With the rise of remote work, more businesses are turning to global talent to build agile, efficient remote tech teams. But one question lingers: Can you truly build a strong, cohesive company culture with a team that isn’t physically together?
The answer is not only yes — It’s “Yes, and it’s much easier than you’d think.” Although integrating a nearshore remote team may seem daunting, it can be surprisingly seamless with the right approach.
And we at Plugg Technologies know a thing or two about the right approach to building remote teams. Through our expertise, we’ve built Salesforce Development Teams, Front End Development Teams, QA Teams, and more. These teams, often referred to as pods, consist of a lead tech consultant, two mid-level tech consultants, and a junior tech consultant. (We don’t stop there either—we also offer the ability to build custom pods tailored to the specific needs of your project. More on that later).
Here we’d like to take a few minutes to share with you what we have found crucial in cultivating a strong company culture within your remote team. Whether your team members are dialing in from Mexico City or Missouri doesn’t matter. What matters is their ability to collaborate, innovate, and move together as one cohesive unit. The result? A strong company culture that transcends borders and empowers employees to bring their best to the table—no matter where that table is located. Enjoy our tips, and feel free to share your own in the comments below. As you’ll notice in the next few paragraphs, we’re all about encouraging conversation!
Building Relationships Across Borders
Building relationships with your nearshore team is at the heart of building a strong company culture. But to build relationships, you have to first tackle the most common misconceptions about remote work: that it hinders collaboration.
With the right technology, your dedicated team can connect and communicate just as efficiently as they would in a traditional office setting. Real-time collaboration tools like Zoom, Slack, Asana, and Trello are essential for keeping everyone on the same page. But these tools offer something far beyond work tasks. When used thoughtfully, they are the gifts that keep on giving. They offer a path to fostering personal connections, which is key to building and maintaining a strong company culture regardless of employee location.
Think virtual coffee chats and team-building games. You can even schedule regular “Lunch & Learn” sessions, where both in-house and nearshore teams can present on topics of interest, whether work-related or a passion project. These events can be held over Zoom or Slack huddles, with interactive Q&A sessions afterward. Not only does this help teams bond on a personal level, but these events also help break down barriers and foster inclusivity.
Recognizing Achievements and Milestones
Expanding on the first tip, another effective way to enhance relationships and cultivate a positive workplace environment is by offering recognition and celebrating achievements. It may seem simple, but taking the time to share and celebrate your nearshore pod’s achievements and personal milestones—whether it’s a birthday, a work anniversary, or the successful completion of a project—can significantly boost their sense of belonging and value within the company. These moments, no matter how small, create a culture of appreciation that resonates deeply and makes your team feel seen and supported.
HubSpot is a prime example of how to do this with ease. They include their nearshore teams in regional recognition programs and global “Cheers for Peers” awards. This inclusivity fosters a sense of pride among nearshore workers, ensuring they feel appreciated for their contributions.
Nobody wants to feel like just a distant contributor. So, take it from us as cultural experts in LATAM Nearshoring, and share those wins across your company. Highlight the impact of your nearshore remote team on the company’s overall success, and watch your strong company culture spread its roots across borders!
Empowering Teams Through Flexibility
One of the biggest advantages of a nearshore team is the alignment of time zones and work schedules. Unlike teams spread across the globe, these specialized pods, such as those based in Latin America, offer a real-time collaborative experience with US-based companies. This alignment makes it easier to maintain a cohesive culture. You can take advantage of this time overlap by scheduling regular synchronous meetings, daily stand-ups, and team-building exercises during shared working hours.
But it is important to remember that onshore, nearshore, and offshore teams alike have a core benefit: flexibility. Remote work offers a flexibility that’s hard to match, allowing employees to better manage their time and responsibilities. The most successful nearshore remote teams thrive on this balance of autonomy, accountability, and real-time collaboration.
This doesn’t mean a lack of structure; instead, it’s about trusting your team to deliver results in a way that suits their work style. A successful remote team operates with clear expectations and regular touchpoints, but it’s the flexibility within that structure that allows team members to thrive. Allowing tech workers to manage their schedules in ways that balance personal responsibilities with work increases productivity. And with flexibility comes trust. By trusting your teams to manage their time, you’re building a culture of accountability and engagement.
Remote Team Communication Best Practices
And the last but most crucial step in building a strong company culture in a remote team is to keep clear communication ongoing and provide a clear understanding of your company’s core values.
From the moment your new tech pod joins, they should immediately feel aligned with your mission, understanding how their work fits into the bigger picture of the company’s goals. With remote teams, it’s important to keep these values front and center, consistently communicating them through virtual onboarding, regular meetings, and collaborative tools like Slack or Teams.
Because we know how important this is to your team’s long-term success, we’ve developed our Consultant Care program to ensure they feel welcomed and supported from day one. Designed with both the client and consultant in mind, this program reflects our own culture at Plugg Technologies. It serves as a cultural bridge, fostering clear communication and helping your remote team integrate seamlessly into your business. Whether it’s answering payroll questions, assisting with technical issues, or navigating cultural nuances, our Consultant Care managers are dedicated to being part of the welcoming process from hiring and beyond.
Every experienced and highly skilled team we build for you is trained to understand your company’s values and goals, allowing them to better represent your brand and maintain a positive working relationship with both you and the rest of your team. Additionally, our remote work platform offers various tools for team collaboration, including real-time messaging, project management software, and video conferencing capabilities. This ensures that distance does not hinder productivity or impede communication between team members.
Staying dedicated to nurturing these relationships ensures that your dedicated team is not only aligned with your company values but also fully integrated into your work culture. And when your remote teams are truly connected to your mission they get peace of mind knowing where they fit in, and you get the peace of mind knowing that everyone is working together to drive your company toward its goals.
The Plugg Technologies Approach: Building Teams That Last
At Plugg Technologies, we are mission-driven and believe in personalized service for our clients and consultants alike. We’ve made it our mission to help companies build strong nearshore teams that align seamlessly with their company culture.
What sets us apart is our commitment to making the entire integration process seamless and easy. It is also both cost-effective and collaborative from the start. From providing company-secured equipment to our engineers at no additional cost (removing the burden from you) -to providing Consultant Care managers to support your remote team the entire way, we cover all the bases.
Building a Future Together
Creating a strong company culture with a remote tech team isn’t just possible—it’s essential for modern businesses. And with Plugg Technologies, you get nearshore partners dedicated to helping you achieve it.
We specialize in helping businesses build the right remote teams for long-term success.
Contact us for any of your nearshore hiring needs. Whether you need a Development team, a custom pod, or ongoing cultural support, we’re here to guide you through the process.
