When your team is remote, give them a call once in a while so they know you care!

Give your team a call every once and awhile. 

The thing about working with people is they’re complicated and messy. Never forget this - people are very, very messy. Because humans are emotional, self-centered and complex; drama often ensues in the workplace when there’s stress. When you’re not in the office, you may experience less office drama - possibly. However, we’re still human and even though we work remotely, we interact with people so there is still lots of opportunity for misunderstandings, hurt feelings and conflicting views. That’s why its so important for remote professionals to invest time and effort in building trust with colleagues and their boss. That’s why it’s doubly important for remote team leaders to make an effort to reach out to their people and keep them connected to the team mission.

Digital communication enables remote work and is vitally important. But it creates a whole set of new problems. Technology makes it easy to avoid confrontation and honest dialogue. When you are out of sight from your colleagues, it’s so easy to forget that you’re dealing with a person with an ego and feelings on the other end of whatever digital message you send. Even the best communicators can fall short when the person on the other end of the message misconstrues our intent.

Frequent, scheduled check-ins and ad hoc informal touch points help a lot. Touch points are important because it’s easy for a remote professional to get inside their own head. If you have a bad day or a bad week, it’s so easy to get down on yourself and assume everyone on the team is against you or worse, doesn’t care about you or even know you exist.

Remote team leaders are a big part of this and it’s especially important for you to reach out frequently. As a remote leader, you have implied permission to contact anyone at any time for any reason. Remember your team people might be shy. Often remote team members are reluctant to “bother” anyone. Creating an agreed upon communication protocol up front within a remote team provides clarity as to when someone can be disturbed and when its best to leave them alone. Choosing digital tools that provide more informal ways to connect are also important – workplace chat rooms like Slack can be confidential chat between one or two colleagues or a free-for-all group space for big group sharing.

Frequent, scheduled check-ins and ad hoc informal touch points help a lot. Touch points are important because it’s easy for a remote professional to get inside their own head. If you have a bad day or a bad week, it’s so easy to get down on yourself and assume everyone on the team is against you or worse, doesn’t care about you or even know you exist.

Remote team leaders are a big part of this and it’s especially important for you to reach out frequently. As a remote leader, you have implied permission to contact anyone at any time for any reason. Remember your team people might be shy. Often remote team members are reluctant to “bother” anyone. Creating an agreed upon communication protocol up front within a remote team provides clarity as to when someone can be disturbed and when its best to leave them alone. Choosing digital tools that provide more informal ways to connect are also important – workplace chat rooms like Slack can be confidential chat between one or two colleagues or a free-for-all group space for big group sharing.

Don’t reserve phone calls and video chats for emergency situations. Take the time to call or chat to connect, have a pleasant conversation or deliver good news. It’s easier to resolve differences and misunderstanding when there is trust and a relationship history. Those personal conversations are especially important when teams are dispersed as they allow remote team colleagues to get to know each other and become familiar with each other. Communication flows much easier when there is familiarity, respect and trust. 

When you work remotely, digital communications will be a big part of your day. Emails are a great way to convey large chunks of information to move projects forward. But not if people fail to read or respond to them. Texts work well for short and urgent messages. But only if someone acknowledges them. However, there are time when digital isn’t going to cut it and you may need to go old school to make the connection happen. Nothing can replace the nuanced complexity of a live conversation. It’s hard to ignore someone’s humanity if that person is staring you in the face or listening to you on the phone.

If you need to deal with a sensitive issue or you sense that there is some disagreement or confusion, pick up the phone and make a call or set up time for a video chat. The problem with any written communication is it can’t adequately convey tone or context. Something written in jest can unintentionally insult or hurt. Or a reader may interpret a message in a way the writer didn’t intend. People tend to be more reactive and defensive when they’re responding via email. Problems can occur and quickly escalate. When you find that yourself working too hard to revise an email in order to explain your point of view or defend yourself, shorten the message. May I give you a call or do you have time for a quick video chat so we can discuss?

Put it into action:

Create your plan for strengthening your relationships with your team members. Emphasize the benefits of handling difficult issues with a call or video chat and encourage your colleagues or team members to pick up the phone or launch a video chat between themselves before there are problems!