I don’t need to preface that this is an unprecedented moment. In fact, unprecedented has to be the buzz word of 2020. As you have likely come to realise over the past few weeks, remote work has its share of challenges, and team members feeling disconnected & isolated can be one of the toughest. But social distancing doesn't have to mean social isolation.
Theright.fit being a tech start up, with teams based in different cities & countries from day 1, I’ve had some experience in how to keep people connected when working remotely. We’ve applied this on mass now that my WINK Models business has had to move remote, too, and we’re not also seeing the 650 or so models we represent regularly.
Here’s 4 tips I’ve learned along the way.
Set communication channels up for success
One of the most obvious, and important things, about working remotely, is having the ability to communicate easily, effectively and efficiently with stakeholders internally and externally. I think it’s possibly also obvious that in today’s ‘connected’ age, its not a lack of having the tools to do this, but setting parameters for how and when to use each. I’m sure we’ve all felt those moments of being inundated with slack alerts, whats app notification, sms pings, facetime calls... yikes the list goes on. So one thing I would recommend is setting a purpose, and response guidelines for each channel. Need an urgent answer on something? Call. External stakeholders required in the meeting? Zoom. Sharing that great piece of customer feedback but doesn’t require reply right now? Put it on the ‘Feel Good’ channel on slack (yep, we have one of those). Let people know which method to use and why, so they don’t feel like they’re drowning in the noise.
Right tools to do the job
Your team can only succeed if they have everything they need to do their jobs- both hardware and software. Don’t assume people have high speed internet at home, or a home computer or laptop powerful enough to handle the work they need to do. Nothing makes people feel more disconnected or isolated than not being able to do the work they care about, and want to do, because they don’t have the practical things they need to do them. Because I travel so much anyway, I use the HP Dragonfly which is super light, and has 16hr battery life, and really high level security features which is important for me. I also dragged my stand up desk topper home to use on my kitchen table, and encouraged my team to do the same, and take home any screens they wanted to make these interim home set ups more functional. Make sure you ask your team what they need - practically not just emotionally - to win at remote working.
Virtual water cooler
I’m a huge fan of slack for this. We have a few channels dedicated to keeping up the ‘day to day’ water cooler chat. “Bangerz” channels is for your fav playlists. “Stuff I’m reading” is what it says on the tin - books, blogs, articles, that people want to share with the team. We’re also big fans of memes and gifs, it just goes so much further to conveying a feeling than words ever could…!
Celebrate successes
No one likes feeling that the work they do doesn't matter, and this can be amplified by not seeing your team mates and being around the hub bringing to life the ‘why’ of the company's mission. So during this time, remember to celebrate the incremental victories. Customer called to say thanks for an awesome experience with the product? Share that with the team. Noticed that the average booking value has increased, or churn decreased, or whatever the metrics might be in your business? Shout about it- those devs working long days at home with screaming kids in the background would love to know. It doesn't have to be big, and it makes the world of difference to the feeling of connectedness in a team.
Ultimately, finding virtual ways to recreate our most valued in-person interactions means getting creative, and really making time to over-communicate and think about culture. I personally believe even though it’s going to be rough in the interim, there’s a lot of good that can come from this experience. By the time we all return to the office, it’s possible your team could have improved culture & connectedness, and you’ll have created new traditions that you’ll keep.
