5 Tips to Make Remote Team Members Feel Like a Part of the Team!
Remote developers can make up a growing portion of your team, and the term “remote” doesn’t always mean “freelancer” any more. At Tecla.io, we specialize in working with companies interested in hiring and integrating full-time, vetted, software developers based in South America. We have a bit of experience creating a team culture that transcends the physical office, and we wanted to share a few tips on how you can accomplish this, too.
Whether it’s your team’s first time working with remote developers (potentially based outside of your in-house team’s country) or not, these tips will go a long way. They will help you integrate remote developers and make them feel part of the team (which, of course, they are).
Here are just a few of the things that we like to focus on as part of our team culture…
I assure you, these small details can go a long way in building team culture and keeping everyone engaged and motivated.
1. Make the corresponding introductions…
If you hire a new team member to work in your physical office, you naturally introduce him or her to the rest of the team. You make sure that he or she feels welcome. When you hire a software developer who will be working remotely, you should do the same (virtually). Send out emails. Arrange a team video call. Introduce the new hire to the rest of the team. Share a bit of info about the person you just added to the team and make sure that he or she feels like a team member and not just a productivity tool, or Slack Integration.
2. Give your remote team access to the same communication tools you use in-house…
More and more people at the workplace are communicating via Slack, Skype, Google Hangouts even when they are in the same room, or physically nearby. Text and voice communication tools are essential. Even more for technical teams. Don’t make your remote team members feel isolated. They shouldn’t just be sending emails in order to be heard. Give them access to your virtual workspace and integrate them into your company’s shared communication channels. Make them feel part of your core team, and not just like extra help.
3. Get to know the places and cultures that your developers live in…
The software developers that are part of your team that don’t work in the office…exist outside of your computer screen. Believe it or not. Sometimes, it’s hard to fathom. Frequently, we only interact with remote team members via video calls. We don’t even take a few minutes to read up on the country or city where the developers actually reside. This is important. It’s important to have a personal connection with developers who are out of the office, and it always makes everyone on the team more united when we know each other’s context.
4. Share the perks that the rest of the team has access to…
Remote developers are part of the team too, you know? It’s easy to overlook the need to include them in social/work events. They aren’t physically present. Like the rest of the team. And so it naturally becomes easy to overlook the need to include them or invite them. Obviously. They can’t actually attend. But nowadays, there are a lot of events taking place on the internet, and a lot of team perks might be online. When you think about perks, and doing nice things for your in-house team, take a minute to think about what you can do for your remote team, as well. They might not be able to physically attend, but think about what you can do to show them the same appreciation you are showing the team that is in the office.
5. Give your remote team members a voice…
I don’t think you need to give remote developers a voice when it comes to where to order today’s team lunch from. Or how to re-arrange the office furniture. However, it’s important to realize just how much team culture transcends the real physical space your team works in. Company culture, purpose, policies, rules, objectives, deadlines, and accomplishments, all live in your company’s world, which exists independently of your office space. When it comes to these company topics and team projections, remote team members should have a voice. As part of the team, their votes, preferences, and ideas should matter just as much as team members in the office.
If you work in a company that has remote team members, use the Comments section to share more tips with us. I hope that these are useful to other tech teams out there looking to integrate in-house and remote teams in a more holistic way.
Gino Ferrand
Founder @ Tecla.io
