The foundation of any amicable relationship should be trust. You trust that the coffee from your favourite cafe will taste the same every time you order it. You trust that the shoes you bought from a well-known brand is going to last for over a dozen wears. When the trust is violated, the relationship is at risk of being severed.

This same concept is applicable in the workplace. You trust that your workers are doing their best at accomplishing their tasks, especially if you did the hiring and interviews yourself. The bigger question is whether your employees trust you in turn.

Why is trust valuable among teammates?

Many entrepreneurs and managers rarely think about the need for trust. Some of them assume that it is two-way by default yet do little to earn and foster the trust of their team. If you believe that trust isn’t something that the team needs, look at the following reasons and think again!

• You encourage your team to seek guidance, advice, or support without fear of being misunderstood.
• You gain the power to get your team to follow your instructions and get things done as you want.
• You get to hear about new solutions and ideas since your team is more open to sharing them to you.
• You have better damage control as your team is not afraid to admit their mistakes or failures.
• You motivate your team to continue despite the obstacles and take chances for their own successes.

How to build a culture of trust in a remote team

When working onsite, camaraderie and trust are often build through organic interactions, such as meeting in the pantry. These situations are less likely to occur when working with remote assistants, which is why you must be intentional in your efforts to connect with them and with each other.

Give them space to breathe

Understandably, you want to be in control of your remote staff in the Philippines or wherever they may be based at the moment. Resist the urge to micromanage your employees though, and trust them to deliver the expected results on time. Look at the bigger picture to build an atmosphere of appreciation.

It’s a good idea to incorporate informal tea breaks into their schedules so they have an avenue to discuss anything unrelated to work. If there is a special happening in any of their lives, e.g. work anniversaries or birthdays, celebrate them together albeit remotely.

Encourage them to communicate

Since you bothered to hire Filipino remote professionals, ensure that they remain in the loop, especially for important announcements and updates. Those who are working with a team comprised of both onsite and remote members tend to forget the latter in emails and texts.

Avoid the risk of a breakdown in communication and eventually trust by double-checking your communication lines. One thing you may do is ask for confirmation from them whenever you make an announcement. This way, you will be certain that they are in the loop and that they are aware of major changes.

Show them your appreciation

Do you want to know what really helps employee motivation, especially if you’ve decided to hire remote staff? It’s giving them credit where it’s due and regular feedback regarding their work. Once you see how your workers grow through recognition, you’ll consider using this technique more.

Of course, you need a proper way of measuring performance to avoid any question of you playing favourites and awarding only those you like personally. Establish key metrics and learn to make detailed reports so you have proof that they are deserving of the rewards.

Be clear with rules and objectives

In order for your team to work more effectively, you have to set guidelines on how everyone is to communicate with each other. Maybe chat messaging is better for sending updates on task progress but calls are more efficient for disseminating information about project changes.

Goals have to be transparent and agreed upon too. If you want your social media specialist to publish 30 posts per week, for instance, you must ensure that it’s communicated to them. Remember to be reasonable with objectives by researching what’s achievable within a certain time frame.

Let them use the right tools

Face-to-face interactions are crucial for gaining respect and establishing respect. However, after you chose to hire remote employees, that has become a challenge since they’re no longer located in the same place or even country. The good news is that there is collaboration software available for your team.

Take note that there are all kinds of applications and programs these days but not everything is going to work for your business. Although one tool might be effective for one person, it might not be feasible for the rest of your employees. Consider doing a trial period before paying for a premium subscription to save money.

Bonus: hire remote Filipino staff agency

Creating a virtual work atmosphere that cultivates fairness and trust takes a lot of work, as what you may have gathered from the tips above. It’s not going to happen overnight and you likely have to invest resources to make it happen. Choosing reliable and experienced remote assistants does make the process faster and easier.

We at Remote Workmate are a remote workers agency that specialises in connecting global employers with remote staff in the Philippines. If you’re planning to hire Filipino remote experts, this is the right place for you. We endorse only candidates who meet your standards, including those for attitude or soft skills.