourself on the right track with hiring a successful remote team. We understand the entire hiring process can be tricky though. Here at Centify, we have a team ready to assist you in growing your business. We have the tools you will need in place, as well as the knowledge to use them. Contact us today and see how our team can assist with your small business.
