6 Tips for Building Trust on Virtual Teams (Which are Here to Stay)

Just 10 percent of employees worked remotely before the COVID-19 pandemic, but more than one-third (34 percent) will likely continue to work virtually once the pandemic is over, according to a recent survey of CHROs and talent leaders by my colleagues. Some organizations will lean even more heavily into remote working, with as much as 65 percent of the workforce virtual.

With remote and hybrid work arrangements here to stay, more teams are encountering the pitfalls — the tendency toward silos, spotty information-sharing, poor communication, stressed-out colleagues, unresolved conflicts and more. Casual conversations are less frequent, relationship bonds can be strained and context is often lost through email and other digital channels. Decision-making can be less transparent within a virtual team. All this can take a serious toll on morale, bog things down and affect team spirit and performance. In fact, new research from Microsoft and LinkedIn suggests that over half of workers are overworked and nearly 40 percent are exhausted. 

The antidote to these challenges is trust

Our research shows that top-performing virtual teams report higher levels of trust than less-successful teams. Trust is the foundation and precondition for team success and it's even more important in a virtual and hybrid world.

How can leaders enhance trust on their teams? Here are six tips (well seven if you would support our book launch by pre-ordering a copy of our forthcoming book, Leading at a Distance!)

1. Provide opportunities to build relationships. Trust among team members is developed over time. Creating opportunities for the team to meet face to face, if and when possible, helps members build relationships and better understand the scope of their work, team composition, timelines, communications processes and decision-making structure. New virtual teams will ideally meet face to face at least once within the first few months or at some regular interval if possible going forward.
2. Offer networking opportunities for team members to share their capabilities. Providing opportunities, such as monthly lunch and learn sessions, for team members to present on a topic where they have expertise can improve individuals’ credibility and make others more likely to consult them when they need help. These sessions don’t have to be focused on business topics. One colleague of a team that hosted a monthly Zoom session where members were invited to share their “unknown talent” saw his stature skyrocket after he gave a detailed presentation on gemology.
3. Speak the truth. Leaders can model trust and accountability by responding to questions in an honest and complete manner to deliver clarity and transparency. Be balanced by communicating the positive aspects as well as the downsides when making a proposal. Avoid withholding information that may weaken your position but that others would find useful when deciding.
4. Highlight successes. A proven track record of success is one of the best indicators of credibility to other team members. Leaders can encourage team members to share their wins through email, during meetings or social media pages when appropriate. One high performing team created a punchy, well-designed weekly roundup of the extended team’s wins. Rather than just list the success stories, they put them in the context of external market developments, connecting them to the business with engaging lines like, “What you need to know,” and “Why it matters.”
5. Encourage and role-model transparency. A sure sign of a lack of trust is the blame game: team members pointing the finger at others for problems or failures and no one taking accountability. Leaders can emphasize the importance of being open and honest by inviting team members to regularly share their challenges as well as their successes, whether during meetings or by posting them in an internal forum and opening them up for discussion. Leading by example gives permission to others to do the same. In addition, make project timelines, agreements and processes fully transparent, when possible. Recognize that employees increasingly view transparency as something to which they’re entitled.
6. Admit when you don’t know something. Few things shut down communication and trust more than a know-it-all. Rather than pretending to know everything, or even if you do, virtual leaders should set an example by being vulnerable, genuinely soliciting the input of others, and always admitting, even advertising, what they don’t know. This is more important in a virtual than physical environment when colleagues may be more stressed and even more in need of the reaffirming power of vulnerability. Leaders should consult other colleagues and experts for information and encourage team members to do the same.

Physical distance makes it harder for team members to find shared experiences that human beings use to help forge personal relationships that build trust. Leaders can promote trust in their virtual teams, but it takes time and focus. By committing to open, frequent and transparent communications, providing opportunities to build intimacy and personal knowledge, and displaying a willingness to talk about wins and mistakes, leaders can help create a trusting environment and a successful team.

Learn more about Leading at a Distance!