There’s the commute. The trend toward achieving a healthier work-life balance. And the fact that digital developments makes the idea of an office rather 2017. Remote work isn’t a someday concept. It’s happening now.

In a survey taken last year, over 40% of American workers described themselves as freelancers. It follows that workplace flexibility has become a major factor in employment contracts. Further, many progressive law firms are embracing attorneys and other legal services support professionals to work remotely.

But how do firms create a true team culture with a gaggle of remote workers? As a legal support service team ourselves, we at DLE Court Reporters understand both the benefits and motivating techniques that make our team stronger than the rest – no matter where we may be working on a given day.

Here’s how we rise to the team challenge:

1. We communicate frequently. Our team at DLE Court Reporters understands that updates are crucial to keeping the team informed about our section of the project. We happily join inter-office communication channels to help keep everyone apprised of new developments or completed tasks.
2. We are very clear about our role. At DLE Court Reporters, we tend to be unobtrusive trouble-shooters. If we see the team facing a tech challenge during a deposition, we will surely jump in to solve the problem. But we only chime in when it relates to our work: if we can’t hear testimony, if we need a repeat, or is we’re asked for a read-back.
3. We never miss our deadlines. Everyone knows that teamwork makes the dream work. But did you know that late work makes the dream late? We’ll work on that phrasing, but you get the picture. By meeting our deadlines early, whenever possible, we never let down the team.
4. We make a real effort to know our team. Our seamless integration onto a firm’s team is made easier when we’re familiar with the team players. We make a concerted effort to engage in a bit of personal conversation with our teammates, establishing a friendly rapport and letting them know we’re invested in the team.
5. We understand that motivation doesn’t have to originate from the top. Praise and recognition of hard work and talent goes a long way, but we don’t wait for managers to give it. At DLE Court Reporters, when we see something done well, we say something.

Of course, our favorite way to motivate our remote workers is to hire only self-motivated professionals. If you’d like to enlist some of our team to help yours, we’d love to hear from you.