Despite efforts by companies to bring people back to the office, remote and hybrid teams are now a staple of how we work. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than one-third of Americans do some or all of their work remotely. The challenge for leaders is finding ways to engage their employees when they’re not working together in the same location.

Team members love the schedule flexibility, lower commuting costs, and autonomy of remote work. Organizations can reduce operational costs by occupying smaller offices and lowering real estate overhead. But to make remote work successful and foster the strong relationships that underpin a highly engaged and productive workforce, leaders must invest extra effort and some financial resources to create connections with employees who aren’t working in person.

To overcome the challenges of remote work, it’s important to recognize the power of the micro-moments that connect team members throughout a day at the office: a hello in the hallway, grabbing lunch together, or a quick chat as you pass someone’s desk. These brief but important moments don’t happen naturally when teams are spread across different locations. Proximity bias can also leave remote team members feeling left out of opportunities, conversations, or moments of connection simply because they’re not in the same physical space. In fact, one study found that remote workers are less likely to be promoted, despite being 15% more productive than their in-office colleagues.

When team members are in different time zones, planning, communicating, and collaborating become even more difficult. Email or the company Slack channel can make messaging easier, but without the ability to hear someone’s tone of voice or read their facial expressions, you risk being misunderstood.

If proximity doesn’t naturally bring you together, you and your teammates need to find ways to connect meaningfully on a regular basis. This isn’t just a feel-good exercise. Strong relationships create a better work environment for everyone. When connections are solid, both leaders and employees feel more connected and happy at work; they’re better able to communicate and collaborate. Authentic relationships also help combat and alleviate feelings of social isolation and loneliness — something that can be a chronic problem for remote workers. Ultimately, a network of strong relationships better equips people to be more satisfied with their jobs and delivers better results for the company.

7 Key Methods for Engaging Remote Teams

Here are some key strategies leaders can use to keep their remote team members connected and engaged, no matter where they are.

Be intentional and create rituals. If you don’t see your teammates throughout the day, make time in your schedule to connect regularly. Schedule weekly check-ins and leave time for small talk and catching up. If you and your colleagues work remotely, schedule a casual weekly coffee break or lunch meeting via video — a Zoom “break room” meeting gives you the informal facetime that’s important for building connections.

Pay attention to communication preferences. Find out where and how your team members like to communicate. Do they prefer Slack, Teams, or email? Do they respond better to texts or phone calls? It’s also a good idea to understand what your team members use each channel for and tailor your messaging accordingly. For example, if they only use Slack for quick updates, turn formal communication into email. Creating “user guides” that outline team members’ likes and dislikes can streamline interactions.

Practice good communication skills. This is especially important for written communication. Make it a habit to follow the 5 Cs of effective communication: be clear, concise, complete, correct and polite. If you have a complicated message to convey, it is worth calling a meeting to explain it face-to-face. The live dialogue allows your team members to ask questions, avoid misunderstandings and use their time more effectively later.

Set up the team’s schedule. If people are in different time zones, set expectations about business hours and response times, and make sure the whole team is aware of each other’s rhythms and schedules. This helps remote team members stay engaged and takes the pressure off of being available outside of their normal work hours.

Assume good intentions. We’ve all received an email that left us with questions. Cultural differences, communication preferences, and time constraints can affect how we perceive the tone of emails and texts. By creating a psychologically safe environment, team members feel comfortable asking questions when messages are confusing and can cut through lengthy back-and-forth conversations with a phone call or a meeting.

Turn on your video and encourage FaceTime. Body language is essential to communication, so it’s important that your team sees you (and each other) on camera. This doesn’t have to be a hard and fast rule; it’s okay to make room for inclusive communication needs. For example, if someone is on the go or dealing with a personal situation, a video call may not be possible. By encouraging video meetings and providing the flexibility to be off camera when necessary, you’re setting the stage for a connected culture on your team that still respects the need for work-life integration.

If possible, meet in person. Create a travel budget for out-of-town employees so that the entire team can get together regularly. Treat these meetings as special occasions, just as you would if you were scheduling a client meeting. Look for ways to create value for everyone. In addition to team-building activities, schedule time for one-on-one meetings with each of your team members and encourage them to schedule facetime with key stakeholders.

Leaders must be intentional about cultivating strong relationships with their remote team members, and employees must be just as intentional about creating connections with their colleagues. When we set the tone for our teams to be inclusive and psychologically safe, we create a culture of connection that will increase engagement, productivity, and satisfaction. No matter where team members are, they will always feel like they belong.

To learn more about inclusive leadership and the power of empathy to increase employee engagement, check out my new book, The Inclusive Leadership Handbook: Balancing People and Performance for Sustainable Growth, co-authored with Kurt Merriweather, Vice President of Marketing and Innovation at The Diversity Movement.

About Donald Thompson

Donald Thompson, winner of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2023 SE Award, founded The Diversity Movement (TDM) to fundamentally transform the modern workplace through diversity-driven culture change. TDM was recently acquired by Workplace Options, which delivers holistic wellbeing services to more than 80 million people in over 200 countries and territories worldwide. Recognized by Inc., Fast Company and Forbes, Thompson is the author of Underestimated: A CEO’s Unlikely Path to Success, hosts the podcast “High Octane Leadership in an Empathetic World” and has published extensively on leadership and the executive mindset. As a leadership and executive coach, Thompson has created a culture-focused ethos to win in the marketplace by balancing empathy and economics. His next book is The Inclusive Leadership Handbook: Balancing People and Performance for Sustainable Growth.

Follow him on LinkedIn for updates on news, events, and his podcast, or contact him at [email protected] for executive coaching, speaking engagements, or DEI-related content. TDM has developed LeaderView, a leadership assessment tool that uses cultural competency as a driver to improve performance across the entire team. To further explore DEI content and issues that impact your work and life, visit the TDM Library, a multimedia resource hub that provides leaders with a trusted source of DEI content.