Zoom meetings - how to build trust

You may have found that some of your team have struggled to adapt to this drastic change.

However, right now, we need to do what we can to ensure video calling software works for our teams so that they can do their best work.

Here are three tips for how leaders and managers might build trust on Zoom with their teams.

Acknowledge that digital communication has its challenges.

Be verbal about your own experience working from home. Admitting your own struggles means that your team feels more confident in explaining their own challenges with the new working style. Leading by example is key here.

Start each meeting with a general catch up.

When working from an office environment, it’s so easy to find natural pockets of time to catch up with your team. Carry this forward into home working by making sure you schedule in a few minutes at the beginning of your meeting to catch up with everyone to build rapport with your team. Find out how everyone is doing, how they’re finding working at home and if they are encountering any issues.

Schedule times to talk to anyone who you feel is struggling.

It can be nerve-wracking having conversations about mental health or wellbeing over Zoom (or even in the office) so if you notice that a member of your team is struggling, make sure to take them aside and check in with them. No one can do their best work when they have things on their mind and asking them how they’re doing is the first step to helping them.

If you have any other ideas for how to build trust with your team over Zoom, let us know in the comments.