Offices used to be a lot simpler. It almost felt uniform, knowing where the water coolers, printers and fire exits were.
It sounds exciting, but it is not without challenges. In this guide, we’ll look at the biggest hurdles managers of distributed teams face, and give practical tips on keeping your teams connected and thriving, no matter where they log in from.
What exactly is a “distributed workforce”?
A distributed workforce is what you get when your team isn’t tied to the same office, city, or even continent. Instead of everyone commuting to the same space every day, people work from wherever they are, their home, a co-working hub, or a café (which might have slightly dodgy Wi-Fi).
A distributed workforce is the evolution of remote work, but amplified to a greater degree. Distributed teams usually won’t have a single central office, and teams are given the digital tools needed for collaboration without a shared physical space.
Honestly speaking, it’s not easy to get distributed work right. There will be challenges for teams that are scattered around the globe. But, with the right approach, your distributed workforce can give your company global reach and satisfied employees, which old-school office setups could only dream of.
So what does it take to make the distributed model work in practice?
What are the main challenges in managing a distributed workforce?
Here are the 8 biggest hurdles distributed teams need to overcome to keep their workflow harmonious. You might experience one or all of them, but fear not, we have the solutions for you.
Building trust without face-to-face moments
Trust is a whole lot easier to build when colleagues can actually bump into one another on the work site. In a distributed workforce, casual but important interactions are missing, and if you don’t work on it, misunderstandings can snowball. Team members might assume silence from someone shows disinterest, or they might start feeling like their contributions go unseen. Without face-to-face cues, it’s a lot more likely for feelings of distance to creep in.
Surf Office tip – Build visibility that replaces micromanagement:
Instead of hovering over people virtually, create systems that make work visible. Shared project boards and open channels for recognition let everyone see progress without constant check-ins. You should get used to spotlighting good work publicly and being transparent across the board. When your remote or distributed team knows their efforts are noticed, trust between every member will grow naturally. You can let go of micromanaging and let them flourish in distributed roles.
Measuring work without measuring hours
In an office, it’s tempting to assume productivity equals time spent at the desk. But in a distributed workforce, clock-watching quickly becomes a waste of time. Understandably, the traditional in-office structure can sometimes mean a person puts in long hours, but doesn’t deliver very much. Someone else clocks in the same, or fewer hours, and delivers you the world. It’s a bit of a conundrum, really, but leaning too heavily on the number of “online hours” your teams give won’t be the most beneficial. It can lead to burnout or an unhealthy culture of absenteeism. What really matters isn’t how long people are logged in, but what they actually achieve.
Surf Office tip - Keep the focus on results, not “time spent online”:
You need to truly let go of hour measurements and embrace outcomes only. Set the clearest goals possible and track deliverables rather than hours. We had the chance of speaking with Chris Simmons, the Recruitment Partner at Canonical, about how this works in practice. He boldly tells remote companies that distributed workforces need to focus on communication and community, especially for new hires. If you shift from measuring hours to outcomes, teams stop worrying about how long they’re visible and instead drive their energy into delivering results. That’s key for the distributed workforce.
Clashing time zones
With people spread across countries or even continents, sorting a synchronized chat can be a bit puzzling. One person’s lunch time is another person’s midnight, and updates can drag out for days. If it’s not handled thoughtfully, you might have important voices feeling left out. Even worse is when people start burning out by stretching their availability just to keep up.
Surf Office tip - Create rhythms that keep everyone in sync:
Be ready to let go of chasing “real time” for every discussion. You should settle into async tools for most of your updates. That way, your workforce can contribute on their schedule, and receive live calls for when it really matters. You might consider rotating meeting times occasionally, too, so that the same people don’t always feel like they get the short straw. It might be a bit of a challenge, but it makes collaboration a lot more manageable across time zones.
Tech glitches and security slip-ups
There’s often no way of stopping some of the tech errors synonymous with distributed working. The key is to stop small hiccups before they start snowballing. This could be as simple as keeping passwords updated, or more intricate, like keeping software versions in sync. A relatively small issue for a team in a faraway location might bring a project to a halt for quite some time. Even worse is that distributed setups without proper guardrails might expose the company to phishing or data leaks. It’s not glamorous work, but keeping your tech secure and reliable is one of the biggest ongoing challenges.
Surf Office tip: Standardize tools and tighten your safeguards:
You need to spend time making sure you’re on one platform, making sure everyone is trained on how to navigate it. Keep security policies straightforward so no one cuts corners. And don’t forget proactive support: remote IT help shouldn’t feel like pulling teeth. Adding regular team-building activities for remote teams can also double as informal “tech checks,” making sure everyone is comfortable with the tools before they’re needed in high-stakes moments.
Upholding a strong company culture
When teams don’t share an office, culture can easily drift into the background. Without the spontaneous energy of a buzzing workspace, values get lost in translation, and people start feeling more like freelancers than part of a united team. Distributed workforces risk becoming all function and no flavor, which might be fine for short-term output, but not for long-term loyalty. Culture isn’t just a “nice to have”; it’s the glue that keeps motivation and group identity alive.
Surf Office tip - Focus on rituals that keep values alive remotely:
You need to bring culture-building activities into everyday life. Make recognizing your standout workers part of a recognition ritual. It doesn’t need an office party; just dedicate some time to team celebration ideas in an online setting. Be consistent, keeping milestones and wins marked down. This way, culture stops being an abstract concept and starts becoming something your teams truly feel, wherever they may be.
Onboarding gets messy without an office tour
Starting a new job is daunting at the best of times, but without an office tour or friendly desk neighbor, it can actually become somewhat isolating. Distributed teams don’t have those informal introductions, and new hires may struggle to understand workflows, tools, or even who’s who. If onboarding feels like a scattered checklist rather than a structured experience, you might be risking losing fresh talent before they’ve even had the chance to settle in.
Surf Office tip - Develop training with a remote-first mindset:
Onboarding has to be developed beyond a single welcome email. You should start creating structured plans with interactive sessions or advancing a buddy system for new hires. Resources like video walkthroughs can also be an invaluable asset to a newbie who feels lost in their first week. Done well, remote-first onboarding creates belonging from day one, which is the best retention tool you’ve got.
Career growth gets overlooked at a distance
If your teams aren’t sharing a physical space, they might start feeling concerned if career progression slips under the radar. It’s all too easy for managers to forget to give feedback after a key deliverable. Promotions might fall later than they should, or your learning opportunities might not be reaching the right people. Over time, your ambitious employees will start wondering whether staying in a distributed workforce is limiting their professional growth. If they don’t see a path forward, they might start looking for one elsewhere.
Surf Office tip - Keep career development visible and fair:
Your career paths need to stay crystal clear. Growth frameworks should be accessible to all, and you can schedule one-to-ones to update your members. Create equal access to training opportunities across the team, and avoid rewarding only those who are loudest online. When employees feel like you’re supporting their career, they’ll see distributed work as a place to grow (and not a dead end).
Loneliness creeps in behind the screen
Even in the busiest distributed teams, isolation can rear its ugly head. Without those little chats over lunch or light-hearted in-jokes, relationships will struggle to reach that magical point. If you don’t keep collaboration strong for your distributed teams, they might just start looking at their colleagues as a name they click on Slack. Disconnection can spiral into low morale or even that dreaded burnout. Loneliness can be one of the hidden costs of distributed workforces, and one that managers often underestimate until it’s already affecting performance.
Surf Office tip - Fast forward to today, and your “office” might be spread across four countries and five time zones. Welcome to the wonderful world of the distributed workforce.
Make social connection part of the workflow. Schedule informal catch-ups and rotate who leads light-hearted moments in team calls. You might even consider one of the best tools for bringing teams together in collaboration and celebration, with a twice-annual team retreat. This way, teams feel like they get a chance to reset and bring energy back into the team, in person.
Which companies are getting distributed workforces right?
Plenty of organizations talk about embracing distributed workforces, and many companies are preparing for their own. We’ve had the chance to work with a few, and we think they can show anyone how it’s really done. Here are three companies that’ve shown that being spread across cities, countries, and time zones doesn’t mean losing culture or connection.
- Bryter: With teammates dotted across Europe and the US, Bryter used an offsite retreat in Ericeira to bring its workforce closer together as a unit. The focus was on sharing knowledge, aligning strategy, and reconnecting after long stretches of remote work. For distributed teams, these in-person moments act as the glue that keeps collaboration smooth once everyone gets back to their own locations and works remotely.
- Boundless: Boundless helps companies manage distributed teams, so it only made sense for them to practice what they preach. Their Rome offsite focused on trust and leadership alignment, and quite a lot of inspiration from the wonderful food on offer. For a team spread across borders, having time together face-to-face was a wellspring for growing closer together.
- Mynd: As a remote-first company, Mynd knows how easy it is for culture to drift when everyone’s miles apart. We set up an unforgettable workaway in Barcelona for them, giving them the chance to hit the reset button and bring their distributed culture back into sharp focus. Their testimonials of the trip show that even the most spread-out teams can feel like a single unit again.
These companies show that distributed work doesn’t need to feel distant. If you want to use a retreat to strengthen your own team, have a look at our company retreats. We’ve helped remote-first teams across the world plan gatherings that make collaboration smoother, culture stronger, and Mondays a little easier.
We have access to 200+ locations around Europe, APAC, the US, Latin America, and now Africa, meaning the sky is your limit when it comes to choosing the right location for you and your team. Spaces fill up quickly, so get in touch with us today!
