How To Build A Strong Remote Work Culture
We can hardly avoid the economic consequences of the Covid19 crisis. Many nations that suffered severe initial COVID-19 outbreaks are now cautiously returning to something resembling “normal life”. Many people think there will be a second wave, others think there won’t be. People want to turn the page. It’s logic. But, in fact, no one knows.
One of the consequences of the lockdown is that companies have been forced to adopt remote working. No one expected us to make this happen so quickly. Many people believe that remote working will therefore become “the norm” and the future of work will be the remote work. I would love it but I am not sure. We will go maybe through hybrid periods between face-to-face and remote working. Once again, nobody knows it. The future is uncertain. And as Saint-Exupéry, french writer and aviation pioneer, said your task is not to foresee it, but to enable it.
“As for the future, your task is not to foresee it, but to enable it” — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
In times of crisis, companies must provide organizational and cultural models relevant to their needs rather than expect them to change to fit our preconceptions.
Building such a mindset is one of the underlying concepts of successful remote work teams which I’ve written about in a previous blog post. Let’s try to describe a way to promote this mindset and find one path to a remote work culture.
An Opportunity To Change Your Mindset
Though today’s forced remote culture has been an adjustment for many, the key first step is to reframe the problem and recognize there is an opportunity.
The best way is to adopt thought like “all things are possible” to foster openness to new experiences. That requires letting go of some old habits. Keep an open mind. Have willingness to learn and be sure you are ready to take risks.
For instance, due to Covid19 and as a consequence, the obligation for older people who have more difficulties to work with tools for distributed teams can negatively influence remote working. But a mindset change can benefit remote work and can be stronger than the negative connotation.
Learn from the past and define what you except from your company culture and how are the values to look like. It’s a good way to identify if this culture needs to be aligned with your core values.
Establish trust. Your teams must consist of individuals who have learned to trust one another. Create a culture of trust and set clear expectations and goals to drive your strategy.
Remote Leadership
The leader must have self-confidence. They must be able to work comfortably in remote work. Leaders mindset should be based on goals, not hours worked. And it’s not easy! There are many bad leaders who feel good when someone stays in the office longer than expected.
Leaders must trust those who lead. Otherwise micro-management mindset is usually a failure for them. Those leaders who lean on the results of their employees create an effective team dynamics. On top of that, the possibility of working in productive hours of choice is also a major advantage for remote workers. Such an ambience only possible in goal oriented companies where trust is a primary asset. In return, team members can contribute and reflect on all kinds of issues where they can face any challenges together with their leader.
Quantifying and measuring performance metrics is crucial. Leaders set objectives with measurable results (metrics or KPIs). They are accountable for the company’s KPIs and derive those into the team’s KPIs. Truly engaging with others in a goal-oriented and open-minded way, they need to explore with each team members which individual KPIs are achievable. They create aligned objectives in cascade. Leaders need also to ensure the followup and the alignment of those KPIs in time.
Define KPI for individuals. More KPI accountability, we have to be honest about who’s really in control of it, and what’s really in the way of it. Too much individual KPIs can be overwhelming. It’s a good ratio to have from 1 to 3 individual metrics. Every remote worker is accountable for those metrics. A remote worker should juggle with multiple objectives with a minimal oversight.
Remote working requires a type of leadership that encourages the interpersonal behaviors needed for communication, trust and co-construction
Skills of Remote Workers
The number of remote workers is increasing rapidly, due to how convenient and desirable the working style is. Remote working is now a lucrative job that many people would like to explore.
It’s pretty much the same soft or hard skills for remote work than traditional work. Remote workers must at least acquire 2 essential skills.
The first one lies in discipline. A remote worker needs self-discipline. Some people are productive because they are afraid. They have someone who looks “virtually” over their shoulders and puts pressure on them.
Self-discipline is not only with work but with one’s routine. In this, the family can help with better discipline. This requires setting up rules within a home so that discipline is respected.
The second is communication. Communication is extremely important. Remote team members should be open-minded, and should not be afraid to ask. They must be able to shift from one situation to another while maintaining high levels of communication and tight coordination.
For instance, how can we identify when we need to make a video call (Google Meet, Zoom…) or send an email? Obviously this question is related to a client communication. Your team cannot waste time with emails. All team members must be trained and equipped with more structured, agile and direct communication tools, like chat (Slack, Teams …), to share information quickly. The dilemma within the team is not between video call or email but more between chat and video calls. It is a multi-factorial problem. But it depends a lot on the communication preferences of the people. Some people prefer video, others audio, and others text messages, regardless, it’s very important that people feel comfortable interacting with the other person. Another important point in this decision is the urgency of the request. If the answer can wait a few days for example, this can be a message. This system is very popular with workers because it allows them not to disturb their flow. In some cases, it will be enough to send a message by chat and continue the response without waiting for an immediate response, it is an asynchronous communication. Most people think that video calling is synchronous communication, but it is not. With certain tools, it is possible to send a video message without waiting for any response. Usually when you don’t need fast interactions, communicate asynchronously. Avoid meetings to inform people, leave a message in the chat or in video.
Hiring New Team Members and Onboarding
Remote work allows you to search for talent around the world and collaborate across dispersed locations. To recruit an expert in your local or the surroundings could be within limited options. However remote work gives you the opportunity to hire the best expert on the planet. You have access to a vast sea of talented people. Let talented people come to you!
In a remote world, companies have access to more candidates. But this also implies obligations. In particular to expose its brand. This also implies a very high degree of transparency. In the details on the job description, that is what actually will bring out the human side of the business. People are looking for “human” teams in which to thrive. The transparency of salaries is also crucial in job description (very often a taboo on the European continent). The “hidden” wages are moreover an advantage for the employer rather than for the employee.
For onboarding, nothing changes. It’s pretty much the same thing. The big difference is that a lot has to be available in writing to enable asynchronous communication. Make a checklist. Especially if you are a large structure, try to clarify and write all onboarding processes in a single source of information. The new team member will be more comfortable. It’s just to follow a step by step procedure. This will avoid time consumption using synchronous communication.
In a Nutshell
A strong remote work culture requires cooperation, trust, and a willingness to change your mindset. Discipline and communication are essential for every remote worker. Leaders have responsibilities to lead by objectives and create a culture of trust. Transparency is a requirement to attract the most talented people around the world. As Saint-Exupéry said in one sentence:
“If you want to build a ship, don’t herd people together to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Contact me if you want to share your experience with remote work. Visit Continuous.lu for more tips !
