The trend of remote work has been gaining a lot of traction in recent years and it has slowly come to the point where it’s starting to be the norm instead of an exception. Younger generations value their free time more than anything, and so having the possibility to work from the comfort of their home and to organize their time in whatever way they best see fit is a huge plus everyone seeks for nowadays.

However, as more and more companies are offering their employees to be remote workers a serious question of how to effectively handle those workers in terms of communication and efficiency is starting beginning to be asked. Namely, businesses aren’t able to keep a close eye on these employees and so things such as unannounced delays can become a big problem for the business. Luckily, there is a way to fix and overcome these issues and it’s by starting to build relationships with these workers. 

1. Hire the right people

An important thing to keep in mind is that having the freedom to work wherever and however you want really isn’t for everyone. Because of this, the first step you should take when wanting to build relationships with your remote workers is to hire the people who understand the responsibility they have and are able to organize their time well in order to efficiently get their job done. If they possess this ability, building a relationship with them will already be a whole lot easier as they will also want to build a relationship with you. 

2. Try using video communication

A big mistake lots of employers make when talking to their remote workers is only using chat, email or phone calls to communicate. While these are all definitely extremely efficient ways to give them the information they need to hear, in the long run, it won’t give you the ability to build a good relationship with them. The fact of the matter is that while the exact numbers vary, scientists agree that the large majority of our communication occurs nonverbally. Because of this, making use of many different video communication platforms in order to communicate with your remote workers using video will help you build a more intimate and honest relationship with them, building trust and increasing the quality with which you communicate.

3. Meet them in real life

While using video to help you communicate with your remote workers will definitely help you build a more meaningful relationship with them it can still be a good idea to meet them in real life from time to time as well. Seeing the person, you are talking with physically in front of you instead of just through a phone or a computer screen will give a lot more meaning to your entire relationship with them and make them understand they are working for a real human being instead of just text on a screen. To help you do this, you can rent out one of the many well-equipped coworking spaces offered by companies such as The Executive Centre in many different locations which will give you a good space to talk to your workers and develop relationships with them.

4. Give them feedback

Finally, feedback is one of the most important aspects of building relationships with your employees overall and especially with your remote workers. This is especially the case if you give them honest and constructive feedback which will help them grow and improve. By telling them where they need to improve but also what they are doing well, you will allow them to form a solid understanding of just how they are performing and a chance to fix their errors but also to feel good about their accomplishments. This will further show them you care about how and what they are doing thus building and maintaining a healthy relationship with you.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, consistency is one of the most vital aspects of successfully communicating with your workers and building relationships with them. Because of this, any of the tips we’ve mentioned here won’t get you far unless you are utilising them regularly and honestly.