Unlocking the Secrets to Thriving Remote Teams: An HR Leader's Blueprint

For HR leaders across Australia, the shift towards remote work presents both challenges and opportunities, writes Simon Fowler.

As of 2024, approximately 36 per cent of Australians regularly work from home – a dramatic leap from just 13 per cent before the COVID-19 pandemic. This shift is especially pronounced among professionals and managers, with 60 per cent of them now working remotely.

The challenge of building connection and trust

One of the biggest hurdles facing HR leaders managing remote or hybrid teams is the reduced opportunity to truly get to know team members. Research found that 76 per cent of managers say that building strong connections with team members is challenging in a remote or hybrid setting.

Effective leadership and collaboration require an understanding of everyone’s strengths, motivators, and frustrations. Yet, in a virtual setting, these insights take longer to uncover. Interactions are often structured, scheduled, and lack the spontaneity of in-person environments.

Trust, too, is a critical foundation of high-performing teams. It usually develops over time through serendipitous hallway chats and shared breaks. While technology enables connection, it doesn’t fully replicate those organic moments.

Understanding working styles as a path to better connection

One of the most powerful ways HR leaders can tackle these challenges is by helping teams understand individual working styles. In a remote setting, we have to be more intentional about connection, since time and opportunity to get to know each other are limited.

Understanding working styles sparks conversations, builds self-awareness, and helps team members appreciate differences. It fosters inclusion, accelerates trust, and helps leaders adapt their approaches to motivate individuals effectively.

Practical steps to boost collaboration

If you’re an HR leader looking to improve collaboration in remote teams, here are five steps you can take this month:

1. Create and share working-style profiles using personality tools.
2. Set clear communication norms. Define expectations around how, when, and where communication should happen.
3. Ask team members what’s working well and what isn’t, to surface hidden challenges and identify diverse needs.
4. Create opportunities for informal as well as formal gatherings, allowing team members to build personal connections, not just share updates.
5. Celebrate strengths and wins across the team to reinforce positive behaviours and recognise individual contributions.

As remote and hybrid work continues to shape the future of work in Australia, HR leaders have a unique opportunity to lead the way in building inclusive, high-performing teams.