How to Encourage Teamwork Remotely | Benjamin Suchil

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, about 16% of the workforce in the U.S. worked remotely. It’s possible that this figure has more than doubled since the start of the pandemic.

As employees adjust to their new surroundings, business leaders also find it hard to adapt. Teams have to be made up of individuals, even when they’re working in different locations. Because of this, creating camaraderie and collaboration is often more challenging through a screen.

Due to the current economic situation, many employees worry about their finances and their families’ well-being. This is why leaders need to find ways to get remote teams working together.

Cultivate a sense of normalcy

The pandemic forced many people to change their work routines. Some were forced to go on furlough, while others were filing for unemployment. Many of the lucky ones were even still worried about job security and productivity at home.

Leaders tried to make their teams feel normal by providing various perks and small ways to make their work environment more welcoming. For instance, Ontraport’s CEO, Landon Ray, created a daily vlog to keep his employees informed about company decisions and shifts. He also let employees take whatever they needed from the office, and he paid for air conditioning for the homes of team members whose homes didn’t have it.

They came up with the funds by canceling travel plans and conferences. Ontraport’s leaders were able to use some of the company’s travel budget to fund these expenses. They also shifted the food budget to accommodate the team members who were working from home.

Even if your company doesn’t have much money to spend, it can still create a sense of normalcy by implementing its traditions. For instance, holding a BYOB happy hour can be done over Zoom. You can also give weekly awards through video.

Create a hub for knowledge

It’s also easier for employees to ask questions when they’re in the same office. Having a central hub for knowledge can help employees keep up with their work.

Projects management systems and Slack make it easier for employees to ask quick questions while also allowing them to consolidate their work. However, these tools can’t replace a corporate knowledge base. Instead, they need at-a-glance access to all of your company’s documents and processes.

It can take a while to create a company encyclopedia. However, leaders can encourage each team to thoroughly brain-dump about the company’s various responsibilities and history. You can also hire an editor to clean it up.

Draw boundaries

Clear expectations are also needed to make sure that teams work together seamlessly. For instance, if a remote team member gets sick during the day, are they still expected to report for duty?

Work-life boundaries are also important when it comes to working remotely. A survey conducted by Trello revealed that 37.5% of workers prefer to end their workday by going to the bathroom. 18.1% use time-boxing tools, and 16.7% schedule “me” time.

Make sure that everyone has clear expectations about what’s expected of them and what’s not. For instance, if you’re a customer service team, you might want to avoid implementing time-boxing as it doesn’t make sense for you. Instead, you can ask your team to choose a day each week to focus on deep work.

Make sure that your team members have the opportunity to participate in the process of implementing time-boxing. If they have a suggestion, be sure to listen to them. They’ll likely be able to make a constructive contribution.

The emergence of COVID-19 has changed how people work. While the pandemic will eventually pass, remote work will still be here for a long time.

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About Benjamin Suchil

Benjamin Suchil enjoys living in Forney, Texas, for several reasons. While being the fastest-growing city in its county, Forney maintains a strong sense of community values. Historical artifacts are abundant in this town and relay the proud history that can be found everywhere. Benjamin is an active member of his close-knit community and enjoys antiquing in his spare time. The “Antique Capital of Texas” earned its name because of its abundance of antique shops and quaint overtones, none of which would exist without the railroad.

In 1973, Texarkana, Arkansas, and Dallas, Texas became connected by the Texas and Pacific Railway. When construction began in the region now known as Forney, the town honored the railroad’s civil engineer by naming the post office after him. The community grew by the thousands, and commerce migrated along with housing.

Forney had developed into a bustling town by 1891, with more than 50 commercial establishments, including a bank, an opera house, and two hotels. Forney grew as ranch and agricultural goods increased. The plains that encircled the town were filled with native grass that produced pleasant, nutritious hay when cut and baled. For the following 50 years, “Forney Prairie Hay,” as it was called, was one of Forney’s most important exports. Once the hay supply was complete, it was replaced by cotton. Forney had eight cotton gins by 1910, the most of any Texas town of its size. Each autumn, 15 to 20,000 bales of cotton were ginned and delivered to cotton markets throughout the United States. Electricity and municipal water and sewage lines were finished during this period, making Forney one of the first minor Texas cities to receive these facilities. The late 1920s saw the opening of the new Dixie Highway (U.S. 80), which improved car mobility in this region. The Texas Interurban Rail Company opened the Dallas-Forney-Terrell rail route in 1923. This streetcar-type electric rail line ran through the center of Forney and functioned as an advanced commuter-type service for ten years.

Since then, small businesses have been encouraged and supported in Forney to keep the town successful while maintaining a hometown feel. Benjamin Suchil opened his business, Imperial Floor Rentals, relatively recently. He takes pride in knowing that his clients receive exceptional products and first-rate customer service. Among the items that Benjamin rents are performance stage backdrops, custom dance floors, bar/DJ scenescapes, cake/ceremony platforms, and vinyl graphics. For Ben, the client comes first. He is dedicated to bringing visions to life using an expert crew that adapts to the specific needs of each project.

To learn more about Benjamin and his company, visit his other website, benjaminsuchil.net.