With many companies now offering fully flexible or hybrid roles, a remote team is more common than ever in the modern world of work. But this change in scenery requires a new skill set to allow teams to work together collaboratively and confidently. Communication, asynchronous working, and proactively managing your workload become more pertinent when team members are spread across varying locations.
Managers may have monitored team skill sets closely in the office and organized group learning opportunities, but this is much more challenging when everyone is working on a remote team at home. So how can employers make sure that their remote team has the skills they need to succeed? In this post, we share some top strategies.
Discuss goals in team meetings
Making training a crucial part of team progress helps employees see it as a priority. Most remote teams will have a regular meeting, whether a daily stand-up call or weekly check-in. Make time to set specific goals at the beginning of the quarter, and then discuss these weekly to help keep progression at the forefront of everyone’s minds.
These meetings can also be an excellent opportunity for remote team members to inspire others and improve team processes based on what they’ve learned. Creating an open culture of learning can be beneficial for all involved.
Encourage employees to take training time
Sometimes, there will be specific courses or webinars that employees can attend to learn a specific skill. These opportunities are precious; however, it can sometimes take work for employees to find time to attend to their regular duties.
Creating a specific policy or set of guidelines around training time can empower workers to make the most of this and actually block out time specifically for training. Especially for junior team members who may be pushing to prove themselves with extra responsibilities, encouraging them to take this time will help them upskill without feeling like they are missing out on regular work opportunities.
Promote creativity and collaboration
When you’re working remotely, it can be easy to get stuck in the habit of only speaking to the team members you need to and keeping the conversation transactional – a few questions about a piece of work, and you’re done. But working collaboratively and creatively, especially with other teams, can spark new ideas and be a positive experience for everyone involved. It can also lead to an interest in other business areas and a desire to learn skills that will benefit the company.
Collaboration can also encourage workers to upskill when it comes to communication. Whilst close-knit teams may follow the same process or work in a similar way, other teams within the company may work differently. Collaborating with these teams encourages employees to think outside their established work. These skills are then transferable to a wide range of situations.
A stronger team
Making time for training is important. It improves your team’s skill set and makes employees feel they’re progressing in their chosen career path and gaining experience. This can motivate them and make them feel valued – so it’s well worth the effort.
