5 Tips to Create a Connected Remote Workforce

Yes, your people can feel this happy about signing on to your Zoom calls!

Remote work is here to stay.

Remote work is no longer a radical topic; rather, it’s the reality for many of us. By next year, Upwork found that 22% of the American workforce will be fully remote - that’s 32.6 million humans. Even today, Forbes reports that almost 13% of employees work fully from home with 28% working in a hybrid model. This is great for so many reasons, not the least of which is a more inclusive, flexible atmosphere.

The problem? Remote work can be isolating.

The same Forbes report showed that over half of remote workers feel like it is harder to feel connected with their coworkers, and fully 69% of folks report burnout from using digital communication tools. Plus, remote workers are more likely to feel disconnected from company objectives and values when not faced with them directly every day. All of this to say, it’s more important than ever to pay careful attention to creating a successful, connected remote workforce.

Here are some tips to help ensure your distributed team is not just surviving but is thriving in your organization.

Recognize, celebrate, recognize

Perhaps the most important way to build the remote culture you want is to lean in to recognizing your employees for achieving results, innovating the work, representing company values, or thinking outside the box. Noting life events is important, as well. Celebrating one another is an easy way to humanize the work you’re doing, to build morale and motivation, and to positively affect teammates. In a remote environment, this may look like a combination of shout-outs at your monthly team meeting, quick emails sharing appreciation (cc the boss above your direct report), an unscheduled call to say thank you, or even the occasional handwritten note of recognition. (Sometimes, you have to go old-school in the new-school world.) If remembering to do this is a challenge for you, block “recognition” off on your calendar weekly and then put in the work to celebrate your folks.

Mix up the medium

Having your employees on Zoom all day long is a recipe for burnout, but over-relying on email or Slack can lead to increased disconnect. The solution here is to engage with staff in a multitude of purposeful ways. Perhaps your 1:1 check-ins can be a call that you and your staff member both take while on a walk or during drive time. Maybe your team meeting is always a Zoom that starts with an icebreaker. You may norm that quick calls are a backup to a Slack message that goes unanswered. And maybe you all commit to an in-person retreat two times annually. Find out what works for your team (perhaps by asking them!) and keep them engaged and connected through a variety of channels.

Create “water cooler” connections

No water cooler? No problem. As a manger it’s possible to artificially create those water cooler moments of connection for your staff by being mindful about acting as a connector. Notice who shares hobbies or interests and introduce them to one another. Encourage agenda-less coffee chats amongst teammates (send them Starbucks cards to sweeten the deal.) Consider creating a “just for fun” Slack channel to share memes, book recommendations, funny anecdotes, whatever! Just make sure that the connections you’re trying to build feel fun, not forced.

Embrace teambuilding

Teambuilding can authentically be fun when you’re creative about it. First, get clear on what your folks consider fun (if most of them hate sports, it’s probably not going to be a sell to stream the World Cup together.) Then, purposely build teambuilding activities into the yearly calendar, varying the times and type so that they are inclusive for all. Virtual lunches, beginning of meeting icebreakers, and online game nights are all fun and will build camaraderie amongst teammates. Note: you can’t mandate fun, so be mindful that some teammates may opt out. That’s OK, as long as you’re thinking about alternative ways to engage them.

Get swag(g)y

Listen, everyone loves free stuff, so this is a no-brainer. If the free stuff reminds them of your company’s awesomeness and builds a sense of belonging, that’s an easy win. Buy the sweatshirts!

Want more?

Building a culture of trust, connectedness and humanity isn’t an easy task. Our 90-minute workshops provide collaborative learning in a safe environment, and allow for teammates to grow together.