Top 10 Tips to Improve Your Relationship with Remote Developers in India

Earlier, when someone said remote staff, it simply meant a number of people who are located in a different place. However, this is not the case anymore.

After the Covid-19 pandemic, the definition of Remote Working has changed completely. Today, many organizations and global enterprises are promoting the remote working culture model for good reasons.

When you allow your workers to work remotely, you gain many advantages. You can save time, and resources, facilitate work-life balance and improve efficiency and productivity to a great extent.

As per the report by Owl Labs, 70% of people who worked remotely reported that virtual meetings are less stressful.

The same report also reveals that 55% of employees said that they worked for more hours while working from home.

The remote working culture is the new normal and it also saves some overhead and operational costs for organizations as well. However, before you hire remote developers in India, let’s understand the concept in length.

What Is a Remote Work Culture?

The Covid-19 pandemic forced many countries to shut down their offices completely. Many countries were locked down to stop a deadly virus from spreading.

Obviously, businesses cannot stop working and so they have allowed their employees to work from their homes.

After the lockdown, some companies have asked employees to start coming to the office and some companies continued the remote work culture as they have already experienced the benefits of this model.

In short, a remote working culture is a norm where employees work from their homes and not from offices.

You should not assume that the model offers only benefits, this model also has some drawbacks as well.

Let’s check out the benefits and drawbacks of this model.

Benefits of Remote Work Culture

1. No Geographical Limitations for Employers

Yes, you can hire someone located far away from your country and you can hire him. There are no geographical boundaries. You can have the best pool of talent for your projects.

Also, most employees have their laptops and other tools. You can save operational costs to a great extent.

However, for some specific profiles, you might need to facilitate them with the system, tools, and technologies.

2. Employees Can Save Commuting Time

This is a big relief for employees who used to spend at least an hour or so to reach their offices earlier. Now, they don’t have to commute to the office and they can utilize this time to focus more on work.

Also, traffic, noise, and other commuting parameters don’t disturb the mental health of employees. So, they are fresh and energetic to work for you.

3. Improves Productivity of Employees

When you are working from your home, you are in your comfort zone. Also, you don’t have to address office issues and other interruptions at home. Hence, it is also reflected in your work as well.

Your productivity and efficiency will increase to a great extent. You will work with more focus and determination.

4. No Office Rents and Parking Spots

For employers, they might get rid of huge office rents and other overhead costs as your staff is working from home.

Also, you don’t need to hire parking spaces for your office workers. It might give you some relief from monthly overhead and operational costs.

5. Lower Carbon Footprint

The remote work culture means fewer cars and motorbikes on the road and fewer working ACs.

It will lower the carbon footprint on the earth. By promoting a remote work culture, you are helping the environment.

Disadvantages of Remote Work Culture

Here is a list of some of the disadvantages of remote work culture.
6 disadvantages of remote work culture

1. Less Suitable for Positions That Require the Use of Specialized Technologies and Tools

You might not be able to apply for specific positions if you don’t own specific tools and technologies that are required to fulfill your tasks.

2. Lesser Networking Opportunities for Employees

Employees might find fewer networking opportunities as they are not meeting their colleagues regularly.

3. Productivity Issues

Though the remote work model improves overall productivity, some employees might not be as productive as they should be. When you hire remote developers, you need to keep this thing in mind to choose wisely.

4. Isolation Issues

Some employees might find themselves overlooked or isolated with this model in place. Employees who love to work with team members are specifically prone to such feelings.

5. Cohesiveness Issues

When employees work together in a team, it improves cohesiveness among the team. Remote team members might not be able to build that bond and team spirit among themselves.

6. Coordination Issues

Sometimes, employers might find issues to coordinate with the employees regarding work, meetings, and other vital tasks.

How to Build Strong Working Relationships with Remote Developers in India?

Here are the top ten ways you can build strong working relationships with remote developers in India.

10-ways-to-keep-your-relationships-strong-with-hired-remote-developers

1. Have Good Understanding Levels

If you want to develop and manage a remote team, you need to have good understanding levels. You need to motivate and encourage them to improve their productivity and efficiency.

There will be times when they will be disheartened and you must encourage them. You need to understand their personal or professional challenges and try to help them to get out of them.

2. Know Them Personally

When you hire remote developers in India, try to know them personally. Building personal relationships might work wonders for you.

When there is a personal repo, you will be able to push their limits and they will happily do that for you.

Also, when employees can share their personal feelings or issues with employers, overall productivity also improves. Try to make some space in their personal life and you might see the magic.

3. Stay in Touch with Them

An informal good morning message in the morning might turn the tables for you. Employees will feel special and they will reciprocate in return for sure.

In case of any performance issues, understand the situation and act accordingly.

When you constantly stay in touch with them by wishing them on their birthdays or anniversary days, employees love such gestures from the upper management.

Build such relationships and they will reciprocate in terms of productivity and efficiency.

4. Make Them Feel Included

It is very crucial for remote workers to feel included. They should feel that they are part of the team. Invite them to company events, project presentations, and other social gatherings.

Also, take their input in office affairs and they will feel included. For any person, feeling valued is a common trait that they expect.

On the other hand, when they are ignored for most of the part, it might reflect in their productivity.

5. Recognize Their Achievements and Reward Them

When your remote developers achieve some milestones such as timely delivery of the project, recognize their effort and reward them. Just a personal message or email might boost their morale.

They will love such gestures and work for you for a long time. They will feel that you value their hard work and commitment and they will try more to pull up your expectations.

Some organizations come up with remarkable reward systems for remote workers in terms of coupons, shopping vouchers, and others.

You can also arrange such a reward system for your office to make them feel valued.

6. Be Flexible with Them

Another valuable tip to build a strong relationship with your remote developers is to be flexible with them in terms of time and other things.

Employees love flexible timings when they work remotely. Also, listen to their inputs and be flexible with them in terms of office details.

7. Encourage Their Personal Hobbies and Interests

Employees do have their personal hobbies and interests. When they are working remotely, encourage them to work on their skills and give them a platform to showcase their talents.

Many organizations have conducted special programs where employees have showcased their personal skills and interests.

Not just that, discuss their personal hobbies and interests with them and encourage them to pursue such hobbies.

8. Have Weekly Virtual Meetings

Once a week, take a virtual meeting. Encourage your employees to take the lead and discuss project-related or other stuff.

The main aim of conducting these virtual meetings is to encourage discussions and improve team cohesiveness. Here, any member can discuss anything he wants without any filters.

It will also allow you to discuss your views and opinions on work or other aspects.

9. Respect the Local Culture of Your Remote Employees

Yes, it is a very important step to building strong relationships with your remote workers, especially if they are located outside your country.

For example, Indian developers are very much attached to their culture, rituals, and festivals.

Some of the festivals they celebrate are Diwali, Holi, Shivratri, and others. You might not know the rituals, but it is important to respect rituals and festival celebrations.

If you visit them, try to learn more about the culture and beliefs they believe in and they will simply love it. It is a good habit and it will encourage remote workers to work with dedication.

10. Stay Transparent About Your Goals

There is nothing wrong with telling what you want to achieve. When you are transparent about what you want from the team, things would be much easier for everyone.

If you have specific goals for a project, discuss its feasibility with your team. Take their feedback and input and receive it with an open heart.

Discuss various scenarios and come up with practical goals that can be fulfilled. Employees love it when they are included in the discussions and their inputs are counted.

Conclusion

The remote work model works best for everyone when you approach it carefully. There are times when they might feel low and they expect you to understand it.

When you hire remote developers in India, ensure that your working methodology is friendly and transparent with them. Work on the tips discussed in this post and you will find it easier to work with remote workers.

How to Build a Strong Working Relationship with Remote Developers in India?