We asked remote team leaders how they build a culture of recognition and feedback. Here’s what they learned about keeping distributed teams connected and engaged.
- Establish Regular Time for Feedback
- Create Dedicated Slack Channels for Recognition
- Give Frequent and Genuine Feedback
- Add Wins and Thanks to Stand-Ups
- Combine Structure and Spontaneity
- Use Feedback Highlight Reels
- Foster Community and Genuine Connection
- Use Slack for Continuous Feedback
- Hold Weekly One-on-Ones and Group Meetings
- Normalize Regular Meetings and Support
- Incentivize Ideal Behavior
- Create a Shout-Outs Channel on Slack
- Make Feedback a Consistent Routine
13 Tips to Build a Culture of Feedback and Recognition for Remote Teams
Establish Regular Time for Feedback
One tip for fostering a culture of feedback and recognition in a remote work environment is to establish regular, dedicated time for it. For example, set up weekly or bi-weekly virtual meetings specifically for team check-ins, feedback, and recognition and make sure the camera is on! During these sessions, encourage everyone to share positive feedback, recognize each other’s accomplishments, and discuss any areas for improvement in a constructive manner.
This approach ensures that feedback and recognition become an integral part of the team’s routine, helping to build a supportive and motivating environment. Regularly celebrating achievements and addressing challenges can enhance team cohesion and boost overall morale.
Pablo Paz
CEO and Founder, Interactive Contact Center
Create Dedicated Slack Channels for Recognition
We value recognition and have looked to build a culture of feedback across all levels and geographies. To emphasize this, we created a Slack channel dedicated to significant milestones such as closed deals, customer launches, product shipments, and other major spotlights. We also created a second channel where people can post as a way of shouting out the additional wins and activities we have as a team to cultivate recognition at all levels and highlight the good things around the company. We then translate all of this into an end-of-quarter and ultimately annual award process to celebrate our teammates from around the world who do great things to honor our values and make our company a great place to work!
Mike Kohn
Chief People Officer, Kevel
Give Frequent and Genuine Feedback
At Legacy Online School, building a culture of feedback and recognition in a remote setting is something we have had to learn over time. One thing that’s worked for us is keeping feedback frequent, specific, and genuine. We try to give quick shoutouts in Slack or during weekly meetings to highlight wins – big or small. It could be an Admissions Manager helping a parent through a tricky situation, or a Learning Support team member suggesting an idea that makes our processes smoother. The key is to call out what someone did well and why it made a difference.
On top of that, we do weekly check-ins (both team and one-on-one) to figure out where people are getting stuck and how we can help. We also hold monthly interdepartmental meetings to make sure we’re all aligned and finding better ways to work together. For constructive feedback, we keep it private, of course, and actionable – no vague comments, just clear, supportive suggestions. I have noticed striking this balance of public recognition and private feedback has really helped everyone feel seen and supported.
Sounds pretty simple, but it keeps us connected and builds trust, which is so important to us as some of our team members are in different states and some even other countries. Since we started focusing on this, team morale and productivity have been getting better and better.
Vasilii Kiselev
CEO & Co-Founder, Legacy Online School
Add Wins and Thanks to Stand-Ups
One tip that’s worked for us is adding a ‘Wins and Thanks’ segment to our daily stand-ups. It’s a quick moment where anyone can shout out a teammate for their contributions, big or small.
This practice has done wonders for keeping the team connected and motivated. It’s easy to feel invisible when working remotely, but hearing public appreciation even for the little things creates a ripple effect of positivity and makes feedback a regular, natural part of our culture.
Kasper Vardrup
Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Slideworks
Combine Structure and Spontaneity
Creating a culture of feedback and recognition in a remote work environment requires a mix of structure and spontaneity. One approach that has worked well for our team is combining informal touchpoints with intentional recognition. For example, we schedule regular virtual coffee chats to foster open, one-on-one conversations, creating a safe space for honest feedback and personal appreciation.
In addition, we’ve made it a habit to celebrate wins regularly during team meetings, setting aside dedicated time to highlight specific achievements and express gratitude. To ensure feedback remains consistent, we also leverage structured tools like anonymous surveys or 360-degree feedback platforms, encouraging honest and constructive input from everyone. This blend of casual and formal practices has significantly strengthened trust and engagement within our team.
Robin Cherian
CEO, The Canadian Home
Use Feedback Highlight Reels
Creating a culture of feedback and recognition in a remote setting can be tricky, especially when there’s no office ‘hallway’ for spontaneous compliments. One practice that’s worked surprisingly well for us is what we call ‘Feedback Highlight Reels.’ Instead of relying on the occasional shout-out in Slack, we ask each team member, once a month, to record a short, 30-second video snippet praising a specific contribution from a colleague-something tangible, like how someone creatively solved a user experience hiccup, or how another person stepped up to resolve a data bottleneck. We then compile all these short clips into a single highlight reel and share it company-wide.
The asynchronous nature suits remote work perfectly: everyone can watch and rewatch the reel at their convenience, and the videos preserve authenticity and personality in a way that text recognition can’t quite match. This approach accomplishes three things: it visually and emotionally spotlights good work, it ensures no one’s contributions get lost in an endless chat scroll, and it creates a monthly team ‘event’ that people actually look forward to. It turns recognition into something we don’t just say or type-but something we collectively celebrate, remember, and resonate with.
Derek Pankaew
CEO & Founder, Listening.com
Foster Community and Genuine Connection
One of the most effective ways we’ve created a culture of feedback and recognition in a remote work environment is by fostering a sense of community and genuine connection. In a remote setting, it’s easy for interactions to become purely transactional-focused only on tasks, deadlines, and deliverables. To avoid that, we’ve built a team culture where work is balanced with casual, human interaction.
A big part of this is encouraging conversations that aren’t strictly work-related. We start meetings with a bit of light-hearted gossip, share what we’re watching on Netflix, or talk about hobbies and life updates. These moments might seem small, but they create a sense of camaraderie and remind everyone that they’re part of a team that cares about them as individuals, not just as coworkers. When people feel connected on a personal level, they’re more open to giving and receiving feedback constructively because it’s coming from a place of trust.
Recognition is another crucial piece. We’ve made it a habit to call out wins-big or small-during team meetings or even in our group chats. Whether it’s acknowledging someone’s effort on a challenging project or a simple “thank you” for stepping up to help, these moments of appreciation go a long way in keeping morale high.
The result? A team that genuinely supports one another. This foundation of mutual respect and care makes feedback feel less like criticism and more like an opportunity to grow. It’s not just about creating a productive remote environment-it’s about creating one where people feel valued and enjoy being part of the group. When people care about each other, feedback and recognition happen naturally, and everyone thrives.
Jm Littman
CEO, Webheads
Use Slack for Continuous Feedback
In our software development team at FreezeNova, we started using a Slack channel called #wins-and-learns where everyone shares both successes and challenges they face daily. Just yesterday, one of our junior developers posted about struggling with a bug, and three team members jumped in with solutions and encouragement, making them feel supported. I’ve noticed this casual, continuous feedback approach works better than formal reviews for keeping our remote team motivated and connected.
Christian Marin
CEO, Freezenova
Hold Weekly One-on-Ones and Group Meetings
Weekly one-on-ones have been my most successful way for creating a culture of feedback and recognition in a remote work environment. Meeting with my team one on one and then also in groups regularly gives them the opportunity to be on camera and have a voice. I make sure to ask questions about what they are working on and where they can use support. This also gives me a time as the leader of the team to commend them on their work and successes.
I have found that sharing in a group where they are completing successful work and benefiting the team and the company is a large part of motivation. When I have something to say about things in their work that they are not doing a great job in, I make sure to talk to them separately during their one on ones instead of in the group meetings. Lastly, we use Skype chat to share day-to-day needs and comments as well as a task management software where it is clear exactly what they need to complete and the deadlines.
Galit Ventura-Rozen
Professional Speaker On Leadership & Communication, Commercial Professionals
Normalize Regular Meetings and Support
Our team works completely remotely, and to maintain unity and positive communication, we have normalized regular meetings where we discuss our own achievements for the week and share how various processes are going. This is mandatory for each department once a week and for the whole team once every two weeks. This helps provide quality feedback and ensures that everyone is heard. In addition, we always encourage a culture of support in our company, so we constantly chat about our own achievements, celebrate small victories and share knowledge.
However, it is important to maintain a balance between structured, time-limited meetings and regular one-on-one conversations to discuss general issues. In the company, we often organize after-work events to celebrate various holidays, which also helps to strengthen the team spirit. This can help your team to be able to give and receive feedback freely and clearly.
Alina Samchenko
COO, Content Manager, Hire Developers Biz
Incentivize Ideal Behavior
Gone are the days when warnings like “If you’re late one more time” keep the talent we cannot afford to lose. When employees have many alternate job options – which they do in today’s employment market – a punitive approach repels and propels staff to look for a company that will appreciate them. Attractive leaders understand that people repeat what is rewarded, so they motivate today’s workforce by incentivizing ideal behavior.
It used to be that no news was good news–if your boss didn’t speak you were doing just fine. Now that we live in a world of instant communication and feedback in the form of “likes,” the expectations of the workforce have shifted. Your employees who seek continuous feedback will fill in the blank space themselves. When they don’t receive recognition for a job well done, they do not know if they are hitting the mark.
Our remote team at Magnet Culture defaults to video calls whenever possible. We can share impactful positive and constructive feedback when we can read body language, adjust our tone, and maintain trusting relationships across thousands of miles.
Alayna Thomas, MS, PHR
Retention Strategist, Magnet Culture
Create a Shout-Outs Channel on Slack
At ProProfs Training Maker, we’ve fostered a culture of feedback and recognition in our remote team by creating a dedicated ‘Shout-Outs’ channel on Slack.
Team members use this space to highlight each other’s achievements. Whether it’s meeting a tight deadline, helping a colleague, or bringing fresh ideas, the recognition is specific. For example, ‘Great job on improving the onboarding guide, Paras! Your changes reduced support tickets by 20% this week!’
This will work because of its immediacy and visibility. Not managers just saying this; peer-driven seems very real. Once a month in our virtual monthly meetings, we single out contributions and offer small tokens such as gift cards or notes.
This simple habit makes one’s morale and level of engagement rise. Proof that even in a distant work setup, meaningful connectivity and appreciation can be seen and felt.
Kamy Anderson
B2B Writer | Assistant Manager, ProProfs Training Maker
Make Feedback a Consistent Routine
One tip for creating a culture of feedback and recognition in a remote work environment is to make it a consistent and visible part of your team’s routine. We’ve found success by dedicating specific moments, like a weekly team call or a shared MS Teams channel, where team members are encouraged to highlight each other’s contributions. This not only normalizes giving recognition but also creates a space where feedback feels natural and valued.
The key is to keep it authentic and specific—recognizing efforts tied to outcomes rather than generic praise. When people feel seen and appreciated, even in a virtual setting, they’re more open to both sharing and receiving constructive feedback. For us, consistency and sincerity have made all the difference.
Ashish Bist
Technical Manager, Webuters Technologies
