How to Build Trust in Your Remote Team

1. Be Transparent

This is where trust issues usually start. It is important to be transparent. Trust in remote teams grows through transparency. When you are fully transparent with your team, it demonstrates your trust in them. Every strong relationship starts with positive communication and behavior. Make sure to show your team while disagreements may happen, you still respect their ideas and input. Encourage accountability while also appreciating open and honest communication. By showing that you believe in their abilities, they, in turn, will trust you more. This openness also ensures they are well-informed and better equipped to make decisions that contribute to the success of your business.

Ensure to inform your teams about remote work policies, guidelines, rules, etc. A common way trust breaks is because of unclear project guidelines. So, it is better to post every new policy, guidelines, etc. in the group by mentioning everyone, so that everybody knows about it.

Additionally, be reliable and responsive. Every remote employee feels isolated at some point, so make sure that you let them know your free hours to reach out to you for support. By regularly checking them can help to offer and see how they’re doing in life. This actually makes them feel part of your team.

2. Set Clear Expectations

Remote work thrives on clarity, especially when it comes to roles, responsibilities, and goals. Setting clear expectations around deadlines, work hours, availability, and key performance indicators (KPIs) ensures everyone knows what’s required. Studies show that when managers include employees in setting goals, they are nearly 4 times more engaged than before.
Isn’t it surprising?

Transparency is the key to building trust. It’s also important to communicate how success will be measured and to provide supporting documentation to avoid confusion. When your team has a new member, make sure to explain what you expect regarding work hours, development, skills, and communication. It doesn’t have to be very strict. The key is to be clear about everything.

Instead of forcing them to stick to rigid office timings, you can say that they can work for 8 hours per day, should attend weekly scheduled meetings, etc.

When expectations are well-defined, employees feel more secure, confident, and engaged in their work, which strengthens trust within the team. This type of approach not only makes them feel good but also allows them to plan their day accordingly. Being strict can make them feel micromanaged, which can drastically harm trust and productivity.

3. Provide Regular Feedback

Make sure to give good, constructive, timely feedback will help encourage growth among employees and instill value in them. It is good practice to have bi-weekly or monthly meetings in which performance, challenges and opportunities for improvement can be discussed.

If any employee performs badly, let them know about their performance in meetings. By giving timely feedback, they gain a better understanding of their strengths, areas for improvement, and overall contributions to the team. Along with these honest feedback, make sure to give some suggestions to improve themselves. A small suggestion can make a big impact in boosting confidence and productivity. Praise good work, provide corrective steps, and build a culture that looks upon feedback as an avenue for growth rather than as a punishment.

4. Encourage Open Communication

Open communication is the foundation of trust in remote work. It simply means creating an environment where employees feel comfortable to share their thoughts, ideas, and concerns without any fear of judgment. For instance, imagine a team member struggling with a project but hesitates to ask for help, fearing they might seem unprepared. But who gets lost here? Obviously, the employee! Without any open communication, it definitely leads to missed deadlines and frustration.
Now, picture this, where an employee feels free to share their thoughts, struggles in a meeting, hoping he would get some help. And Yes, he got it!

With open communication, issues are solved quickly, stress will be reduced. To create this type of environment, encourage your employees to speak up about their thoughts without any fear. If they feel uncomfortable discussing things in meetings, tell them to ping personally.

Use collaborative tools such as chat apps, video calls, etc. that allow for seamless integration and real-time discussions. When team members are encouraged to speak openly, they become more engaged and misunderstandings are reduced. This helps build good relationships and trust within the team.

5. Conduct One-on-One Meetings

You might think a team meeting is enough to get updates from everyone but one-on-one meetings are way more effective to get to know about individuals in detail. Team meetings are great for team updates but they don’t give a chance to discuss about employee’s struggles, issues, personal challenges, etc.

Imagine, during a team call, everyone is sharing and updating about their work but that one employee who is struggling with overload stays silent. Because he isn’t comfortable sharing this issue in team meetings. Overtime, their performance drops, and frustration grows.

To prevent this situation, make sure to conduct one-on-one meetings once a month to get to know about your employees. Ask them how they’re doing and any challenges that they’re facing regarding work or in personal life. If they’re feeling low or stressed, make sure to offer some leaves to get better. This practice helps to build trust between you and your employee.

6. Support a Healthy Work-Life Balance

As we know how working remotely can blur the lines between personal and professional life. Trust is built when employees feel respected beyond their professional roles. Remote employees often work overnight, ignoring their health completely. They might think they’re productive, but overtime, exhaustion kicks in.

To avoid this issue, make sure to encourage your employees to take some breaks, eat healthy, and unplugging after working hours can help to maintain a balanced work-life. Employees maintain their motivation and engagement when they receive trust to handle their time needs for appointments and personal matters.

A healthy team is a productive team. Mental well-being boosts performance, reduces sick days, improves job satisfaction. So, make sure to offer flexibility and realistic working hours. Tell them about the importance of breaks, time off, and boundaries to prevent burnout.

7. Be Supportive

Be supportive when team members face challenges, it can be either personal or professional. A simple check-in, words of encouragement can have a big impact on employees. If they’re struggling with personal mental issues, offer help through mentorship, mental health resources, or being there to hear them out.

We usually see some announcements in groups such as someone completing a big project, celebrating work anniversaries, etc. Usually, people react with emoji or congratulate them.

Why not do the same? Celebrating good news, especially when it’s rare, helps build stronger connections. If possible, take it a step further—send a personal message to congratulate them or ask about their experience (respectfully, of course). At best, it leads to a great conversation and a stronger bond.

It actually helps to build trust and will always be ready to share any inconvenience with you. A supportive leader creates a positive and encouraging workplace.

8. Use Webcams to Build Presence

We know remote work lacks physical meetings and no face-to-face interactions. But luckily, webcams can help bridge the gap. Seeing everyone’s facial expressions and body language makes conversations more clear and real. Even a small, simple nod can make everyone feel involved and trusted.

Using webcams isn’t about strict rules- it’s about creating a sense of presence. It creates a sense of connection when team members show their faces in meetings. It actually feels like they’re in the same room. This small step can create a friendlier and more united team environment.

9. Organize Virtual Coffee Breaks

Remote work can be hectic and stressful. Employees may not speak about it but they surely feel stressed. It is better to conduct some fun “virtual coffee breaks” every day for a while. Virtual coffee breaks offer a fun and relaxed way for employees to connect other than work.

To conduct these virtual coffee breaks, make sure to schedule a perfect time where it should align with the time zones of every remote employee. You can organize these breaks through Zoom, Microsoft teams, etc. Set some time limit to these sessions.

It helps teams to sit around and chit-chat for a while, and celebrate work anniversaries, birthdays, big milestones, etc. Trust strengthens when a friendly personal bond forms alongside an effective working relationship.

10. Celebrate Achievements

Celebrating wins whether it can be small or big, is a simple way to build trust especially in remote teams. Take a moment to appreciate the hard work of your employees. It genuinely shows that you appreciate their efforts. Share these wins in meetings and groups so that everyone can see them. Instead of just saying “Good job”, you can be more specific. Tell them what they did well and why it made a difference. Your recognition level should align with the importance of achievement.

For instance, if you celebrate a “small win” as a huge party, and overlook the biggest achievement, your team may think it’s insincere. Your team members need genuine appreciation at the appropriate level to genuinely feel valued.
Beyond celebrating success through words, you can celebrate them in different forms. Surprise gifts, incentives, personalized thank you messages, or even virtual team celebrations can help. These small gestures can help employees feel valued and appreciated for the work they do. Celebrating successes keeps everyone motivated and connected.

11. Deal With Conflicts, Don’t Overlook Them

Conflicts, if ignored, can erode trust and morale. According to study, around 80% of remote workers have dealt with conflicts on the job.
Can you believe it?
According to virtual teams, the main reasons of these conflicts are:

• Work stress
• Lack of teamwork
• Clash of values
• Rude behavior
• False accusations
• Lack of transparency

Conflicts happen in remote teams as well due to miscommunication and some other reasons. If you haven’t heard anything till now then you’re not paying enough attention to it. There should be immediate and professional resolution such as open discussions for immediate concern resolution, and a fair resolution should be sought. Encourage a problem-solving mindset and provide mediation support if needed. A proactive approach to conflict resolution fosters a culture of respect and trust.