Let’s discuss one of the biggest challenges of remote work:
Integrating employees that are not on-site into your team.
Here’s the thing:
It sounds harder than it is.
We’ve become quite the experts on this topic, as it is our line of work. So, we created a guide with 5 strategies to integrate remote developers into your team easily. And yes, you can use those for all team members.
Ready?
Benefits of Hiring Remote Developers
There might be more advantages of hiring global developers than you realise. The top ones include:
- Global talent pool – this means you can benefit from a diverse skill sets and various niche experts.
- Lower costs – any company save on office space, utilities, and even salaries, depending on which country you hire from.
- Scalability and flexibility – you can adapt to changes more rapidly, whether it’s scaling up for a new project or downsizing during slower periods.
- Resilience and continuity – a remote workforce means your business can continue to operate smoothly in case of natural disasters, pandemics, or other disruptions.
- Increased productivity – working remotely often means fewer interruptions and distractions compared to a traditional office environment.
Ready to take the necessary steps to find suitable talent and enhance your team with remote employees?
Shoot us a message – we’d love to help!
5 Ways to Successfully Integrate Remote Developers
Once you’ve hired the most suitable candidates, you’ll need to create a remote team integration strategy.
We’d like to offer you our top 5 tips to make the process easier:
Clear Communication
Your top priority.
Clear and consistent communication is the backbone of any successful remote team. It eliminates misunderstandings, keeps everyone aligned, and fosters a sense of inclusion among remote developers.
So, here’s what you need to do:
Schedule daily or weekly check-ins to discuss progress, address issues, etc. Encourage an open-door policy where developers feel comfortable reaching out with questions or concerns. Also, establish clear communication guidelines, including response times, preferred communication channels, and meeting schedules.
Some tools that might come in handy include:
- Zoom
- Microsoft Teams
- Slack
Structured Remote Onboarding Process
You want every person on your team to have a clear idea what their tasks are and how they need to be executed.
That’s why it’s a good idea to conduct a virtual orientation.
You should introduce the company culture, values, and key team members. You can also assign a mentor or buddy to guide remote developers through their initial weeks.
We advise you to make use of tools like Loom to record and share video tutorials. Google Documents will enable you to keep onboarding documents, training materials, and company handbooks available to everyone.
Suitable Collaboration Tools
Choosing the right collaboration tools can significantly impact the efficiency and productivity of your virtual team management strategy.
But let’s be fair, the market is oversaturated, so it’s easy to get confused.
We’ve got you. You need:
- Project management tools – Asana, Microsoft’s Planner, Monday.
- Development platforms – GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket.
- Corporate wiki software – Confluence, Nuclino, Quip.
In order to choose the most suitable for your company, consider the size of your team, the available budget, the ease of use, and available support channels.
Agile Methodologies Adoption
We know it’s cliche at this point, but agile works great for most companies.
We’re talking about a set of principles and practices for software development. They focus on flexibility, collaboration, customer feedback, and iterative progress. Great for remote workers!
The key practices include:
- Short, daily meetings
- Work sprints (around two weeks)
- Regular retrospectives
Of course, you’ll need suitable remote work tools to ensure smooth sailing. Jira, KanbanFlow, and Slack are about to be your new best friends.
Strategies for Engagement
Keeping remote developers engaged and feeling like part of the team is essential for maintaining productivity and job satisfaction.
The easiest way to do it is by offering consistent and constructive feedback. It helps remote workers understand areas for improvement and overall performance levels. If they’re doing well – recognise it! Rewarding achievements boosts morale and motivation for your whole team.
Another idea:
Schedule virtual team-building activities. They can include online quizzes, challenges, and coffee breaks. Slack, for example, has the Random Coffee extension. It randomly matches employees, prompting them to jump on a call and get to know each other.
Last but not least, invest in your remote workers’ professional growth. The cost of ignoring their development is too high. Reseach available trainings, conferences, and seminars. That way both your company and your team will stay on top of their game.
Wrap Up
See, it’s not that hard!
That doesn’t mean it’s not important. Laying strong foundations, communicating clearly, fostering team spirit, and investing in your remote developers’ growth will help your company reach new hights.
But remember:
That’s not a one-time task. Your team and their wellbeing should be an ongoing project.
FAQ
How to integrate a remote team?
Integrating a remote team successfully involves establishing clear and consistent communication channels. You’ll also need to develop a structured onboarding process. Utilize collaboration software that suits your team’s needs and implement Agile methodologies. Finally, keep your team engaged with regular feedback, recognition, and team-building activities.
How to hire remote developers?
You can turn to companies specialising in hiring remote developers, like Expert Allies. That way, you can be sure you’ve gotten the most suitable talent out of a huge global pool. Also, we’ll do all the research, interviews, etc. For you.
How do you unite a remote team?
You can unite a remote team via clear communication, regular virtual meetings, and an inclusive culture. You can foster the spirit with the help of virtual team-building activities and encourage collaboration with the right tools. Also, you need to provide regular feedback and recognition to keep everyone motivated.