In today’s globalised economy, remote teams have become a staple in many industries. While the flexibility of remote work offers numerous benefits, it also presents unique challenges in cultivating a positive and productive team culture. 

For Social AF, we have the challenge of not just being a remote team, but also being a remote team of largely self-employed moderators. 80% of our team is self-employed with a varied working pattern and unique set of preferences. Not all of our team are UK-based either. We have some who are located in a permanent residence abroad and others who switch it up.

And yet, despite these challenges, Social AF remains one of the most positive, open and engaging environments many of the team have ever worked in. 

In this blog we’ll share some key learnings, tips and methods which have helped Social AF cultivate a positive remote working environment: 

Communication is key

The work we do is fast-paced. We deal with things in real time and need to ensure our expert moderators have ready access to support. It’s also vital our charity partners can easily share information with senior leaders.

In a remote environment, you need to be proactive and thoughtful about how you communicate and you need to ensure you have trails and links available to those who may need to review at a later stage.

Using Slack

We utilise Slack for day-to-day comms, pin key documents to the channel to ensure ready access, and also utilise the canvas feature for any updates. This means the team can easily scan through keynotes if they’ve been off for a week ensuring they’re up to date with the challenge.

Vary your communication method

Communicating online all day can get pretty tiring, so we try and mix up how we share messages and updates within Slack. Many of the team will share voice notes, we’ll use GIFs and images and we’ll also use videos for training sessions or vital updates to mix up the methods. 

Regular team meeting

We host a monthly team meeting which includes a business update and a training session. This allows senior leaders to openly share information about what’s happening, and the team to connect over any highs and lows. By dedicating some time to training, it means we’re constantly focused on developing and enhancing skills.

Regular information sessions – AKA Brew and Bants

Informal chats in an office space can add value to team building. Often it’s in those moments that relationships truly start to develop. Cultivating an informal space to give people an opportunity to connect with others is important to Social AF. We’re all Chatty AF charity workers after all!

We came up with Brew and Bants and we host them at different points across the month. Recently we hosted a Bridgerton-themed session to debrief season 3! It was a particular highlight. 

Communicate praise 

One thing we’re constantly trying to do more of is share praise and wins with the team. It’s really easy to not focus on this aspect, and instead just focus on the work. Taking a moment to share a screenshot of a brilliant response or feedback from our charity partners means the world to the team.

We also have a Top Tips & Inspo channel in Slack. We’ll use this to share praise more widely and also help share wider learning across the entire team. 

Regular 121s

Our Senior Leaders will host regular check-ins with all the moderators who want to meet. This helps protect time for important conversations and allows for honest feedback and reflections.

Flexibility matters

As a remote-first agency, it’ll come as no surprise that we believe there are massive benefits to remote and flexible working. No doubt you’ll have read 100s of blogs on what the benefits are, so instead we’ll share how we make that work.

We have three dedicated expert moderators linked to each charity partner account and our rota system ensures that each moderator has control over when they work.

Before they start work, they share their preferences regarding days, times and hours. Then they work their way down the calendar and apply either red, amber or green to each day to signal what they’re available to do. The amazing Claire then works her magic to ensure the shifts are balanced out and everything is covered.

This approach is well received and ensures the team can juggle their personal life alongside other projects. 

Team-first recruitment practices 

Social AF is committed to offering permanent roles to our expert moderation team first. We do this for a few reasons. Firstly, we get to know our team well and can see their brilliance. Secondly, we know that there’s a lot of value to be had in promoting people who have a solid understanding of what it’s like to do the job. All four of our permanent members have been self-employed moderators and they’ve done a brilliant job at acknowledging what needs to be improved and driving the business growth.

What three things do you most enjoy about working with Social AF?

“The flexibility of the role – I’ve never come across any company as accommodating and supportive of its staff than SocialAF. The connections you often build on challenges with the participants – it’s like you all go on this amazing journey together. Knowing that you’re helping lots of different causes raise lots of money. Rather than working for one cause (because, let’s face it, every good cause is a good one), you’re helping lots of causes across the year. No one charity gets all the donations whilst others flounder – we help all of them to be a success.” Diane

Conclusion

Social AF believes that a positive team environment will not only enhance productivity but will also contribute to the overall success and longevity of our agency. As remote work continues to evolve, so should your strategies for maintaining a happy and motivated team.

We hope you’ve found this useful. If you’d like to discuss remote working or how to improve your team environment, we’re always up for a chat. You can get in touch with our team here: https://socialaf.co.uk/contact-us/