Remote working surged during the pandemic and is set to become a permanent fixture of many organisations around the world, creating huge opportunities for companies seeking a competitive edge in today’s global economy.
Businesses can now benefit from tapping into a more diverse talent pool of highly skilled experts with local market knowledge – without the need for international offices or navigating geographical barriers. This means greater exposure to new perspectives and wider customer reach that will increase productivity and profitability.
But managing a remote global team can feel like a juggling act working across different languages, cultures, locations, and time zones. Without strong leadership and effective communication, a global team can quickly fail.
So, if your business is bringing together a global team, then accurately translating and localising all the required information into your employees’ native languages is crucial to overcoming language and cultural barriers.
From recruitment and onboarding documents to company handbooks and mission statements – even if English is your language of business, the success of your global team depends on everyone having access to information in their native language. This ensures they feel recognised and respected as key members of your organisation.
We’ve put together our 3 top tips to ensure your global team’s success.
1. Think Global
Effective communication is key in any business setting. But for global teams, it is more important than ever to establish a workplace culture that fosters mutual respect, trust, and empathy to promote open and honest communication. Language proficiencies will vary, so it helps if everyone feels comfortable sharing information, ideas, and feedback.
You can help reduce social and geographical distance by making online opportunities for teamwork and relationship building to boost a sense of belonging, while investing in employee engagement and retention.
Local knowledge is an asset for any business expanding into international markets, so ensure teams in different countries are empowered equally. Going above and beyond to demonstrate that everyone is equally valued will further promote a cohesive and collaborative global team.
2. Be Transparent
Remind the team of their shared purpose and ensure everyone knows how individuals and the team fit within the overall business goals and objectives.
Well-managed teams need to know what is expected of them and how to achieve their targets, so ensure everyone has access to the same information – and importantly, the right technology:
- Streamline meetings using a shared calendar app to schedule when time zones work for everyone.
- Share files via collaboration tools, such as Google Docs with 24/7 access to promote organised, motivated, and productive teams.
- Use cloud-based project management tools to plan and track tasks efficiently. This is ideal for remote teams because it allows colleagues in different time zones to leave notes for each other to pick up later.
- Hold regular video meetings to boost motivation, and avoid employee disconnect or isolation. This is also a perfect opportunity to clarify doubts, track progress, identify risks, and update teams on key developments and achievements.
Employees should also have online access to all the information they need to successfully complete their work – translated and localised in their own language so everyone is on the same page. These include:
- Company mission statement, vision, and values.
- Business goals and objectives.
- Workplace policies and procedures.
- Process guidelines and scope of work.
- Organisational chart.
- Team structure with roles and responsibilities.
3.Translate Your Key Documentation
The need for effective communication in remote global teams cannot be underestimated – without it you risk alienating and demotivating employees and will struggle with employee retention.
But how do you find the right talent in the first place?
Remote working has transformed the world of work dramatically, meaning your HR team must also adapt to an increasingly diverse playing field. We look here at ways to help you streamline your employee recruitment, onboarding, retention, and development requirements for a successful global workforce.
Recruitment
If you are expanding into global markets, it is no longer an option to only advertise job openings in English. Translating job advertisements into the language of your target location will ensure you reach the right people.
A keyword search in the target language will help prospective employees find the job vacancy in online searches. You might choose to post your job advertisements on your website, but also consider the most appropriate multilingual job search platforms, such as Monster and LinkedIn. It is also worth researching local and regional job search options.
A professional translation service can help you through the recruitment process, including translating any material related to creating job advertisements, job descriptions, employment contracts, and interview questions, role plays and assessment criteria.
Onboarding
This is a key area for ensuring the success of global teams because it is an opportunity to create the first impression of your company. So, it is crucial to make new employees feel welcome, and send the right message about the importance and value of their work.
During the induction process, all new employees should be provided with the relevant contractual documentation to understand their individual goals and targets and develop a good understanding of their place in your company. Encourage questions in a one-to-one video meeting providing an overview of the corporate documents listed previously, and their job roles and responsibilities.
Meetings with individuals and the entire team are a great way for new employees to find their feet and build connections. New employees will also really benefit from online training on communication and collaboration tools, with options of pre-recorded videos, perhaps with translated captions, that employees can revisit until they become more familiar using them.
Retention, Engagement and Development
Employees in any work environment can become demoralised due to lack of engagement, low team morale, or communication chaos. But remote workers have a higher chance of experiencing feelings of isolation without the right support from their business.
To avoid this, be responsive. It is essential that you check in regularly with everyone individually and as a team to help them feel valued, and create opportunities to celebrate successes. Discuss ongoing training and development opportunities and encourage every person in your team to participate. Importantly, find out what other training they would like, so they feel appreciated and can keep their skills and knowledge current.
HR Documentation
- Recruitment Advertisements
- Job role and responsibilities
- Employment contract
- Organisation chart
- Payroll processes
- Onboarding information
- Induction and training materials
- Health and safety policy
- Grievance policy
- Performance management
- Company handbook
- Mission statement, vision, and values
- Corporate brochures
Investing in professional translation and localisation services will give you and your global team the greatest chance of success.
Our team of professional translators are native-speaking language experts and subject matter specialists with a wide range of industry and marketing experience. We understand the challenges businesses face when expanding into international markets and are here to support you with your global endeavours in 2023.
We know that high-quality translation reflecting your brand voice is far more complex than simply a word-for-word translation. So, whether you are looking to bring together a global team as part of your strategy, break into a new market, or revamp your brand, you can rely on Bubbles to deliver accurate translations every time. Get in touch today to discuss your project.
