Being a full-time remote worker definitely has its benefits but if we’re being honest… sometimes it can be hard to navigate the world of remote work 24/7. If you’re used to office environments and coffee banter, sometimes it can be an isolating experience but it doesn’t have to be that way.
With the future of work inevitably leading to more companies having remote employees and more people being brought on to teams so they can work from anywhere in the world… it’s vital to have the right tactics in place both as an employee and an employer.
There are some companies that do remote work really well. One of those is Hanno, a business that focuses on helping organizations build and launch life-changing products. The team is 100% remote and does all of their collaborations online, even with their clients. We had the pleasure of connecting with Laila, the Remote Work Mentor of the Hanno team to teach the Sun and Co. community about Remote Team Culture and now we’re going to share some of the takeaways with you!
3 Ways To Improve Team Culture
by Hanno
Keep Your Systems Effective
One of the biggest hardships of being on a fully remote team can be systems and organizations. We asked Laila how do they keep their systems effective both within their team and with their clients as well.
In their company, they have “playbooks” which are perfect both when onboarding new team members as well as frequenting them in their day-to-day work situations. When you have guidelines within a team it not only helps you figure out how you do your work internally but it also helps your clients understand how you work as a remote business… just in case they need some clarity or have never worked with a brand remotely before.
Keeping systems effective also means that team communication is transparent on all fronts. They use something called Everyday PPP which stands for Plan, Progress and Process. It allows for everyone to be able to check-in with one another and be able to keep everyone on the team accountable.
Connect On A Deeper Level
Sometimes when working remotely, it can be a bit difficult to connect with your coworkers on a deeper level outside of the meetings and daily tasks that you have ahead. So what are some different ways to connect on a deeper level as a remote team?
Implementing things like check-ins before your meeting. It helps you all open up about how you’re feeling and get to know what’s going on with your teammates outside of work.
Another way to connect with teammates is having informal activities like “Friday Beer or Coffee”. At Hanno we host this weekly, allowing time for informal chatting within the teams and connecting on a different level.
Know What Tools You Need
What is so impressive about the Hanno team is that, although their business focuses on creating and implementing new projects and services for their clients, they are truly thought-leaders when it comes to remote work culture and efficiency.
They don’t just help their clients learn how to work remotely and be more efficient, they also help thousands of other people in the world learn how to implement better remote work practices via various online resources.
Some Useful Tools For Your Remote Team
Here are some tools you probably haven’t heard of to help with productivity and collaboration within remote teams.
Remote Starter Kit: The Hanno overview of all the tools that you need to help your team collaborate better and be happier.
Oskar: The tool you never knew you needed. A bot that helps track your team’s happiness via Slack!
Donut: A site that helps you build amazing company culture online.
Reinventing Organizations: Laila recommends reading this book when you’re thinking about your own company culture and how to work better as a team and a new way of rethinking how an organization works and operates on a daily basis.
Do you work or lead a remote team? What tools and practices do you use to keep everyone organized, efficient and happy? Let us know in the comments!
