Written by: Limor Bergman Gross, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Discover effective strategies to promote inclusion, belonging, and trust within remote and hybrid teams. Enhance team performance by fostering a sense of connection and understanding.
Organizations are increasingly adopting remote and hybrid work models in today's fast-paced business environment. While these models offer numerous benefits, such as increased flexibility and reduced overhead costs, they also present unique challenges in fostering inclusion, belonging, and trust among team members. This article explores various strategies to help build connection and trust in remote and hybrid teams, ensuring a more inclusive and productive work environment.
I started working remotely in 2016, which was a turning point in my career.
That picture was taken from a hotel room in New York City. I was about to go to the headquarters of DigitalOcean for an interview for an engineering manager position which I eventually took and started at the beginning of 2016.
That position changed my life.
I'm a mother of four just on a personal note, and throughout my career, I have always struggled to balance a full-time position with caring for my family.
Before that job, I was not present as I wanted to be in my kid's life.
I always managed teams in the office, occasionally working from home, but I was mainly working in the office.
That was a sacrifice because I could not pick up my kids from school, give them lunch, or help them with homework. After all, I was usually at work, and I was getting back home very late.
In the position I held before DigitalOcean, I was working about 50 miles away from home, and commuted at least two hours a day.
I WAS SKEPTICAL when I was interviewed for a fully remote position to be honest with you. How can I manage a team of people I had never met before and could not adequately meet? But I found out not that it was only possible but that it was my preferred way of working, especially as a working mom.
Working remotely allowed me to do things I could never do before. However, it also brought some challenges with it. I'll share some essential lessons I learned when managing a remote or hybrid team.
1. Build connections with people, not just employees.
Focus on building connections with people, not just working with people as employees and as a manager. Typically, people tend to be very pragmatic and focus on work-related topics.
All the conversations are about what needs to be done.
When working remotely or hybrid, you don't have the opportunity to occasionally go for coffee, eat lunch or have fun together.
Be curious about their lives as much as they are willing to. When you work in the office and see someone, you can notice if they have a bad day or maybe a significant time in their life, but when you work remotely, you don't always see that, and it's vital to pay special attention to your team's well-being.
That picture was taken a minute before we fell into the water. I flew over the team, and we spent a week together. I know it's not cheap to fly over people, especially when you have people working globally, but if you think about investing time to bring your team together, make sure that you focus not just on work but on building experiences and connecting with people.
I always tried to combine having fun with work. So our work during those offsites was mostly long-term strategic planning rather than day-to-day because the motivation was to build connections.
If you plan on organizing an offsite for your team, prioritize strategy, brainstorming sessions, and enjoyable activities.
When you are not meeting in person, make sure you do one-on-ones with people and connect with them to be curious about their life.
I always insisted on having one-on-ones with my team members. When managing technical people, the tendency is always to avoid meetings. I had some Engineers that resisted meeting with me. I always insisted on having a check-in meeting to check how my team members were doing.
Regarding team building activities, when you are remote and cannot physically bring people together, you can do fun games, competitions, or anything else virtually. There are a lot of platforms that you can use to connect people. This link is one fun recommendation to get people talking.
We used to do a happy hour every Friday afternoon, and the team loved them because that was an opportunity for the team to talk about what they would do on the weekend or different things and connect as people.
2. Another recommendation for connecting people is personalized gifts.
I remember DigitalOcean used to send pies before Thanksgiving. At first, it seemed crazy to me that they mailed a pie from New York to Colorado. But it meant that the company cared for me.
Taking that a step further would be sending something more personalized, identifying what is important for the specific individual, and sending something meaningful for them. It could be a book that they want, a gift card for a restaurant they like, or anything else that will be meant just for them.
3. Offer an internal mentorship program
The next one is near and dear to my heart mentorship. I started mentoring in 2017, which was a very impactful experience for me, and I also created a mentorship program with PowerToFly.
I also help companies run internal mentorship programs, and I've seen how internal programs can help build connections among people at the company. It allows people to upskill, learn from someone else, and get to know others in the company. Usually, the feedback received from people who participated in those internal mentorship programs is that the most impactful thing for them was that they got an opportunity to meet other people that generally they wouldn't meet or they wouldn't have a close interaction with, and this is something that you can do very quickly, and it is not very expensive.
4. Encourage cross-functional projects
When I worked DigitalOcean, I sometimes prioritized working with other teams over internal things. People in my team only sometimes understood why I was doing that. My motivation for encouraging cross-functional collaborations was not just business priorities but also connecting people from different groups to work better towards a shared goal.
Promote cross-functional projects and encourage people to make internal moves between teams or sub-divisions when appropriate.
I have always been attentive to the needs of individuals in my organization. Whenever possible, I have allowed them to make career changes if they desire to do so.
5. Foster innovation
DigitalOcean conducted several Hackathons each year. Hackathons allowed the connection between people who didn’t work together. In addition, it provided an opportunity to innovate, try new technologies, or invent new offerings.
Other companies allow people to work on side projects or learn something new.
Fostering a culture of innovation is a great way to connect people and build motivation.
6. Trust your team
One crucial thing to remember when working remotely or in a hybrid setting is to trust your team. This is the most important takeaway from this article. It is essential to have trust in your colleagues, and they must also have trust in you. Building and maintaining trust can be challenging, but it is necessary. For example, when my previous manager left, and I got a new one, it took me about a year to establish the same level of trust that I had with my former manager. Despite working in different locations, trust was critical for our successful collaboration.
7. Be transparent with your employees
One way to build trust with your team as a manager is to be transparent. This means being open with your employees and being willing to receive feedback from your own manager. In my experience, I found it helpful to share feedback with my manager and suggest alternative solutions. As a manager, I was also transparent with my own team. I was willing to admit when I was uncertain or didn't know something, and this vulnerability helped build trust with my employees. Unfortunately, I've worked in past environments where upper management kept the information confidential, which hindered trust between employees and leadership.
8. Matching expectations and providing feedback.
When working remotely or in a hybrid setting, it's crucial to match expectations and give feedback.
However, not meeting face-to-face can lead to misunderstandings and assumptions. To avoid this, be clear about your expectations and provide timely feedback. This will make communication smoother and more effective.
9. Be Flexible
Flexibility is essential to remote and hybrid work, as it has completely changed my life. You should be open to working in or outside the office and be willing to adjust your work hours and days as needed. As a working mother, remote work has allowed me to pick up my child from school and give them the attention they need. This flexibility shows that you value your colleagues and helps create a workplace where everyone can do what is necessary while balancing work and life.
One of my engineers used to begin work later in the morning, which caused some grumbling among my team. They were frustrated that this person never responded before 11 am. Finally, I decided to speak with the engineer directly and ask if everything was okay. He explained that his most productive hours were later in the day and late at night. I suggested that he share this information with the team publicly so that they could better understand his availability. Eventually, the team accommodated his schedule.
One of our organization's employees began working with us while still in high school. He continued his education by pursuing a bachelor's degree while working under our organization. We made accommodations to his schedule so that he could balance both work and school, sometimes requiring him to work nights and weekends.
10. Celebrate successes and recognize
It is important to stay present in the moment and acknowledge the small and significant achievements of others to motivate your team. There are several ways to do this, and it is crucial to adapt to each individual's motivations. Recognizing people through email or team meetings are just a couple of examples. At PowerToFly, we had a Slack channel for recognition, and at DigitalOcean, we had a recognition time after each company all-hands meeting. However, some individuals prefer to be recognized personally or virtually in a one-on-one setting. I have managed introverted individuals who preferred private recognition, and it positively impacted their motivation.
11. Diversity and Inclusion
It is important to diversify your team, not only in terms of gender but also by hiring individuals with different backgrounds and experiences. This will provide a unique perspective and a variety of skills that can ultimately improve team performance. I have personally made an effort to hire more women and individuals with diverse experience levels and backgrounds, which has led to productive and sometimes heated discussions. While it may be more comfortable to hire people who think and behave similarly, this can result in inferior outcomes. A diverse and inclusive team fosters innovation and collaboration. To prioritize diversity, it is recommended that organizations implement inclusive hiring practices and provide diversity and inclusion training to ensure that all team members feel respected and valued for their unique perspectives.
Conclusion
To create a culture of inclusion and belonging in remote and hybrid teams, leaders and team members must make a deliberate effort. Clear communication, virtual or in-person team-building activities, inclusive leadership practices, diversity and inclusivity, accountability, work-life balance, and celebrating successes are some strategies that can help. By implementing these strategies, organizations can build a connected and trusting team environment that boosts productivity and success.
I am dedicated to helping women in technology leadership reach their full potential. Connect with me on LinkedIn to stay informed on the latest strategies and best practices for building strong, cohesive, and successful teams. Together, let's create a more inclusive and productive work environment.
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Limor Bergman Gross, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Limor is an Executive Coach for ambitious women in tech that want to get to the next level in their careers and achieve more through a result-oriented coaching process. Women she works with, say Limor enabled them to continuously tear down "ceilings" by challenging them to think bigger. They also say she opened their eyes to a new way of contributing to their careers. Limor loves talking about career progression in the tech industry and how to build your brand in the company and externally. Limor is married with four children; she loves running and working out at the gym while listening to electronic music.
