Working from home is a common perk in startupland, and many employees appreciate the flexibility and convenience. But when your team is spread across a number of zip codes, it can be hard to feel like one connected team. As a manager of a remote team, you need to be especially on top of communication and culture. Luckily, these local companies are here to help.
Working from your bedroom or favorite local coffee shop is great in theory, but not that cool in practice. Your bed is a constant temptation, and coffee shops can get loud. That’s why remote employees can benefit from shared workspaces like Breather. It’s hard for them to feel lonely or unmotivated when they’re surrounded by entrepreneurs (and free snacks and events).
Email is helpful because it leaves a paper trail, but it also takes away the personal component that you get with meetings. X.ai makes it easy to schedule meetings and keep everyone feeling like one big family. All you do is email your meeting guests and copy [email protected], and “she” handles it from there. You’ll receive an email with a list of available meeting times and contact information. It’s like having an on-demand personal assistant to schedule all of your team meetings.
Even with an on-site team, managers don’t always have the inside scoop on how their employees are feeling. When you add distance to the mix, it becomes even more of a mystery. Butterfly.ai is a service that contacts your team and gathers information about morale, work environment and more. You’ll receive insight from your remote employees and helpful tips for improving culture on a regular basis.
Still not sure how to help your employees feel connected? Just ask. CultureIQ is a platform that asks employees customized questions pertaining to the office culture. Surveys consist of 29 questions and take about 10 minutes to complete. It spreads good will throughout the company and offers transparency for employees near and far.
Images via Facebook and Life of Pix.
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