Remote work undoubtedly has its perks, but so does feeling connected to your colleagues. Countless studies have found how beneficial a connected workforce is, from heightened productivity to reduced employee turnover. One Harvard Business Review study even found that employees who feel loved perform better.
Jaime Cannon is the Director of Employee Experience at Super Coffee. With a background of 6 years as a school teacher, Jaime knows a thing or two about communications. She shared a few tips and tricks with us on how to keep your workforce connected in remote times.
Welcoming new employees when working remotely — what you should and shouldn't do
Jaime tells us you shouldn't assume people know how to connect: "The first step is to put the right digital tools into place, but you can't presume things will happen. People need that nudge to go out of their comfort zone, and they have to feel safe to do that.
"The same goes for change management. When you push out updates or news your team needs to be aware of, don't assume everyone is interpreting things the way the company is interpreting them. Introduce the news in a way that welcomes feedback and gives people the opportunity to share any questions or suggestions. You want people to share because you never know what's happening in their specific realm of influence that you haven't considered. And you want to make sure you keep new joiners in mind when implementing feedback opportunities.
"Really have the lines of communication open for people to take advantage of and try to foster a culture where people feel empowered to do so. There's a lot to say for both of those things, you have to have the way to do it, but then you also need the mind to build a culture where it's okay for people to run things up the channel versus just down."
This boils down to:
- Do create a culture of transparent communications
- Do select the best tools for digital communications
- Do include and encourage new joiners to openly communicate
- Don't assume people know how to connect
What is the most important part of the employee life cycle?
Human connection remains constant throughout the employee life cycle. Keeping that connection alive with both employees who've been there from the start and those who just joined isn't easy — Super Coffee has employees who've been there six years, and newbies who haven't met any colleagues face-to-face.
Jaime explains: "A crucial part of the employee experience and the employee life cycle when you're working in a new job is making that human connection. And this becomes even more important, and challenging, when working remotely. We're constantly trying to think of what opportunities exist virtually, but also future opportunities to connect in-person. It's important to remember there has to be some aspect of human connection for it to translate to the digital world. Most importantly, it's about striking that balance of making sure people feel like they belong. For this, you have to focus on making people feel comfortable quickly because you're asking them to do important work, and that's hard to do over a screen."
Don't always try to "fix it"
Listening matters more than solving, sometimes. As a manager, the responsibility to solve some of these problems will fall on you — yet sometimes your focus shouldn't be on fixing problems but listening to them.
Jaime explains: "It can be a challenge to just listen. But sometimes it's about giving people the space to talk and not necessarily trying to fix it. People want to be heard — it's about giving them the space to talk and share.
"There are indeed matters that require action. But when living in an isolated world, people just want to be validated and know that whatever they're living through is okay."
We've all had our fair share of virtual meetings and might not want more. But sometimes having a call just to talk and share can make a world of difference.
Lead by example
Visible leadership participation lowers the barrier for everyone else. "Sometimes it can be a bit intimidating for employees to post on their company's social intranet," Jaime says. "Then again, the more they see their direct manager, the C-level suite, or the founders of the company posting open-ended questions and sharing responses, the more the curtain will be lifted. I think people will become more comfortable in doing so and putting themselves out there. Most people already have their favorite social media platform, which they feel comfortable interacting on. It's about tapping into that pre-existing potential and getting people to engage on an internal level."
Put yourself out there, build trust, don't force anything
Jaime leaves us with some parting wisdom: "If you can model the behavior you're asking for, people will be more comfortable participating. I post a lot of things on our social intranet that I wouldn't necessarily share on my LinkedIn or Instagram. If people can see that I'm asking them to be vulnerable whilst I'm being vulnerable, I think that'll inspire trust and a sense of belonging within the company for everyone. You can't force a sense of belonging, but you can encourage it."
FAQ
How can managers welcome and onboard new remote employees effectively?
Establish transparent communication channels and provide active support rather than assuming connection will happen naturally. Introduce company news in a way that actively invites questions and feedback, and keep the lines of communication open in both directions so employees feel empowered to raise ideas rather than just receive directives.
What is the best way for remote leaders to build trust and encourage engagement?
Lead by example. When employees regularly see managers, C-suite executives, and founders posting and responding on the company's social intranet, it becomes far less intimidating for everyone else to do the same. Leaders showing genuine vulnerability, rather than only polished updates, tends to inspire deeper trust and a stronger sense of belonging across the team.
How should managers handle employee problems and virtual communication challenges?
Prioritize active listening over immediately trying to fix every issue. In a remote or isolated working environment, employees frequently just want to be heard and validated, and setting aside calls purely for sharing and connecting, rather than solving, can meaningfully improve wellbeing even though virtual meetings already feel exhausting.
Why does human connection matter more, not less, in a remote work environment?
Remote work removes the incidental in-person moments that used to build connection automatically, making it both more challenging and more important to create deliberately. Striking a balance between virtual connection opportunities and future in-person moments is what helps both long-tenured employees and brand-new joiners feel like they genuinely belong.
