Remote working is not going away, as we approach year 3 of the pandemic.\u00a0 A recent article in Human Resources Executive provides recommendations on how to maintain a productive work culture with remote work. (1)<\/p>\n
1) Be aware of low meeting engagement<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cEngaged employees typically participate with cameras on, nod along and exhibit engaged body language while using the meeting chat to ask questions. More absent employees tend to leave cameras off or respond to questions and key conversation points with blank stares. If leaders find they are consistently calling out names at random just to get a response, there may be a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n Requiring cameras-on during all meetings may not be the right answer, especially for employees who have regular back-to-back zoom meetings.\u00a0 Instead, try to keep meetings as brief and efficient as possible.\u00a0 Establish meeting agendas in advance with employee input and keep to the planned meeting start and end times.<\/p>\n 2) Avoid communication silos<\/strong><\/p>\n With remote work, there is a tendency to limit communication to within the workgroup.\u00a0 Employees who are outside the workgroup, can be left out of important communication about projects which involve them.\u00a0 To mitigate that possibility, include cross-departmental representation on projects.\u00a0 Also, based on a study by McKinsey, encourage \u201cmoments of engagement among employees for ideation or mentorship. Such\u00a0\u2018microtransactions\u2019 of social capital, which previously occurred through informal brainstorms\u00a0or hallway chatter, are essential to strengthening ties between departments.\u201d<\/p>\n 3) Don\u2019t allow employees to drift away<\/strong><\/p>\n The responsiveness of some employee may decline.\u00a0 Note how long it takes employees to respond to email and direct messaging.\u00a0 Establish accountability standards and expectations around availability.\u00a0 Many employees value the flexibility of remote work, but remote work must be combined with published accountability standards.<\/p>\n