How to Build a Thriving Remote Team

Do remote workers need to return to the company office to thrive? Well, the answer to that is no. A survey by Akamai Technologies found that 83% of remote-friendly organizations reported high productivity.

That’s mainly due to the tools they use and a strong culture of trust. So, if you want to build a thriving remote team, it’s possible. Read on to learn more.

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Sort Your Connectivity Before You Travel

Remote teams are not stationary. People relocate, spend a few months working from another country, fly out to a client onsite, or gather for the one week a year the whole team is in the same room. Movement is a feature of remote work, not an exception to it.

That creates a risk office-based teams never face: someone landing in another country with no reliable way to get online. The consequences are practical. A deliverable sits unapproved. A stand-up runs without the person who owned the update. A client waits while a colleague hunts for airport Wi-Fi that keeps dropping. So treat connectivity like the flight itself and sort it before departure, not on arrival.

An eSIM is the simplest way to do that. It installs on the phone before you leave, activates the moment you land, and skips your home carrier’s roaming charges entirely. That matters more than it sounds. Australian carriers still bill roaming per person, per day, which is how a fortnight abroad for three colleagues becomes an expense line nobody budgeted for.

Say your team offsite is in Tokyo, or a developer is spending a month working out of Osaka. A Holafly eSIM option for Japan gives them unlimited data for the duration of their stay at a single upfront price, so nobody has to ration their connection midway through a workday.

Every Holafly plan also includes Always On: 1GB of free backup data each month that kicks in automatically when the main plan runs out, pauses, or expires. It’s a small safeguard, but it means a handover or an approval never stalls because someone’s data ended.

Hiring Across Borders

Research has found that 84% of executives find it hard to get technical talent in local markets. So, what option do they have? Well, it’s to hire across borders. You can do that by:

• ● Defining the skills, experience, and work habits required for each role.
• ● Not focusing on where candidates live.
• ● Using consistent talent evaluation criteria to make hiring decisions based on ability.
• ● Reducing cultural bias while hiring.
• ● Creating clear team guidelines around communication, availability, meetings, feedback, and decision-making.

The good thing about hiring across borders is that you get to hire top talent in the required fields. What’s more, you get to promote the global economy.

Tools That Keep Teams Aligned

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The right tools can reduce communication gaps. At the same time, they can keep remote projects on track. And the most important ones for a thriving remote team are project management platforms and communication tools.

The good thing is that there are several project management platforms that you can use. Some of them include Monday.Com, Asana, Trello, Notion, and ClickUp. These tools will help you assign and track project progress.

When it comes to communication apps, consider platforms like Slack. Slack integrates well with other productivity apps. This ensures fast and ongoing communication across teams.

Maintaining Company Culture Remotely

According to a SHRM report, 83% of employees at companies with a strong culture say they are motivated to produce high-quality work. At the same time, companies with a strong culture see up to 4X higher revenue growth.

So, if you want your remote team to thrive, establish a strong culture. You can do that by:

• ● Highlighting accomplishments during team meetings.
• ● Having a dedicated shoutout channel.
• ● Running a 15-minute virtual coffee roulette to build bonds across borders and time zones.
• ● Hosting monthly collaborative activities, such as virtual trivia.

Measuring Productivity Without Micromanaging

Measuring productivity is a must when it comes to remote work. And the best way to do it is to set clear goals, deadlines, and measurable KPIs. Then, give employees the freedom to decide how they’ll complete their work.

This will ensure that they’re highly likely to be engaged and perform better. Therefore, for better productivity, don’t micromanage everything.