Key Takeaways:
- The primary reason employees leave is poor management, not just salary or perks; a strong manager-employee relationship is crucial for retention.
- Remote, cross-border teams face unique challenges like time zone gaps, technology issues, lack of informal interaction, inconsistent feedback, perceived inequity, and cultural differences that can weaken relationships.
- Managers should invest in understanding employees, be transparent, set clear cultural ground rules, and model empathy and recognition to build trust.
- Employees can strengthen relationships by proactively communicating, asking for feedback, and being culturally aware.
- Filta supports global teams by providing cultural guidance, communication tools, and creating mutual understanding to bridge these gaps.
Bottom line: Building strong, empathetic, and culturally aware relationships between managers and their teams, especially in remote and international settings, is the real secret to employee retention and creating a motivated, connected workforce.
With almost a decade of conversations with global employees and client managers, Filta has uncovered one consistent truth: employees don’t leave companies, they leave poor management. Sure, competitive salaries and benefits matter, but what truly keeps people around is how they feel at work. Do they feel seen? Supported? Understood?
Time and again, our data confirms that the quality of the direct manager-employee relationship is the number one factor in employee retention. When that relationship is strong, employees thrive. When it’s not, even the most talented people start scanning job boards. The great news? Strong relationships can be built, intentionally and practically, even in remote, cross-border teams.
Why Relationships Matter More Than Perks
In a remote-first, global workforce, perks are everywhere: wellness programs, and flexible setups. But they don’t stick unless people feel genuinely supported. Employees want to be recognized for their work, not micromanaged. They want to grow, not stagnate. And they want to feel connected to their managers, not invisible to them.
A 2023 Gallup study found that 70% of employee engagement variance is directly linked to the manager. When managers show real care, employees feel safer, more motivated, and more likely to stay.
But building that connection isn’t always easy, especially when your team is working from different countries, time zones, and cultures.
Common Challenges in Cross-Border Teams
Managing a global team comes with incredible opportunities: access to diverse talent, fresh perspectives, and the ability to support clients around the clock. But along with these advantages come some real-world challenges, many of which can quietly chip away at the manager-employee relationship if they’re not addressed early and intentionally.
Here’s a deeper look at the most common issues we’ve seen at Filta, based on years of supporting businesses with international teams:
1. Time Zone Discrepancies
One of the most obvious (but often underestimated) challenges is time zone differences. When your manager is logging off for the day just as you’re starting yours, small delays in communication can snowball into bigger problems, missed updates, slower approvals, or even duplicated work.
For example, if a Philippine-based team member finishes a task at 6 PM their time, and their U.S.-based manager doesn’t see it until the next morning, it can delay progress by an entire day. Multiply that across a week, and you’re looking at real inefficiency.
> How it affects relationships:
Employees may feel like their work isn’t being seen or acknowledged in real-time. Managers might interpret a lack of quick replies as disengagement.
> Solution: Establish a few overlapping working hours. Use asynchronous tools to bridge communication gaps without creating pressure to be “always on.”
2. Technology Gaps and Infrastructure Issues
Remote work only functions well when the right technology supports it. Inconsistent internet connections, lack of access to company-standard tools, or poorly integrated platforms can cause friction between teams.
We’ve seen cases where employees in some countries were unfairly judged as unproductive, when in reality, they were struggling with outdated systems or lacked training on company tools.
> How it affects relationships:
Managers might assume performance issues are tied to effort rather than environment. Employees can feel unfairly evaluated or unsupported.
> Solution: Ensure all team members have access to reliable tech and proper onboarding. Check-in regularly, not just about tasks, but tools.
3. Lack of Informal Interaction
In an office, relationships are built in the “in-between” moments, coffee chats, hallway conversations, and shared lunches. Remote teams miss out on these informal bonding opportunities, and that can make working relationships feel more transactional.
Without those moments of casual connection, trust, and camaraderie take longer to develop.
> How it affects relationships:
Managers may not get a full picture of their employee’s strengths or struggles. Employees may feel like just a name on a screen.
> Solution: Create space for informal check-ins. Start meetings with a quick personal question or hold optional “virtual coffees.” Relationship-building is a task, too.
4. Inconsistent Feedback Loops
Feedback, when delivered thoughtfully and regularly, is one of the most powerful tools in a manager’s toolkit. But in remote settings, especially cross-cultural ones, feedback can become infrequent, overly formal, or unclear.
Employees may wonder, “Am I doing well?” while managers feel uncertain about how to address concerns without causing offense or confusion.
> How it affects relationships:
Lack of feedback leads to disengagement, resentment, or stagnation. Employees feel like they’re in the dark; managers feel disconnected from performance.
> Solution: Normalize feedback as a two-way conversation. Schedule regular 1:1s and clarify expectations around how and when feedback will be shared.
5. Perceived Inequity Between Onshore and Offshore Teams
Another common challenge we’ve seen is the perception that offshore team members are treated as “lesser”, less included in big decisions, given lower visibility, or seen as replaceable.
This creates a hidden hierarchy within the team, which damages morale and leads to higher turnover, especially when employees feel like their potential isn’t being recognized.
> How it affects relationships:
Employees may feel undervalued and disconnected. Managers may unintentionally reinforce inequity by excluding offshore teams from strategic conversations.
> Solution: Give equal recognition and opportunity. Celebrate wins across the whole team, and ensure all voices are heard in planning and innovation.
6. Cultural Differences in Communication and Expectations
What’s considered polite, assertive, or respectful varies greatly across cultures. For instance, in Western cultures, being direct and vocal in meetings is often valued. But in Southeast Asia or Latin America, employees may be more reserved out of respect, preferring to avoid open disagreement or confrontation.
In one Filta case, a U.S. manager assumed their Colombian team member lacked initiative because she didn’t immediately challenge a flawed process. In reality, she was waiting for the right moment to raise concerns privately, out of cultural respect for hierarchy.
> How it affects relationships:
Without cultural awareness, managers might misinterpret silence or deference as passivity. Employees may hesitate to share ideas or ask questions.
> Solution: Encourage different forms of contribution (written, one-on-one, etc.), and provide cultural education to both managers and team members. At Filta, we help bridge these gaps with tailored cultural guidance.
At Filta, we’ve seen these dynamics firsthand. Managers can misread silence as disengagement. Employees might misinterpret short messages as dissatisfaction. And the result is avoidable tension and even turnover.
While very real, can absolutely be solved with the right awareness and tools. Through our values of educate, empower, guide, and support, we help both managers and employees navigate these complexities.
Whether it’s helping a U.S. CEO understand how to better communicate with their Colombian designer, or equipping a Filipino developer to share ideas confidently with their Australian manager, we act as cultural translators, making remote collaboration smoother, stronger, and more fulfilling.
What Managers Can Do to Strengthen Relationships
Whether you’re leading a team in the next room or across the world, here’s how you can build stronger, more lasting bonds with your employees:
1. Invest in Understanding
Go beyond job descriptions. Learn about your team members’ goals, strengths, and even what motivates them personally. Show consistent curiosity, not just during performance reviews but throughout the year.
- Tip: Set a recurring 1:1 dedicated to growth conversations, not just task updates.
2. Be Transparent, Not Controlling
It’s natural to feel protective of your best people, but restricting their exposure to senior leaders can backfire. A manager who feared being sidelined ended up unintentionally holding back a high performer. The key is to create shared visibility.
- Be clear about why someone’s meeting with higher-ups: to grow, not to replace you.
3. Set Cultural Ground Rules
If your team spans different regions, openly discuss how you’ll handle time zones, preferred communication channels, and working styles.
- Example: Agree on overlapping hours or define what an “urgent” Slack message means.
4. Model Empathy and Recognition
Small gestures, like asking how someone’s weekend was or calling out great work in a group chat, can go a long way. Don’t underestimate the power of micro-interactions.
What Employees Can Do to Build Trust With Managers
The relationship goes both ways. Here’s how employees can strengthen their connection with their leaders:
1. Proactively Communicate
Don’t wait to be asked. Share updates regularly, flag blockers, and speak up when you need help. Especially in remote teams, visibility is crucial.
2. Ask for Feedback and Act on It
Some managers often hesitate to give feedback unless asked. Create a loop of trust by showing you want to grow.
- Try: “What’s one thing I could have done better on that project?”
3. Be Culturally Aware
If your manager is from a different country, take time to understand their norms. For example, U.S. managers might value directness, while Latin American teams may prioritize warmth and personal rapport.
- When in doubt, ask: “How do you prefer feedback? In writing, or in a call?”
How Filta Helps Bridge the Gap
At Filta, we don’t just connect companies with top global talent, we help build the relationships that make work— work. Our approach goes beyond contracts and compliance.
Through our values, we help managers become better leaders for their foreign teams. We provide cultural resources, coaching, and toolkits so they can understand their team members’ context, communicate better, and build real trust.
And it’s not one-sided. We also help employees connect with their managers and clients more effectively, so collaboration feels smoother, and work becomes more fulfilling.
Filta isn’t just your talent partner, we’re your cultural translator, helping everyone see eye to eye.
Final Thought
In today’s global, remote-first world, your greatest retention strategy isn’t a flashy perk, it’s human connection.
A good manager-employee relationship is a business imperative.
Strong relationships reduce tension, save costs, and build teams that actually like working together. And the best part is it’s something you can start building today.
Need help building better manager-employee relationships in a remote setup? Let’s talk. At Filta, we make global collaboration easier, and smarter. Reach out to us via filtaglobal.com.
