As organizations prepare to either extend work-from-home policies or transition to a hybrid working environment, some employees are concerned about visibility issues for remote workers.
How can employers increase visibility of their remote workforce when it comes to company culture? How can they make sure those who work from home feel just as connected to the team as people who may be starting to come back to the office?
Matt Martin, the CEO and Cofounder of smart calendar assistant Clockwise, provided insights on how to increase the visibility of your remote workforce in a hybrid environment, and which strategies his company has used successfully.
Rethinking Company Culture
Employers can increase remote workforce visibility by continuing to promote a healthy company culture, according to Martin. “Since working from home continues to be the norm, you have to think outside the box to continue to have a strong and healthy culture,” he explains, noting that it’s important to find ways to make employees feel valued, especially during a time when morale might be waning.
Whether it’s virtual happy hours, games, or even events for employees’ kids, it’s important to get workers talking to each other and having fun to boost morale and mental health. Martin explains the steps Clockwise takes to ensure this happens.
1. Start Things off Right
To begin, Clockwise sends all their new hires fun welcome packages, which create a sense of excitement and connection right off the bat for remote team members and hybrid teams. Companies that onboard remote team members without acknowledging them with a similar kickoff ceremony or welcome offering risk making people feel disenfranchised from day one.
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2. Use Mailings to Create Team Cohesion
Clockwise recently celebrated some company-wide wins together by mailing everyone on the team individual mini cakes—that way, no matter where people worked, they felt included. While sending people an email with big news is a first step, following it up with something more celebratory like a treat (budget permitting) will go further to help engage remote workers.
3. Acknowledge Special Dates
Martin says that Clockwise goes all out for work anniversaries to ensure that people feel recognized. By choosing to celebrate a recurring event that everyone will experience at least once a year, like a work anniversary or birthday, you’ll foster a sense of connection and cohesion among people.
4. Schedule in Camaraderie
Clockwise also works camaraderie into teams’ weekly schedules with Zoom lunches every Tuesday. “To facilitate conversation, we break the group out into smaller rooms where we can chat and catch up,” Martin says. “When we bring on a new team member, we bring them into every room so they can mingle with all of us for a few minutes.”
5. Create “Closure” Events
Every Friday, Clockwise closes out the week with what Martin calls “demos,” which give team members the opportunity to present what they’ve accomplished recently. Though the frequency may vary based on the company, creating space for employees to share their work can help create transparency and alignment between teams.
6. Keep in Touch
One final way that Clockwise facilitates inclusion is by having managers regularly check in with their teams about their burnout levels and work-life balance. In addition, Martin suggests that leadership regularly update workers about their plans and the resources available to help them do their jobs better.
Bridging the Gap in a Hybrid Setting
Martin also shares some thoughts on how employers can include both in-person and remote workers in a way that guarantees the safety of all employees.
“Experts are divided over when workers will get back to the office after COVID-19, but most agree the return should be staggered in order to protect workers,” Martin says, pointing out that the hybrid model reduces office density and prevents overcrowding on sidewalks and mass transit. He notes, though, that one challenge of a hybrid structure is that some workers may feel less connected to the rest of the company.
To keep workers feeling included in a blended office format, employers should continue to use video and chat tools so that employees can continue to collaborate. “Video conferencing software makes the conversation a little bit more like you’re in the same room,” he concludes.
Be Inclusive
In a hybrid work environment, it’s crucial to make sure that your remote workforce feels just as included as in-office employees.
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