My grandfather was an insurance agent in a small town. I never thought much about it, but he was really a remote worker. He didn’t go into an office. He built a small office onto the side of his home.
Remote work. Working from home. It’s not new. But it is new to a lot of folks and that includes team leaders and managers. One of the challenges when it’s new is figuring out how to keep the human connections when you can’t physically be close to each other.
Here are a few thoughts…
1. Ask Personal Questions
Obviously not too personal or inappropriate. But businesses are made up of people. It’s okay to get to know each other. And you can do that with remote communication. Email, Zoom calls, chats. It all works for asking questions about someone’s life outside of work. Their hobbies. Their family. Their friends. Their plans. Their hopes and aspirations.
The more you know. The more you understand. The better you’ll be able to help guide the individuals that make up your team.
2. Follow Up On Stories & Concerns
One of the keys to listening is remembering what the other person told you. It makes people feel good when you follow up on something they told you. It makes them feel the human connection. Like they matter to you and that you care about their well being.
Let’s say you ask a team member if they are doing anything for an upcoming weekend. They tell you that they are excited about a hiking day trip with a good friend. On Monday, make a note to ask them how it went.
We not only like talking about things that make us happy, but also when others remember details that we have previously told them.
3. Set Check-In Reminders
And that brings up a good point. I know that we’re all a little unique. One rule I try to live by is that if it’s not on my calendar I won’t remember it. Birthdays, meetings, calls, tasks, etc. If I don’t put it on my calendar I won’t do it.
So if I need to check-in with someone or follow up or mention something I need to set a reminder.
Have you ever thought had this thought: I haven’t talked to that friend in…I don’t even know how long…
That can occur with your team if you don’t set reminders to check in. And if you have checked in recently you can just delete or reschedule the reminder anyway. But it’s there as a back up.
4. Trust Their Work
You have to trust that your employees can do their work. Look at the results. If those are happening then life is good and you don’t need to dig into every detail about their remote work. And if things aren’t happening correctly, first look at how you may have contributed to it. Poor overview of the task? Poor timeline? It could be something like that.
Start with trust. That’s a good step for a lot of good things including giving your team the feeling that you are connected to them on the same mission.
5. Accept Feedback
Many people just want to be heard. And sometimes that includes feedback for you and the entire working situation. Make them feel like they can share thoughts with you. Try to take it in, understand what they’re saying and then respond with how you feel something should or shouldn’t change.
Being heard is very important to a connection whether it’s in person or remote.
6. Follow Through On Promises
Let’s say you do get some feedback. You think it’s positive. You make a plan to make the change. Actually make the change.
And that’s true with all promises. Big or small. Be aware of what you’re saying you will or won’t do and then follow through as best as possible.
I run into this occasionally with my three-year old daughter. She immediately calls me out if I don’t do something that I say I will do.
But we all feel that way when someone breaks a promise. It breaks down the connection.
Conclusion
Communication, for some reason, can be tricky no matter what the situation. Even when you’re working in the same office it can be easy to take for granted the communication you lack with a team member. That can lead to resentment and poor work. It’s the responsibility of the leader on the team to make sure that everyone feels a strong connection. You don’t have to be best friends, but a connection seems to lead to better work.