Working remotely has become increasingly common in recent years, with many companies opting to allow their employees to work from home or from remote locations. While remote work offers many benefits, such as increased flexibility and the ability to work from anywhere, it can also present challenges, particularly when it comes to team communication and collaboration.

One of the biggest challenges of remote work is keeping your team connected and engaged. When team members are not physically present in the same location, it can be more difficult to foster a sense of community and collaboration. However, with the right tools and strategies, it is possible to keep your remote team connected and working together effectively.

Here are five ways to keep your remote team connected:

1. Use collaboration tools for more than just work: 

Collaboration tools are essential to making sure your team is staying productive. But they can be used for helping your remote team feel connected, too. If you use Slack, create fun themed channels where participants can share their favorite songs, send pictures of their pets, etc. 

2. Jazz up regular team meetings:

Regular team meetings are an important way to keep everyone on the same page and ensure that everyone is working towards the same goals. But… they can get old. If your company uses Zoom for team meetings, bring in some fun by starting your next All-Hands with 10 minutes of virtual speed networking. Use twine for Zoom to automatically sort your employees into casual back-to-back Breakout Room conversations to start meetings on a high note. 

3. Understand how your employees like to work: 

One thing that worsens remote employee connectivity is when team members feel like their boundaries between work and home life are being crossed. To help each employee feel respected, have them create “Personal Operating Systems.” Personal Operating Systems are documents that employees create answering questions such as “What are your preferred working hours?” and, “what’s the best way to communicate with you?” Have these listed in an accessible place, so both managers and employees have a clear understanding of how to best work with one another.

4. Provide opportunities for social interaction: 

Just because team members are not physically in the same location doesn’t mean they can’t socialize and build connections with each other. Consider organizing virtual team-building activities or social events, such as happy hours or game nights, to help team members get to know each other better and build connections. Twine for Zoom is a great way to run some fun virtual happy hours/games right in Zoom; here are some ideas. 

5. Open the floor: 

While the pressure to create space for remote team connection lies primarily in the hands of the company, don’t be afraid to get ideas from your employees! Create a poll on what they think would help them feel the most connected, and make an effort to implement those ideas. This also helps your employees feel heard and valued. 

In conclusion, keeping your remote team connected and engaged is essential for success. By leveraging existing tools, encouraging open communication, and providing opportunities for social interaction, you can help your team stay connected and work together effectively.