¿Cómo pueden los propietarios de pequeñas empresas promover el trabajo en equipo en equipos remotos?

Small business owners, embrace remote work challenges by setting clear goals, using tools like project management software, and maintaining open communication. Regular feedback and recognition are key to motivating your team. #RemoteWorkSuccess #MSME #Growth

Culture sets the pace for achievement, so you start with building a team that understands linear progress toward goals is the key metric. Establish attainable goals, but stretch a little. Then make sure there are both individual and team objectives supportive of the business goals. Measure and reward accordingly in short duration periods. Rinse, repeat.

Setting realistic goals is crucial for promoting teamwork among remote workers. It provides clear expectations and motivates remote employees. Realistic goals help align efforts, foster collaboration and communication, which allows for effective performance tracking. Achievable goals also enhance employee satisfaction and retention. When small businesses set realistic goals, they establish clarity, motivation, focus, collaboration, performance tracking, and employee satisfaction, leading to enhanced productivity and success.

Honestly, there’s nothing like togetherness for bonding. I currently work with multiple teams and the strongest work together in the same physical setting at least a couple of days each week or meet regularly in lieu of that. It’s important to know and trust your team, and that’s hard to do through a screen.

What does your team really want? In my experience, it is to know you care. Showing this in a remote setting is a very different challenge. However, little things like recognition for a job well done during a regularly scheduled team meeting, team Slack/Whatsapp channel celebrations for birthdays and anniversaries, personalized notes and/or gift cards celebrating those as well, and even a virtual coffee break or happy hour to promote a sense of camaraderie can all be effective. Word of caution, your team will know if all this is just a show. You really do have to care about them, their families, and their happiness to build a "family" that is as invested in the company's success as you are.

Effective communication forms the foundation successful teams, and in a remote work setting, it becomes even more essential. Encourage regular communication to create a sense of connection and belonging among remote employees, fostering employees to share ideas, exchange information, and work together towards common goals, despite physical distance. It builds trust and improves clarity and resolves conflicts or misunderstandings. Video conferencing, instant messaging, and project management software, can be utilized to facilitate real-time communication and ensure a smooth flow of information. Establish a culture of open and transparent communication.

Mentorship Programs: Establish mentorship programs where experienced team members guide new or junior employees. Regular mentor-mentee interactions enhance professional and social connections. Team Challenges: Organize team challenges related to health, fitness, or skill development. Encourage team members to participate and celebrate their achievements together. Feedback Sessions: Conduct regular feedback sessions to understand the team's concerns and suggestions. Address issues promptly and implement changes when feasible. Encourage Social Initiatives: Support social initiatives or charitable activities as a team, fostering a sense of community beyond work responsibilities.

Wellbeing Programmes are a great way of building team spirit and breaking down some of the issues like isolation that occur with remote working. Coach lead group sessions can really nurture a positive culture and work so well virtually with hone working.

I totally agree with you as effective communication is the key to teamwork. When we effectively communicate with each other, it will become easier to work together and accomplish set goals.

Virtual teams can be prone to more miscommunication without a strategy to foster communication and interaction. We look for ways to create 'water cooler conversations' and interact as a team and individually. We also encourage our team to communicate more than they might have in person to foster the feeling that everyone is on the same page. Importantly, reinforcing the open-door policy with the team is super critical for managers. Team members can mistakenly feel that they can't bother you because they perceive you to be busy. This can leave simple confusion to turn into frustration and distraction - even outside of regular check-ins, we adopt a "when in doubt - reach out" policy to foster those conversations.

To me, there is no better work environment that working with a collaborative team that fosters learning and growth. It all starts with building relationships and open communication with your team. Get to know them and what’s going on in their lives as you would a friend. Genuinely care for your team as people first, not just employees or contractors. During the hiring process, I always look for values alignment. To me values alignment is even more important than skillset. Skills can be taught.

Setting aside time for the team to check new subject matter be it via webinar or breaking news articles concerning related fields of work or general technological advances and then being able to discuss with one team member moderating (could be on a rotating basis) seems to be THE thing to do right now. All things genAI are a good place to start for almost any one.

Highlight Team Efforts: Emphasize collaborative achievements where multiple team members contributed significantly. Recognize departments or teams collectively to reinforce teamwork and collaboration. Employee of the Month/Quarter: Implement an Employee of the Month or Employee of the Quarter recognition program. Showcase the winner's achievements and contributions to the entire team. Organize Virtual Awards Ceremony: Host a virtual awards ceremony where team members receive accolades for their exceptional work. Include categories such as "Innovation Award," "Team Player Award," etc., to recognize diverse talents.

Without frequent opportunities to see each other in person, being purposeful about celebrating "wins" on a consistent basis is one healthy component of strengthening the relationships between remote team members. So what does "being purposeful about celebrating wins" look like in practice? Here are some ideas to consider: * in the agenda for a weekly team meeting, give each person the opportunity to highlight one personal or professional win * use the company blog or newsletter to highlight a "project of the (week/month/quarter)" and identify the contributions of individual team members * outside of any regular schedule, make the effort to acknowledge an individual team member's accomplishment (some will prefer a private acknowledgement!)

We believe in celebrating what we want to see more of as a team. Our practice is 'Friday Winday', where we share at least one personal win and one professional win. It helps us all see our progress and also lets us celebrate each other. It's not a mandatory practice, because some weeks, the thing you may feel like celebrating may just be that you made it to Friday. Which is an acceptable win to celebrate in our books. For the team it helps others see the contributions you make, it gives space for us to cheer each other on and connect on the moments that matter to the team.

An "After Action Review" following completion of a project gives team members the opportunity to highlight both what went well and what could be improved. This practice brings a remote team together to learn from each other's perspectives, discuss best practices, and evaluate lessons learned from issues that arose during the project. Both positive and "less than optimal" outcomes provide an opportunity for a team to evaluate current processes and to determine what changes in training or process definition need to be changed in order to capitalize on new approaches and to make improvements for future projects. The leader's role in creating a safe environment for all to share openly is critical for this type of review to have impact.

Have your team be heavily involved in your SOP creation and invite criticism from them - they're the main ones using it, after all!

Two additional things to consider: 1. There are times when a team member might not be comfortable bringing up their own achievements and "wins," so encouraging the team to give "shout outs" that acknowledge each other helps to build comradery, especially among remote team members who don't have the opportunity to meet regularly in person. 2. Text by itself (email, text messages, etc.) conveys less than 10% of the complete message as originally intended. Including both body language and tone of voice are critical for improving the quality of interpersonal communication. If you can't connect live in a video call with a remote team member (cameras on if possible!), use a video capture tool to record yourself conveying the intended message.

You know how it gets lonely being in front of a computer all day doing accounting? With or without “work from home”, teamwork is an obstacle for most accounting firms. Many things didn’t work for us, but what did work, is still working. We’ve taken the old adage “there’s a time and place for everything” and integrated it into our management style, work environment and culture. There is time to have 100% focus and time for 30% focus during a work day. The manager sets the pace. We laugh, focus, print, organize, and other things together and separately with deadlines and hold each other accountable. Similar to joining a gym. Everyone works out together but we will see who was sticking to the diet at the next class. ;)

We operate a primarily remote-based business model at Cultivate Advisors. While there are challenges to a remote model, it's important to recognize that any model has its own challenges. I find many business owners worried about productivity, people operating in silos, and accountability in a remote-model. Fortunately, with intentionality, these problems can all be solved. Hiring top talent, setting clear goals and expectations with a performance culture, proper onboarding and training, a structured feedback loop, and building a sense of community within the company culture are all important with a remote, on-site, or hybrid work environment.

Virtual Workshops and Training: Organize virtual workshops and training sessions. This enhances employees' skills and also creates a sense of community and shared growth. Respect for Time Zones: Be mindful of the different time zones your employees are in and schedule meetings and deadlines accordingly. Virtual Team Building Activities: Organize virtual team-building activities and social events to help employees connect on a personal level. Encourage a Healthy Work-Life Balance: Promote a healthy work-life balance by emphasizing the importance of taking breaks, setting boundaries, and disconnecting from work during non-work hours.