Top 3 Hacks to Building Resilient Remote Teams

Whether it’s dealing with demanding clients or juggling remote work/home life, all teams will find themselves facing stress. What’s the key to helping your remote team deal with these adversities? Building resilience. By helping your team build this trait, you’ll benefit from a happier virtual workplace and impressive gains. Use these three top hacks to build resilient remote teams.

Allyship for Resilient Remote Teams

Entrepreneur suggests that trust and safety are vital elements of resilient teams. What does it take to build a culture of safety and trust in the remote workplace? Be an ally for all team members. What does this look like? Being an ally doesn’t mean you have to forgo setting high goals or giving constructive feedback. It means showing support, recognizing accomplishments, and building confidence among members.

For instance, if you want to help your employees feel more positive, take the time to recognize their hard work. In a remote environment, this may take a little creativity. Invite team members to a virtual meeting to announce significant accomplishments. During the celebration, surprise the star employee with a special lunch from an online food delivery service.

Create a Remote Workplace Where Feedback Is Welcomed

According to Human Resource Director, accepting praise is easy. Where we learn resilience is through our failures and by being open to constructive criticism. Winston Churchill once said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Remember, this relationship needs to go both ways.

Typically, leaders are the ones who offer constructive criticism to team members. Being humble enough to allow anyone to provide their opinions will lead to immense growth. Make sure team members know how to express productive criticism – instead of just criticism. Ask questions such as:

• What do you think we should do next? 

• What solutions do you see?

These questions will keep the feedback constructive.

Reassuring employees of job safety also ensures you’ll get everyone’s feedback. When people are heard, they feel more valued as a team member.

Strengthening “Protective Factors” 

According to the Harvard Business Review (HBR), three “protective factors” predict whether people will have resilience. These include high levels of job confidence, disciplined work routines, and social support. During these challenging times, try to strengthen your team by displaying compassion in these areas.

HBR recommends leaders ask questions like, “Who on your team might be able to help you?” There is power in reminding others they’re not alone. The employee lending a hand will also benefit because supporting others helps increase resilience.

Another strategy is to help team members recognize special skills useful in the workplace. Do you have an employee who is stellar at capturing the attention of others? Ask this person to provide virtual training. Confidence will grow as each member sees how their unique skills contribute to the team’s greater good.

Now more than ever, it’s essential to understand how to build resilient teams. Using these top three hacks will help your remote team build this trait. These tips will result in a happier virtual workplace, better productivity, and a healthy team culture.