When you’re working with a remote team, trust is everything. Trust that your team members will get their work done without needing to be micromanaged, and trust that they’ll communicate clearly with each other when they need help or have questions.
And when you have that trust, it’s like a weight lifted off your shoulders. Without someone constantly looking over your shoulder and asking questions, you’re free to focus on your tasks and do some kickass work.
What is Trust
Trust is like the glue that holds a team together. According to Merriam-Webster, it’s “the feeling of being sure that someone or something is reliable, good, honest, effective, etc.” It’s the foundation of any strong relationship and essential for good communication. And when you’re working remotely, good communication is even more crucial.
When your team trusts each other, it makes everything run smoother. You don’t have to second-guess your colleagues, and you can focus on getting work done. And for businesses, trust is vital to success. If your employees trust each other, they can work together more efficiently, leading to greater success. This is especially important for remote teams because they rely on technology for most of their communication.
The Impact of Trust
When working with a remote team, it’s important to have a shared goal and plan on how to achieve it. This goal should be clear to everyone and decisions should be based on it, not on personal opinions. Trust helps to make this goal happen.
How Trust Affects Collaboration in a Remote Team
Trust is a big deal when you’re working with a team, whether you’re all in the same office or spread out across the globe. It’s not about blindly following orders, it’s about being able to talk openly and ask questions. And when you have trust in your teammates, it makes everything run smoother. You don’t have to worry about whether they’re doing their job or not.
Consequences Of Low Trust:
Lack of trust in a remote team can have many consequences. Some of them are the following:
Decreased Productivity
When there’s a lack of trust among team members, it can lead to less collaboration and a reluctance to share information, especially about complex or challenging problems. This can make it harder for team members to work together and may result in longer project completion times. To avoid this, team members need to trust each other more.
When trust is high, team members are more likely to take full responsibility for their tasks and to do them correctly the first time, which means less chance of needing to redo work or deliver a product that doesn’t meet standards.
Increased Turnover of Employees
If you have a high turnover rate on your remote team, it’s worth looking into how much low trust and lack of commitment might be affecting your team members.
Remote work can be tough for some people, especially if they feel disconnected from their colleagues, particularly if they’re located in a different region than most of their coworkers. This isolation can make some remote workers feel like they’re “on an island” and may not have regular opportunities to talk with their managers about how they can improve their performance.
Decreased Business Growth
When trust is low among remote team members, it can slow down the pace of work. If you don’t trust the people you’re working with, it’s easy to get negative and frustrated. This lack of trust can lead to low productivity and more time spent on resolving conflicts than on getting work done.
It can also make it difficult to keep everyone on track, as employees may not be getting the support they need from each other. This can lead to frustration with work and difficulty meeting deadlines, which in turn further erodes trust.
So how do you ensure that there is enough trust between you and your team?
Building trust is not easy. But it’s worth it. Here are effective strategies on how to build trust within your team.
Strategies for Building Trust in a Remote Team:
Regular Check-ins
Check-ins are an excellent opportunity to make sure your team is on track, especially if you’re working with a remote one. Try to spend about a few minutes per person weekly talking about their goals, projects, and anything else on their mind. This allows us to see how things are going, have conversations about what’s being done, and learn from each other.
Open Communication and Transparency
As remote teams are becoming more prevalent, it’s essential to establish trust and create a sense of community. Transparency is a crucial component in building a successful remote team. By being open about feedback, expectations, and goals, and regularly communicating progress, team members can better understand each other and work towards a common goal.
Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say
It may sound simple, but it’s crucial to be honest and follow through on your words. When communicating with your teammates, be genuine and transparent. Don’t say things you don’t mean just to please someone or get them to do something. Instead, be clear about your actions and preferences, and make an effort to express gratitude when someone goes above and beyond for you. This helps in building trust and understanding within the remote team.
Keep Your Word
As a manager, business owner, or remote team leader, you have a unique responsibility to build trust by being transparent and honest. Follow through on what you tell your employees as much as possible. Clear and consistent communication is crucial for remote teams, so when someone doesn’t communicate with the team, it can have a negative impact.
To build trust, set achievable goals and make sure to follow through on what you say you’ll do. Avoid over-promising just to impress, instead ensure that the tasks you assign to yourself and your team are realistic in terms of timelines and resources available. This helps the team to trust in the leadership and the goals set by them.
Final Thoughts
Trust is crucial for remote teams. By building trust, you’ll be setting yourself and your team up for success.
