Team-Building Across Multiple Time Zones

Collaborating with a geographically dispersed team offers a unique experience compared to working side-by-side in cubicles at an organization’s headquarters. Remote teams lack the ability to simply walk down the hall and chit-chat with their colleagues, grab lunch with fellow employees, and organically build stable working relationships by saying hello to each other every morning in the break room. Instead, many remote-based professionals feel disconnected from their team members, organizational leadership, and the organization’s mission. This can be an extremely frustrating experience for new and seasoned employees alike and, if left unaddressed, can directly contribute to employee burnout, high turnover, and lags in productivity and engagement. 

Remote Work Can Provide Many Benefits

Becker Digital has utilized remote work since our founding in 2015. For our diverse teams, the accessibility and flexibility remote work provides is a significant benefit and aligns well with employees’ priorities for work-life balance. Given our company’s 100% military-connected team consisting of retired service members, disabled veterans, military spouses, and veteran caregivers, the option to work remotely supports the employee and their family through the unique lifestyle demands of military and post-military life. Thanks to technology, we’re able to deliver high-quality support to public sector organizations all across the United States. However, remote work success didn’t just happen for our team; it required customized strategy and intention that evolved into effective company-wide practices for supporting positive employee experiences across multiple time zones. 

Remote Work Success isn’t Automatic 

Remote work doesn’t automatically “work” for every team. The organization must structure remote teams in an effective and efficient manner and equip team members with the strategies necessary to collaborate well with each other. Additionally, remote teams often face unique challenges when it comes to team-building through a small screen, often hundreds or thousands of miles away from their colleagues.

Cracking the Remote Team-Building Code

One of the key challenges we hear from organizational clients at Becker Digital is the ongoing struggle to build a sense of camaraderie, cooperation, and rapport across multiple time zones. Just because teams are geographically dispersed doesn’t mean they are destined to a permanent existence of disconnect! Organizational leaders who understand how to harness technology in a human-centered way can help remote teams go beyond the screen, foster positive working relationships, and enhance overall performance.

Actionable Strategies for Team-Building

If you are interested in learning how to build cohesive and collaborative remote teams, here are a few actionable strategies that may enhance the overall success of your organization:

Leverage Technology for Connection

Technology, when used effectively, can be an excellent enhancer of geographically-dispersed collaboration. However, technology used ineffectively can result in employee stress, miscommunication, and stifled performance. Consider how your organization utilizes technology to enhance the employee experience and how it may inadvertently use it to hurt performance. Ask your remote team members what technologies and processes they find helpful in terms of collaboration and which ones they find challenging. It’s important to recognize that what works well for one employee may not be universal to the entire team. Some employees may benefit from daily virtual team huddles via video conferencing, while others may find hours of being on camera draining or distracting. Solicit feedback and ideas from your team members on the types of technology and uses of technology they find useful for communication, collaboration, and project management.

Implement Virtual Team-Building Activities

Organize virtual team-building activities to create a sense of community and strengthen relationships. Activities like online games, virtual coffee breaks, and team challenges can help bring the team closer and create a fun and engaging work environment. At Becker Digital, we develop and deliver virtual team-building experiences for public sector organizations. These engagements are always customized to the client, their team, and the mission. They include a mix of continuing education specific to the needs of the team, interactive discussion, and lots of virtual games and activities to support networking among team members. Recognizing that virtual events can be taxing, we use learning-style-based approaches to include multiple formats and integrate routine breaks throughout the event to provide relief from non-stop screen time.

Foster a Culture of Communication

Encourage open and transparent communication within the team. Develop formal or informal policies regarding how things should be communicated. Should remote employees call if they encounter a challenge, or would an email or Slack channel be best? What communication platforms should employees use to communicate congratulations, humorous banter, etc.? Is there a routinely scheduled networking “happy hour” that can support team-building and employees getting to know each other? Consider creating communication channels or discussion-based virtual events where team members can share updates, ask questions, and provide feedback. This can help build trust and ensure that everyone feels heard and valued. Recognize that employees may have different communication preferences and screen time bandwidth, so be sure to integrate several diverse options for engagement.

Consider In-Person Retreats

Another team-building strategy we have found very useful at Becker Digital is investing in quarterly in-person retreats to strengthen team bonds and enhance collaboration. These retreats provide an invaluable opportunity for team members to connect face-to-face, foster deeper relationships, and engage in meaningful discussions that are often difficult to achieve through virtual communication alone. During these retreats, we focus on team-building activities, feedback-seeking discussions, strategic planning sessions, and collaborative workshops that not only promote a sense of unity but also drive innovation and creativity within the team. By bringing everyone together in a relaxed setting, we create an environment where ideas can flow freely, challenges can be addressed openly, and team members can learn more about each other's strengths and perspectives. These in-person events are a great way to invest in our team members, enhance their experience at our company, and support their individual career goals.

Celebrate Achievements and Milestones

In both in-person and remote settings, it’s critical for organizations to acknowledge and celebrate the accomplishments and milestones of their team members. Recognizing significant events like project completions, work anniversaries, and personal achievements can enhance team spirit and foster a positive work culture. These celebrations provide an opportunity to show appreciation for hard work, boost morale, and strengthen the bond between team members. In a traditional office environment, acknowledgments often happen organically through casual conversations, office gatherings, and spontaneous celebrations. However, in a remote work setting, it’s important to be intentional about creating similar opportunities for recognition and celebration. Personalized messages, thoughtful gifts, social media shout-outs, employee spotlights and virtual celebrations can all be a good way to provide recognition for remote team members’ achievements.

Conclusion

Remote team building takes work to be successful; however, it is accessible through customized approaches and human-focused strategies. Organizations can build strong, collaborative, resilient remote teams that thrive across time zones. At Becker Digital, we know that geographically dispersed teams can achieve remarkable success and make meaningful contributions to their organizations with the right approach. The future of work is increasingly remote, and those who embrace and optimize this model will be well-positioned for sustained success.

Remote Team Support - Next Steps

For public sector organizations seeking remote team support, Becker Digital is a trusted consulting firm that provides mission-driven organizations with customized services. Contact us to discuss your organization’s mission support needs and goals!

Becker Digital is honored to continue a lifetime of service to our nation as an SBA-Certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and HUBZone Business!