The number of people who work from home over the past years has drastically increased. Managing an FB Group for home-based aspirants and workers has proved me that many people are really up for it. Recruiters post job requirements daily while a good number of members show interests in trying and getting hired. So imagine the number of teams that are built daily to be able to meet today’s digital requirements, how do you think they do to make their team better?
In our team, we work on trust. No time tracker. As long as you do your job and produce quality outputs, you are good. However, it won’t hurt to have some sort of guidelines to look at each time you feel that the team collapses or face bad days. These are some of the points that we have discussed during the recent workshop in Manila with our boss, Luke, who came and visited the Philippines for the first time.
Attend meetings on time. Be punctual. Of course, to get any job done, people need to show up on time. Besides being chronically late projects negativity, too. Sure you don’t want to be the reason for any delay. Also, you may want to check on your Internet connection before attending a meeting including your microphone/headset.
Meet face to face where/when possible. It’s a different feeling when you finally see the real faces behind those computers. You get to become more comfortable and feel the sincerity of every instant message that you receive from your teammates. Sorry I had to blur their faces for privacy.
Give incentives. In any form, incentives make anyone feel important, recognized and appreciated. The most recent incentives that we received from our boss rather privilege I would say are the Philippine Public Holidays that we get to enjoy now. On top of that, we are given 5 paid leaves that we can use whenever needed + 10 paid sick / carer leaves.
Being housed in a decent hotel during the workshop, one person per room was already a bonus. Not only that, we were also provided snacks in the mornings and afternoons, plus all expense paid dinners and night outs for the 3 consecutive days that we were together.
Do a one-on-one quarterly evaluation. It doesn’t have to be a long one. A quick catch up will do. Ask where we are. Are you still happy with what you do? What are your expectations? Are there bottlenecks along the way? How’s your family? How are you? Yes, personal matters matter a lot. Evaluations do not have to be about work alone. Sometimes people’s productivity has something to do with what they feel and the quality of their output. You really got to know that other side.
Respect. Respect is shown to anyone who is important to you or matters to you. The fact that you work with them every day even though you don’t see them face to face, this like trust should be earned and is never only given. No matter how young your colleagues are, respect should be there. Without it, nothing will work.
Ask questions. Don’t be the Mr. Know It All in the team. If you don’t know what they are talking about, ask. If you have no idea how that tool works, ask. It’s free to ask anyway, however, don’t make it a habit. Do your homework as well. You are not there to be mentored forever.
Seek better solution. If there is any problem, seek a better solution. Don’t be a burden on the team. Instead, help to make the situation better in any way.
Get involved. Don’t be just visibly online. Be involved. Get involved. Share ideas. Criticize if you must. That’s how a team grows.
I could go on and on but I guess these are pretty much the main points that every remote team should practice. Please feel free to leave a comment should you have any additional points about it, and I’d be happy to include them here.
