11 Ways on How You Can Create a Cohesive Culture When Working with Offshore Employees?

‍

Cohesion can make your company strong. It can promote loyalty and dispel friction. And this is why you need to have a strong united team as you work with offshore employees. You need to build trust and unity among them.

‍

A united team, despite working remotely and being away from one another can achieve things better.

‍

Here are a few more strategies to create a cohesive culture when working with offshore employees:

‍

1. Encourage Trust and Collaboration

‍

‍You need to build trust among team members by promoting a collaborative work environment. Don’t make your team members feel alone or isolated. Create channels for communication and promote to your members the importance of sharing ideas.

‍

Encourage open and honest exchanges of thoughts and ideas, active listening, and constructive feedback. You have to emphasise the importance of teamwork and encourage collaboration with everyone.

‍

2. Push for Shared Goals and

‍

‍Purpose - Help your team members find a sense of ownership in what they do. Make them feel like they are important and allow them to feel a sense of belonging to the team. This will fuel their sense of shared purpose and a collective identity.

‍

If your offshore workers identify as partner in your growth, they will give their best efforts to help your company succeed. People naturally give more energy to the things that they care about. So, make your employees feel valued so that in turn, they will see that sharing your vision is important.

‍

Share with the team the organisation's mission and how each person's work advances it in a clear manner. Helping employees see how their efforts fit into the wider picture will increase their sense of motivation and belonging.

‍

3. Have Online Socialisation

‍

Provide chances for team members to socialise informally both locally and remotely. Encourage the use of virtual team lunches, coffee breaks, and chat channels specifically for non-work-related conversations. These unofficial interactions foster camaraderie and relationship development.

‍

By making your employees bond with each other, they will find work more enjoyable. And people who enjoy their work are more productive. If they have fun and laugh with their coworkers, they will be more likely to show up for work early and stay motivated.

‍

4. Promote Peer-to-Peer Relationships

‍

Don’t hinder your employees from talking to each other or having chitchat once in a while. As long as it does not hinder their productivity, allow them to connect with each other.

‍

Allow your employees to be friends by giving them the space to connect. Friendships formed at work help employees choose to stay in their jobs. Also, employees who like one another work better in projects because it minimises friction and promotes unity.

‍

If you can, try to create a friendly professional relationship with your offshore workers. Try to get to know them so that they will feel more connected and loyal to you. Make them feel valued.

‍

5. Resolve Time Zone Differences  

‍

Working together can be difficult due to time zone differences. Encourage team members' adaptability and understanding of meeting durations and response intervals. To promote good communication and coordination between onshore and offshore workers, aim for overlapping work hours.

‍

Have catch up sessions if possible. This helps make people feel connected despite having different schedules.

6. Train People to be Culturally Sensitive

‍

People will always come from different backgrounds and cultures. Variations in culture can have an impact on how your employees communicate, make decisions, and perceive their jobs. They may have different values from what you and your local staff have and so be aware about it.

‍

Provide you team with cultural sensitivity training to assist them in navigating these disparities. Learn how to understand one another so that you can avoid disparity.

‍

Be respectful of how people communicate based on their cultural perspective.

7. Allow Your Workers to Give Feedback

‍

Talk to your team. Establish avenues for offshore employees' feedback and proactively solicit their opinions on procedures, controls, and team dynamics. Let them voice out what they feel without reprimand or judgement.

‍

Knowing how your team feels can help you navigate managing them better. You can know what isn’t working and change it by giving them the voice to be heard. Don’t get upset when they tell you that something needs to be changed.

‍

Take their feedback and use it to improve how you operate

‍

8. Support Employee Well-Being

‍

Pay attention to the welfare of your offshore workers by providing resources and support programs. Talk to them ang get to know them and what drives them. Knowing what drives your employees can help you understand how to motivate them.

‍

Take into account elements like how they get stressed at work, their mental health, and work-life balance. Promote a positive work atmosphere by acting with genuine concern for their wellbeing.

‍

Don't just make them feel like they are just mere resources. Treat them like people.

‍

9. Share Their Success Stories

‍

If your offshore workers are doing well, share it with your company. Recognise them.

‍

In addition to recognising their accomplishments, this honor highlights the significant contributions made by offshore teams. This makes them feel that their efforts are valued and acknowledged, regardless of where they are located.

‍

10. Lead by Example

‍

If you want to be a good leader then show how you honor having a cohesive culture is important to you. Lead by example by demonstrating inclusivity. Push for open communication and respect for all team members, regardless of their where they are. Set the tone for collaboration and foster a positive work culture throughout the organisation.

‍

Never ever show them that you can’t or won’t try to understand their situation. Be open and even be kind. This can go a long way for you company’s success.

‍

11. Celebrate Cultural Holidays and Events

‍

If your offshore personnel are based in different locations, recognise and celebrate significant cultural holidays and events from those regions. This expresses respect, admiration, and inclusivity for their diverse cultural backgrounds. Think about including these festivities in your organisation's events and activities.

‍

It may not mean a lot to you, but their holidays may mean so much to them. Giving them lee ways like time offs on such days can help them feel more appreciated in your team.

‍

Using these techniques can help you create a culture of unity and cohesiveness in your company. You can make your employees, wherever they may be, an integral part of your company. This will in turn create a sense of loyalty and motivation among your team members.

‍

Cohesion at work is very important to help your organisation keep growing in the next years to come.

‍

Need to build a team with highly dedicated people? Talk to us today.