Remote Team Engagement: All You Need Are the Right Tools

Do you have a remote team? I’ve been advocating the work-at-home lifestyle since my son Arik was born, 7 years ago. At that point, I realized there is no need to go into the office everyday—I can be as productive at home; probably even more so, if I try to avoid all the Law & Order reruns that are on.

I got this here.

Sorry, Stabler. I love McCoy best.

Work at home is no longer a trend—a remote team is a proven way for small and large companies to save money while increasing productivity. In fact, according to an article in Remote.co,  two-thirds of managers say employees who work remotely increase their overall productivity. The same article cited that remote working policies decrease employee turnover and increase employee engagement.

Remote team members are more engaged.

Increased employee engagement when working from home, how is that possible? A 2012 Harvard Business Review article found that remote team workers are MORE engaged than those who work in the office. According to the article (and me), people work harder to connect when they aren’t in the same location.

I got this here.

See? Look at how difficult this is for him.

Take my home-based bookkeeping practice and consulting firm as an example. I have clients and colleagues all over the country. Even though I’m at home, I’m constantly collaborating with my remote team. We see each other rarely (even the folks that live in the same town as I do), yet we really know one another, our strengths and weaknesses and what’s happening. That’s important because all teams work better when the members take the time to know each other.

I got this here.

Maybe not like this.

I’m here to tell you, you can have great team relationships wherever your team members may be—in the cubicle next to you or working from a Wi-Fi connection on the beach. It just takes a little effort and the right technology.

That’s why I’m hosting a webinar, Small Business/Distributed Office Teamwork Tips: How to Stay Connected on April 28 at 2 p.m, sponsored by Ooma Office.

In it, I’ll cover techniques to engage your remote team and technology to keep it simple. Register now—this webinar may just be what your business needs to improve team communication and collaboration.

PS: If you can’t make the live webinar – please register! I’ll send a link to the recording.

PPS: There are two other opportunities to find out about Ooma Office: Thursday, April 21, we’ll have Ooma VP of Product Dennis Pang as our guest on the QBO Show & Monday, April 25, we’ll be doing a special Q&A with Ooma in our FaceBook group, Between Wall & Main (you’ll need to request access to the group to participate).