This is an excerpt from Lauren Parsons’ book “Pitfalls and Positives of Remote Work: How to maintain a thriving connected team even when you’re spread apart.” You can download a complimentary copy here.

1. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING 

Clear systems, procedures, and guidelines are especially important for remote teams who can’t lean over and ask their neighbour a question. Having procedure manuals in an easily accessible, centralised place means staff can clarify anything they need rather than feeling stuck or unsure.

Many organisations insist on a ‘documented first’ approach where things need to be added to policy before they’re actioned, so manuals are always up-to-date for everyone to follow. 

2. ASYNCH-FIRST

Rather than defaulting to calling a meeting, consider the pros and cons above and whether it’s really the best investment of everyone’s time. 

Why not share thoughts in a shared online document and request feedback to get people’s input? If the concept needs more explaining, create an audio or video message with more detail and share this as well. This way people can respond when it suits them, allowing time to reflect and give you a more considered response. They can also reinforce and piggy-back off other colleagues’ ideas if it’s in a shared feedback platform.

3. TRUST IS KING 

Pay extra attention to build trust and connection between team members. Make online meetings and forums a safe space to ask questions, suggest ‘out of the box’ ideas and encourage a culture of learning from mistakes, ensuring high psychological safety.

People will often live up to what you believe about them. Micro-managing staff wastes your time and theirs. Instead, lead with trust. It sends a signal that you know your team will do their best and deliver great outcomes. 

Netflix changed their travel policy to a simple five-word statement “Act in Netflix’s best interest.” It saved them money. 

Rather than a detailed policy outlining the maximum amount to spend on a lunch or dinner or what style of travel could be taken. Staff took responsibility to spend the money conscientiously, as if it were their own. This saw a decrease in expense claims, all stemming from what might appear to be a more flexible policy. 

4. LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD 

Consider how to make things as equitable as possible for those in and out of the office. Be mindful of scheduling meetings across time zones. Come up with creative ways for those not physically present to get a similar employee experience.

Be intentional to counter-balance proximity bias and ensure great notes are taken and shared quickly, so anyone who misses a meeting is kept in the loop and able to add their ideas or feedback.

5. CHOOSE HOW TO SYNCHRONISE

Embracing flexibility allows people with diverse needs to work when it’s best for them. This might be early mornings for those with young children, a split shift for those who want to play golf late morning, or late into the evening for those who are night owls. It’s valuable to allow staff to work at the times they function best. 

It’s also important to have some in-sync time for collaboration. Dropbox have set four-hour collaboration blocks for each region around the world, asking staff to be available at those times, but affording them the flexibility to fit their other working hours to suit their lifestyle. This means they’ve got half a day for responding to teammates, having meetings and discussing ideas while the other half can be spent on deep, uninterrupted work.

Whatever your approach, whether you have set meeting or no-meeting times, or set days to be onsite vs at home, make it transparent. Have staff communicate their work pattern to each other so people know where and when others will be available, when it’s ok to pick up the phone and when to expect a response on their shared document. Communication is key.

6. CLARIFY EXPECTATIONS

Determine which communication channels will be used for which purpose and set clear expectations on how they should be used. Email culture needs a reset in a lot of organisations. There are plenty of other options that can reduce email overload. 

Establish a response frequency protocol so it’s clear when to expect a response, reducing pressure for those responding and frustration for those awaiting the reply. If your approach is to message any time – to suit those working flexi-hours – let staff know there’s no expectation for them to respond within an hour or two. Build guidelines into people’s signature blocks as standard, outlining their approach or work times.

7. ASSUME LOW CONTEXT

Because online communication lacks tone and body language that help convey meaning, it’s important staff are especially clear with written communication. Assume the other person doesn’t have context and be explicit so as not to leave others with questions, or create unnecessary back and forth. “Please send feedback by 4pm” is clearer than “Interested in your thoughts”.

8. ENSURE DOWN TIME

Train staff to have intentional ways to switch off from work. Transition routines can help, such as a walk around the block ‘commute home’, getting changed or switching devices onto flight mode. Leaders need to ensure staff know they shouldn’t be on call 24/7 (unless that’s actually a requirement of their role).

9. TREAT THE OFFICE AS THE NEW ‘OFFSITE’ 

Design the time when teams come together strategically for special purposes such as rethinking and refining systems, professional development, design sprints, celebrations and launching new ideas.

Many organisations are creating certain ‘anchor days’ each month – days when everyone is expected to be on-site. This allows for a focus on real time collaborative work where ‘in the room’ energy is beneficial. It also gives you opportunities for greater connection building.

10. INSTIL YOUR WHY 

Having a clear vision to guide and inspire staff is more important than ever with a remote team. Make sure your people understand your ‘why’ and how they individually contribute and make a difference. Reinforce it any time you come together. 

Download your own copy of  “Pitfalls and Positives of Remote Work : How to maintain a thriving connected team even when you’re spread apart.” 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lauren is a multi-award-winning Wellbeing Specialist who believes that everyone deserves to thrive. With over 20 years’ experience, she is passionate about helping busy people re-discover how to feel vibrant, confident and energised.

Awarded NZ Keynote Speaker of the Year and Educator of the Year 2023/24 by the Professional Speakers Association. Lauren is a sought-after international speaker and one of only a dozen Certified Speaking Professionals in New Zealand, who integrates her wellness and business background to help leaders find the sweet spot between boosting both wellbeing and productivity.

TEDx speaker, Author of Thriving Leaders Thriving Teams and Real Food Less Fuss, Founder of the Snack on Exercise movement and host of the Thrive TV Show. Described as inspiring and life-changing, Lauren is a dynamic and highly-engaging presenter, and master story-teller who will have you laughing, moving and learning in a memorable way. Whether it’s virtual or in-person, you will leave Lauren’s session feeling uplifted and empowered to create positive change!

Based in the Manawatu, New Zealand, where she lives with her husband and three children, Lauren can often be found hosting dinner parties, playing board games, or spending time outdoors. She travels regularly to speak at conferences and in-house and specialises in helping organisations create a high-energy, peak-performance team culture, where people thrive.

To find out about working with Lauren for Leadership Development, Executive Coaching, Motivational Team Training or Conference Keynotes, visit  www.LaurenParsonsWellbeing.com