By Ilse Phillips,
Owner, Cool Teachings
Possibly one of the best things that emerged from the coronavirus pandemic was working from home and learning from home. Yes, school children were happily taking classes in their pyjamas and students were flying through their tertiary education in tracksuit pants. Business professionals were attending meetings in cheerful Hawaiian shorts. This got many leaders in business and education thinking……do we really need huge brick and mortar head offices and office buildings to effectively do what we need to do? The answer was a resounding NO! Remote work has become a permanent fixture in modern businesses.
Working from home came with its own set of unique challenges. Leaders began asking how they can keep tabs on their employees, monitor productivity, and ensure that no one was out in the garden having fun when they should be slaving away at the grind stone. This negative way of thinking got HR leaders thinking out of the box.
Let us explore how HR professionals can revolutionise remote work by prioritising human connection, leveraging technology, and implementing best practices that drive employee engagement and productivity.
1. Create Connection Through Intentional Communication
Virtual coffee breaks / ‘watercooler’ interactions: Encourage casual moments where employees can discuss non-work-related topics like their favourite sport, hobbies, TV shows and movies, books, restaurants, or travel get-aways. Or create 15-minute video calls with fun themes to spark conversation (e.g., “Show Your Pet,” “Best Home Office Hack, etc.”)
Balance inclusive interactions and meetings: Use video calls to maintain face-to-face interaction and make sure that all voices are heard, especially in hybrid employment situations. Schedule meetings at varying times to accommodate different time zones. Provide workshops for managers and employees on mitigating bias, active listening, and leveraging remote-friendly tools.
Regular check-ins: Introduce structured one-on-one and team check-ins to ensure employees feel heard and supported. HR-led wellness check-ins could be carried out where HR professionals reach out periodically to employees to discuss their well-being, challenges, and needs. Create a culture where peers are encouraged to check in on each other through buddy programs or peer support networks.
2. Redefine Performance Management for Remote Teams
Leverage technology for visibility: Use tools like Zoom or Microsoft Teams to consolidate communication and lessen the perception that employees may have of being disconnected. Implement platforms like Monday.com to maintain transparency and accountability, decreasing a feeling of employees being micromanaged. Use employee engagement platforms like Bonusly to collect employee feedback and appreciate performance.
Prioritise continuous feedback: Craft an environment where employees feel safe to voice concerns without worrying about negative consequences. Use anonymous feedback tools to gather honest input. Encourage and support peer recognition by introducing regular shout-outs from team members to each other during team meetings.
Shift from presence to outcomes: Evaluate employees based on actual, measurable deliverables rather than merely time spent online. Replace annual performance appraisals with real time feedback to encourage responsiveness and development. Use OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) or SMART goals to line up individual contributions with organisational priorities. Be a champion of advancing a leadership style that balances autonomy with accountability.
3. Invest in Virtual Team-Building and Professional Education
Build cross-functional mentorship: Team up staff from different departments for mentorship, promoting the sharing of knowledge, experience, and ideas for improvement. Remember to set clear objectives to ensure relevance.
Host engaging virtual retreats: The annual teambuilding get-away weekend could become a monthly Friday lunchtime virtual chocolate/wine/cheese workshop. How about a photo contest, a virtual campfire storytelling session, pre-recorded TED-style talks from leaders, create a collaborative Spotify playlist for the team, teams compete to design a digital mural using Canva? The possibilities are endless.
Offer skill-building opportunities: Host live webinars led by internal experts or guest speakers. Team up with platforms like Udemy, Coursera or LinkedIn Learning to offer various work-related courses on request. Offer employees short-term projects outside their usual scope to apply new skills. Fund employees’ pursuit of certifications or conferences, with clear ROI tied to business needs.
4. Reimagine Onboarding and Employee Experience
Design immersive virtual onboarding: Design a multi-faceted onboarding program combining self-paced e-learning (outlining company history, compliance training) with live meetings (meet the team, role expectations). Appoint “buddy” mentors to guide new recruits through their first 90 days, answering questions and providing support.
Prioritise holistic wellness: Prevent burnout by introducing “no-meeting” blocks of time or specific days and totally offline times. Introduce meditation sessions, fitness allowances, or stress management workshops. Provide user-friendly tools and expert support to effectively deal with stress, burnout, and perceived isolation.
Support digital employee resource groups (ERGs): Organise online games, trivia challenges on sites like Kahoot, wellness challenges, book / movie and foodie clubs, talent shows, share your favourite recipe, mental health workshops, etc. to encourage team spirit.
5. Lead with Empathy and Trust
Celebrate achievements publicly: Openly and visibly celebrate staff contributions through shout-outs, awards, or peer recognition platforms to highlight and support exemplary conduct. Host quarterly or monthly award ceremonies via Zoom/Teams to spotlight top performers, project wins, or milestones. Send digital or physical tokens of appreciation tailor made to the employee’s interests e.g. gourmet coffee / favourite foodie treat for a remote worker who destroyed a deadline. Spotlight the monthly employee in the company newsletter.
Embrace flexibility as a core value: Reinforce company culture by inserting core values into daily operations, recognition programs, and leadership messaging. Introduce the concept of “flexi hours” where employees can choose their start and end times, where possible. Introduce “no-meeting Wednesdays” to protect deep work time without interruptions. Scrap mandatory daily check-ins; trust employees to self-manage. Launch an internal “gig board” where employees can apply for short-term projects outside their core role.
Model work-life integration: Introduce flexible schedules or helpful resources to employees who are balancing work and child care responsibilities. Allow employees to work during their most productive hours when possible. Common best practices in this area include visible downtime, unplugging after hours, respecting others’ time, and integrating personal well-being into daily routines. Also, using communication tools to set expectations, like email autoresponders outside work hours. Modelling work-life integration demonstrates how personal and professional tasks can practically coexist. An example would be an HR leader mentioning that they are taking a break to pick up their children and will resume work later, showing that it is acceptable to blend responsibilities.
Building a thriving remote culture requires intentional, continual efforts. The key elements of a thriving remote culture include communication, inclusion, recognition, professional growth, and social connection. Through these efforts, HR leaders can transform distance from a barrier into an opportunity for success. The future of the work place is not about reproducing office culture online. It is about reinventing it to be more inclusive, responsive, and human-centric sustainably. HR leaders create an environment where employees feel seen, supported, and inspired, no matter where they work.
Ilse Phillips,
Owner, Cool Teachings