How to Build Remote Relationships at Work

5 Tips to Create Meaningful Relationships Within a Remote Team

Perhaps you’re in the mid to early stages of transitioning from office life to working in a very different way. Or maybe you’re a bit of a veteran and have been working in a remote work environment for years now.

Either way, the thought of structuring and fostering meaningful connections in a work environment can be challenging and even daunting for anyone.

Wherever you are in your relationship with remote work, we’ve got you covered.

Here are 5 essential tips that will help you build meaningful relationships with your team:

01. Streamline Communication Across Remote Teams

02. Choose Your Words in Text Communication Wisely

03. Icebreaker Moments in Meetings

04. Proactively Facilitate Communication

05. Periodic Hangouts

0.1 Streamline Communication Across Remote Teams

What’s your communication platform of choice? This is a foundational decision. Communication in organizations should get a lot of attention. If you're a remote employee, take notice of a company's culture because it can positively or negatively affect your state of mind.

Here are a few suggestions that are used by some of the most prominent organizations out there:

Microsoft Teams

Developed by Microsoft as part of the Microsoft 365 family of products, you can find channels to belong to or create your own.

Teams have two types of channels:

1. Standard (available and visible to everyone)

2. Private (focused, private conversations with a specific audience)

You can hold on-the-spot video calls and video conferences. You can share files within channels. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, and other Microsoft programs are all built into Microsoft Teams.

WeCom

WeCom is part of the WeChat ecosystem, China’s super go-to messaging application. There is a high level of interoperability between them. Since the WeCom user experience is similar to WeChat, it takes less time for the users to get familiar with the messaging and collaboration tool.

The Tencent team discovered the drawbacks of using WeChat in a professional setting and developed WeCom to create a clean ecosystem for more effective communication and exclusive services. WeCom now serves more than 5.5 million companies and 130 million monthly active users.

Slack

Developed by the software company Slack Technologies, Slack has gained popularity over time and is now one of the most talked-about proprietary business communication platforms.

It is a single place for messaging, collaborative tools, and files so that you can toggle between the client workspace and professional network.

It helps companies connect internally and externally with partners and consumers, solving critical communication challenges in the workplace.

02. Choose Your Words in Text Communication Wisely

Unlike in-person, where your body language and facial expressions can compensate for certain misuse of words. We can all slip up ever so often when we get excited or nervous about a conversation.

However, as you may have noticed, reading people’s reactions through masks is hard enough, not to mention through text.

This is where it’s of utmost importance to be clear and concise when communicating through text if you want to have meaningful conversations and positive co-worker relationships.

Take screenshots if need be. Refrain from blowing up workspaces by adding one-word meaningless contributions. And when what you want to say gets too wordy, don’t be afraid to make a call. While texting and messaging can be convenient, they can also sometimes be missed.

03. Icebreaker Moments in Meetings

As people gather in the boardroom, a murmur often happens. Coworkers catch up with each other for a brief moment before the meeting starts. Informal conversations, or what some would call cooler conversations, should be no different online.

Don't underestimate informal interactions it can help with relationship building.

Begin meetings talking a little bit about your personal life and make it into a weekly ritual. It reminds us we’re all humans first and remote workers second.

i.e., “This weekend I...” “I just ate…” “I’ve been watching this amazing…”

Another way to keep our digital worlds more human is to share and celebrate personal milestones. May it be a birthday, or personal achievement, sharing builds rapport.

You should also pay attention to your tone of voice in virtual meetings. There is a time and place for everything. So try to be concise and on time to avoid any misunderstandings.

Finally, a word on meetings - active listening is just as crucial as being the speaker. If your camera is on, show that you are engaged and not looking around into the abyss.

04. Proactively Facilitate Communication

Dedicate time to facilitate communication, or in other words: over-communicate.

Don't expect others to reach out if they have questions. Instead, check in frequently and take ownership of your tasks and responsibilities. Encouraging peer-to-peer feedback while collaborating on projects in real-time, meaning shared screens, is fun and can increase engagement.

If need be, start a virtual group, whether a book club or a group, to facilitate team-building activities, it can help stay connected on a regular basis.

05. Periodic Hangouts

Non-work activities can strengthen relationships between coworkers. While we can all get tied up or are still working towards managing our time outside of a physical office, you still want to work towards scheduling quick catch-up sessions.

After you’re familiar and comfortable with the small catch-ups, then you may want to graduate to virtual-happy-hours, virtual lunch dates, or even group workout sessions online.

Start a “water-cooler” group and think of it as a place, just like in person, where one can virtually drop into and have a little chat with colleagues during your break.

Conclusion

The past few years have transformed many people’s relationships with work, with millions transitioning from office to remote life.

While many may get used to working from home, others encounter obstacles. Check in with your teammates as you would with friends and family since you spend so much time with them. Let’s get through these uncertain times together and become stronger and more connected.