Create a Skilled Remote Team to Drive Your Business's Success

Occasionally, we have the pleasure of hosting guest bloggers on this site which is what you will find here today.   The following was written by Tina Martin of Ideaspired.com. Coincidentally, I happen to be facilitating a webinar around this topic later in the month. The topic is Encouraging & Maintaining Remote Employee Engagement.  Click here to check it out and sign up! 

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One of the biggest hurdles that businesses face is reaching their customer base. If you want to maximize profits, you need the right talent and tools. If your business has moved to remote work, it is important you understand how to set up a skilled remote team. Here guide that explains how you can put one together, courtesy of Rogers HR Consulting.

Imagine Your Team's Structure

 As you plan to put together a remote team, imagine the types of roles you would like to fill. Each person on the team should bring specific strengths to the team. Your team might include bookkeepers, content writers, website developers, data security personnel, project managers, marketing specialists, and so forth.

Vet Your Candidates

Glassdoor explains that vetting employees saves you time because you are more likely to hire the right person for the job. A human resources team (even a team from a one-stop HR department like Rogers HR Consulting) can help you evaluate and hire potential employees.  Evaluate all of your candidates closely so that you do not hire an unqualified employee or someone who is unfit for your work culture and goals.

If you are looking for a freelance e-mail marketing specialist, for example, read some reviews and check references before hiring. Also, make sure that the freelancer can deliver based on your deadlines and does not cost your company too much to hire.

Encourage Engagement and Communication

Teams reach their goals at a higher rate when there is clear communication between team members and team leaders. Every person should know their role on the team and feel free to ask questions in times of uncertainty. When teams communicate, they ensure all of the work is divided fairly. Also, if one person cannot meet a deadline, they can come up with a solution.

Encourage your team to engage with one another and to form healthy, positive work relationships. Communicative teammates are more likely to trust one another. They can assign tasks to each other based on the strengths and tendencies each person has. Also, positive communication tends to make the job more fulfilling for everyone.

Remote teams present more of a challenge when it comes to communication. You have to be creative with the different avenues that they can communicate. You should have a variety of communication methods that encourage group conversation and individual conversations. For those in different time zones, asynchronous communication may work in some situations. Teams may use messaging apps to add to conversations at their discretion.

With synchronous communication, every person agrees to be online at the same time to have a conversation. Group video calls, phone calls, or live chat platforms are best for this type of communication. Calendars and task managers can also be beneficial for group projects.

Since remote teams do not have a physical water cooler to gather around, create a Facebook or other social media group for the team members. Allowing for conversation and pleasant interactions can create a close-knit group.

You do not have to have your team on-site for them to do their best work. As long as you select the best candidates for the job and encourage communication, your team can do its best work from anywhere in the world.

Rogers HR Consulting serves as a one-stop HR department for small businesses and a helping hand for larger businesses. Contact us today to see how we can help!