Aug 9, 20236 min read

Remote Team Collaboration: Best Practices for Business Owners

Updated: Feb 10

As an online business manager with experience in managing remote teams, I understand the challenges and opportunities that come with navigating remote work. Although remote work is not new, it's on a high rise and it's reshaping the way businesses operate.

However, to make the most of remote teams, mastering collaboration is essential to cultivate success.

In this blog post, I'm excited to share with you my expert ideas on how to cultivate team collaboration. Whether you’re already leading a remote team or considering transitioning to a virtual work environment, these practices will empower you to build a successful team that delivers exceptional results.

You’ll learn

Technology for communication
Building a strong team culture
Setting clear goals and expectations
Promoting life work balance

Technology for Communication

Now you’re in this virtual space don't forget communication. I get it, you’re busy and a day or two passes and you haven’t heard from your team. This is something you should not lack. Sure, when working in an office, communication seems to be simple because you’re passing each other in the halls, have in-house meetings but get this, working virtually can be the same way, in a sense.

Communication is the backbone in the workplace because without it, nothing would work. Although you’re not “passing” someone in the office, you have your phone and your computer right there. So why is this so hard?

You can have real time communication! This looks like using communication channels such as Slack, texting and group chats. This is where you can be in contact with your team. If you are wondering if anything is getting read, just respond with an emoji. For example: I’m in contact with teams I work with and I just respond with a thumbs up just to let them know I have received the text.

Whatever platform you choose, it can allow for tasks to move forward and efficiently, reducing delays and potential miscommunication.

Next, make sure you’re having meetings (video calls). I would recommend having them once a week and having them at the beginning of the week. You want to have a clear agenda of the meeting, don’t go in blind. And get rid of all the fluff and distractions meaning your team doesn’t need to know your boyfriend/girlfriend broke up with you because this has nothing to do with work.

Now, you want to make sure you have a project management tool set up. Choose what works best for you! (Asana, Monday, Click-Up, Google, etc). Implementing project management tools helps keep all your projects organized and in one place, aside from your Google Drive or Dropbox. As the business owner, this will give you an overview of what's going on. It’s great to have this view as you can see if there needs to be any changes, see when tasks are completed and ensure not everyone is overloaded with work.

Although work is virtual, communication in any way is giving the team a sense of connectivity. Encouraging communication builds trust, rapport which helps with stronger teamwork and collaboration. No matter the location of your team, everyone still has equal access and can take part, which leads to success.

Build a Strong Team Culture Remotely

As you manage your remote team, building a strong team culture is important. A positive team culture enhances satisfaction and retention, along with a motivated workplace that sees results. Embracing strategies for a successful team culture is important to long-term success for your business.

Setting the tone is everything. This means you need to set your team up for success by encouraging team members to interact, collaborate and support each other. This team culture has open communication, mutual respect and a sense of shared purpose. When you, as the business owner, invests in their team, you’re showing commitment to their well-being and success.

Something cool you can do is to have team bonding activities. (Here are some you can try). I want to know what you choose! I remember working in the office, these were fun to do. Now, working remotely can be daunting but you can make it fun for you and your team. These activities can help you get to know everyone and can lead to more collaboration. Have fun!

Here we go again, communication. But it works. Encouraging open communication will create a team culture of openness, plus everyone will know what’s going on. Because if you or your team is left in the dark, what’s the point? Always encourage communication for your team to voice their concerns and ideas.

You’re the business owner, so you need to lead by example. You play a vital role in cultivating success for your team. Demonstrate empathy, active listening and a strong work ethic. Your actions will give your team encouragement.

Recognize and celebrate your team's accomplishments! This can be as simple as saying “Great Work!” Not everyone is working on the same project at the same time so when something is completed and it's to par, say it out loud. By celebrating your team's success, it motivates others and gives everyone an opportunity for growth. Let’s say you have a writer on your team and they wrote an awesome blog, acknowledge that in a team meeting. If someone brings in another client, acknowledge that! This will boost morale and foster a positive work environment.

Invest in your team by implementing a personal and professional development plan. This will ensure everyone is meeting their goals both personally and professionally. This helps with success in many ways. Also, providing continued education such as courses, workshops and one-on-one meetings. Supporting your team’s growth is not only helping them individually but contributing to the business success.

Setting Clear Goals and Expectations

Can you imagine telling your team there’s a project to do but you don’t give all the information required? You just tell them to get it done and have it by Friday. This is setting up your team for failure because you have not set clear goals and expectations. Who’s doing what? Are there resources available? What are the steps? What software is being used? Etc. You see, there are many steps that go into a project. Everyone needs to know what’s going on because you won’t get that project by Friday and when you get it, it will be done “wrong.” .

Therefore you need to set clear goals by providing direction to your remote team. Give your team the tasks they need to complete in order for them to prioritize their workload. Time won't be wasted this way.

Make sure you’re communicating the expectations such as work quality and deadlines. This will prevent misunderstandings and ensure the project will be completed on time.

Also, provide the necessary support and resources so that the team can complete the project effectively. Again, you need to invest in your team to set them up for success not only for them but for the business as well.

For more information on setting clear goals and expectations, you can listen to this episode on Entrepreneur Encounter. - Preparing for Conflict Management as a Business Owner.

Promoting Work-Life Balance

Or is it life work balance? Yes, you’re growing a business and that’s how you make your money, but you have to know relationships come before money. I have seen this over the years where business owners are money hungry and they don’t “care” about their team. It’s important to implement this life work balance style because one person can only do so much. You want long-term success, you must think of those you work with. To allow your team to have a healthy work-life falls over into their personal life. So how can you make this happen?

Creating a space in which you can promote balance is key to success. Do NOT allow your team to be overworked to where they feel they can’t have a personal life. I have seen this, and I have experienced this where the only thing that consumes life is work and this is not healthy. I mean, are you going to overwork yourself to the point you don’t allow yourself to do anything? I’m pretty sure you don’t.

Encourage establishing boundaries. When you set boundaries between work and personal life, it will help with productivity. Why? Because everyone will know what to expect. Let’s say you have set office hours. Leave it there. Don’t be that person who texts their team at dinner time and if you do and they don’t respond, don’t get upset about it. So when you’re setting boundaries, define expectations and allow for freedom outside of work. If you don’t set boundaries, burnout will occur.