Building Trust and Teamwork for Work from Home Teams

Trust is an essential element in any effective team. If building and maintaining trust within a regular team is hard, then doing it with a remote team is going to be - well, harder. But it’s necessary, especially when everyone’s not in sight of each other and when failing to do so will result in misinterpretations and assumptions that will create a wedge between the team and the individual.

It may take more time and patience, but gradually it will nurture stronger relationships and more productive collaborations. Here’s what you can do.

Always explain ‘why’

Here at Creately, we proactively explain every decision and reason down to the very last detail. This is how we learn, grow, align with each other and build trust.

Provide extra context

When you can’t see each other, it’s important to over communicate to avoid miscommunication. If you are stepping out for a moment, state why you are stepping out (i.e. I’m stepping out to take the kids for a walk). If you are too busy with a task to help your colleague out with their request, let them know sooner than later.

Share information regularly

Make it a practice to share work schedules, task status, project progress, etc. with each other frequently. Or use a project management/ task management tool like Favro or Asana where you can collaborate on regularly while keeping everyone on track.

Build stronger relationships

Incorporate time for bonding into team interactions; start off meetings with a few minutes for personal updates or create a virtual water cooler space in the form of a Slack channel or Facebook group where everyone can socialize with each other informally.

Clearer communication

Leave no chance for confusion when you explain things to others. Get down to minute details and use visuals or diagrams to explain what needs to be done. Thinking of a better way for a process? Draw a flowchart. Designing a website? Use a wireframe or a UI mockup to describe what’s on your mind to the rest of the team. Visuals make ideas easier to comprehend.

More face-to-face interactions

Whenever possible, always rely on video calls to communicate with each other. When the entire team is working from home, this is the closest form of in-person communication one can get. If they can see and listen to you, it’s easier to express how you feel about something.

Be dependable

As part of a larger team, everyone should be reliable, predictable, responsible and consistent. Say what you do and do what you say and commit to meeting deadlines and achieving your deliverables in a timely manner. If you are unable to complete a task on time, communicate your difficulties earlier on, and not just prior to the deadline. This way the team can easily anticipate how others will perform and be ready for any roadblocks.