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How to establish cooperation in a distributed team? Lorena Perez, HR Director, Novakid, an online English platform for children, says
“Relocation” has every chance of becoming the word of the year for many Russian companies, just as “self-isolation” once was. But in the era of quarantines, we all found ourselves in the same boat and quickly figured out where to row and how to rebuild business processes. The current situation lacks this homogeneity. Someone leaves our country with the whole team, others distribute employees to different countries. Somewhere moving is a prerequisite, but somewhere it is left to the discretion of the employees.
How to save tocontact with management
Distributed teams need communication even more than regular teams. Maintaining a sense of community and belonging to one cause is not an easy task. But if it is not resolved, the consequences for the business can be the most serious. The best solution would be to organize regular meetings with the participation of management.
If you have previously had such a practice, then it should be strengthened. Let’s say we meet not once a month, but once every two weeks or more often. At least until the situation stabilizes. Ideally, not only team leads, heads of departments or employees of the HR department, but also someone from top management should take part in such events. Online meetings will ensure transparency of communication and help keep employees informed about the state of affairs and plans of the company. Be sure to take time for questions “from the audience”: give team members the opportunity to express their concerns, ask for clarification. This truth seems banal at first glance, but such meetings really work better than abstract calls to “rally” or soothing conversations with someone from the personnel department.
Money matters
The topic of money is no less important, regardless of whether the entire team or only part of the employees are moving. Here it is important to combine a clear payment scheme with a flexible approach. If a general budget is allocated for relocation assistance, then a specific amount of assistance will need to be determined: fixed amounts for the purchase of air tickets and rental housing for the first time. It is better to allocate this money at the request of the employee at no cost. You should not demand a return or working off: this will only increase the psychological pressure. Another thing is if the offered money is not enough, and the company does not have the opportunity to increase the limit. In this case, you can introduce a system of personal interest-free loans, when an employee borrows a certain amount from the employer and undertakes to repay it within 3-6 months or a year. Signing an additional loan agreement will help to avoid unforeseen consequences.
Flexibility implies a willingness to make concessions. Not all situations lend themselves to the equation. For example, in addition to moving, an employee may need money for a medical operation. Or a person who plans to leave the company in a couple of months will ask for financial support. Each such case requires separate consideration and a personal approach. On the one hand, it is important to stick to the budget, but on the other hand, a categorical refusal where the situation was really stalemate will greatly spoil the company’s image.
Between work and personal life: internal conflicts in the team
Issue with leave
Moving to another country is associated with a huge number of everyday difficulties: finding housing, choosing a school for a child, paperwork. Employees will inevitably need time off, which can cause conflict within the team. While some ask: “Why should I work for two again?”, Others retort: “I need a period.” Tension is growing, trust is melting before our eyes.
What can be done in such a situation? First of all, to convey a simple idea to employees: it’s not scary to take time off, it’s much worse not to warn colleagues about them. Limiting the number of extra days off is not the best option, because for a person tired of looking for an apartment, the time frame will become additional stress. And, therefore, it will be more difficult for him to concentrate on work.
Finally, it is worth reminding the whole team of the importance of trust and mutual assistance. Here, additional training of team leaders in anti-crisis management may be required. The role of the HR department is also growing. For them, soft skills come to the fore: the ability to listen and assess the situation from different angles, the ability to extinguish contradictions in the bud and assist in resolving neglected conflicts.
Schedule
If employees have changed time zones, it would be wise to reconsider their work schedules. This is especially true of the “family” members of the team. Remote work is often the hardest for them. In June 2022, Novakid conducted a survey among employees with children.
46% of respondents admitted that children often prevent them from concentrating on work. At the same time, 22% face this problem daily.
At the same time, almost every second employee said that from time to time he feels remorse because of the inability to strike a balance between work and time for family. This factor should not be overlooked either.
Online corporate events
We remember this pandemic practice. Communication is necessary not only at the level of “top management – subordinates”, but also within teams. Informal communication with colleagues, even in a virtual format, will help overcome the feeling of disunity and find “ground underfoot”. Create interest-based chats within the team, start a tradition of weekly online corporate events. Communication saved our psyche during the pandemic, and it will save us now.
How to hire people for a distributed team
Despite the experience of the pandemic, not all people have learned how to work remotely. You just have to come to terms with this fact. And keep it in mind if the relocation involves the transition of the team to a full remote location, but you still have to hire new people. What you should pay attention to?
Ability to work autonomously
In distributed teams, KPI always trumps control. It doesn’t matter what time of day your most productive hours are or how long your lunch break is. It is important that the assigned tasks are completed on time. It could be a week, a month, or even a day. The absence of a boss behind your back requires a developed ability for self-control and the ability to make decisions independently.
Communication skills
“We understand each other perfectly” – this scheme can work well between colleagues offline, but turn out to be completely unviable in virtual communication. The lack of non-verbal contact is compensated by strong communication skills and the ability to clearly formulate one’s thoughts. And also the ability to distinguish: when one phrase in Slack is enough for the interlocutor, and when a more detailed message is required.
Remote work tools
Some companies already at the interview check the candidate for suitability for remote work and ask him about the tools that he owns. Large offline companies often use Microsoft suite programs. In distributed teams, preference is given to collaboration tools – Google Space, Google Doc, task and time trackers, Slack or Discord messengers. Lack of experience with them does not necessarily mean that a person should be rejected. However, it is important to clarify this point even at the interview in order to avoid misunderstandings and disappointments in the future. You can always offer the candidate you like to take a training course on a particular program.