RAINMAKERS
7 Effective Ways To Build Resilient Relationships While Working Remotely !
By Dr . Clifford Ferguson
Preamble
In this particular article , I endeavor to share my considered thoughts on why building relationships is important and how you can create strong bonds with people you work with virtually !
Working from home has progressed from being just a trend to a more viable and respectable option for many organizations today .
Being a strong proponent of work-life flexibility and virtual workplaces , I believe it is a true win-win situation wherein companies can save costs while keeping their hard-to-find talent in places other than mother ship and skilled professionals turn to become happier employees having the luxury of working from home without the hassle of relocating or commuting to pursue their dream job !
Happier employees are positively associated with good retention rate , increased morale and continued success for the company !
However working remotely is not easy and requires a certain set of temperament and skills to succeed as a Virtual team member .
Importance of building and maintaining relationships
Before we go into “ how ”, let ’ s start with |
“ why ” it is important to foster workplace |
relationships |
even |
when |
working |
remotely ! |
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Developing high quality relationships has been positively connected to increased productivity and feeling psychologically safe at work . People , who have strong workplace friendships tend to feel less isolated , more focused and loyal to their company , get sick less often and don ’ t change jobs frequently .
But given all the benefits of having high quality workplace friendships , it is imperative that virtual employees must make a deliberate effort to build relationships .
Here , in a remote working situation the interactions should be much more purposeful and require greater effort unlike people who work in a physical office where networking happens naturally when you meet your co-worker down the hallway or by the water-cooler and brainstorm a work problem along with discussing weekend plans !
So is it possible to still build strong
Developing high quality relationships has been positively connected to increased productivity and feeling psychologically safe at work . People , who have strong workplace friendships tend to feel less isolated , more focused and loyal to their company , get sick less often and don ’ t change jobs frequently . connections , foster meaningful workplace friendships while working out from your home ? The answer is undisputedly YES ! Here-under are some simple strategies to help build meaningful virtual work relationships !
Be accessible
This is where the romantic idea of working at your own pace breaks down as it is very important to be available to your team when they need you . When your team does not see you on a daily basis , they will feel uneasy and this may cause concerns about your ability to meet Project deadlines . You have to be accessible during the core work hours and build trust with your team by constantly delivering results and being available to answer any last minute escalations .
Being in Talent Acquisition , I average over 3 hours of meetings a day - some days more demanding than others and hence working remotely requires more planning and organizing my schedule to accommodate different time zones of my clients .
Core Hours
It is important to establish your core hours , blocks of time in which you will be present and available to your team which is usually 8 hours but can vary according to your company . Set expectations that outside core work hours , the team can expect a delay in response .
Socialize your schedule with your team / clients
One of the biggest perks of working
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