Whether you’re a seasoned remote worker or entering a new role with more flexibility, you might feel a little disconnected from your peers. But there are definitely opportunities to build better relationships with the people you work with without having to add more conference calls to your schedule.

The following tips will help you create more genuine bonds, collaborate more efficiently with your team, and become a better leader right from home.

1. Start a wellness thread 🧘🏽‍♀️

Use your chat platforms (teams, skype, slack, etc.) to create a safe space for wellness-related conversations. These tools are already being used for updates, project management, and day-to-day communication, but why not for our wellness?

At Real You Leadership, we use our wellness channel to share our hobbies, when we move our bodies, or how we’re feeling throughout the day.

On the harder days, we ask one another for courage, support, and accountability as we navigate things in our personal and professional lives. We provide as much or as little detail as we feel comfortable with sharing. The beauty of this wellness channel is that it helps us learn more about each other without any pressure.

I’ve also seen companies utilize wellness channels to encourage employees to step away from their computers, have a distraction-free lunch, and provide information on wellness events and resources offered internally.

2. Be more intentional with your meetings ⏱

Let’s be real, no one wants to be on-screen more than they have to. We are all a little screen-fatigued, so being more intentional with our time is important. 

Be more proactive about planning what you’ll talk about, and create an agenda beforehand like on a google doc (have all team members contribute). Another thing to pay attention to is the length of your meetings. 

Are you always going over your designated meeting time? Consider appointing a timekeeper or speaking up if you notice you stay on one topic for too long if you have a more extended agenda.

Is there often time left over? Consider cutting the meeting time by 15 or 30 minutes shorter, you don’t always have to have hour-long conversations. Remember, you need time in your day to actually get the work done!

On our team, we have intentional recurring meetings Mon-Wed, varying from 1-on-1s to go over ongoing tasks and our full-team meeting to cross-function. 

We don't force ourselves into this corporate mold of meeting just for the sake of it. We're structured where it's necessary, and add any impromptu check-ins/alignments we need.

Dare yourself to challenge the meeting culture at your company and cut out what you don’t need, I talk more about it here.

3. Outsource some professional leadership training to support your remote teams

The option and flexibility to work remotely or hybrid has been an incredible advancement to the workforce and has become beneficial for many BIPOC professionals. However, with this fast-growing change to the work landscape, comes a variety of challenges that still have to be addressed.

Remote employees (especially BIPOC women leaders) may not be saying it, but some of them are feeling less supported in their career development and disconnected from their teams in comparison to their on-site counterparts. 

This is why investing in training that addresses how to manage remote teams, foster employee connectedness, ensure equal opportunity, and create inclusive practices is important. 

Real You Leadership provides manager training that centers the experiences and needs of BIPOC and marginalized communities, to create work environments where everyone can thrive as their best, realest selves.

If you and your leadership team need support to have the confidence, EQ, and skills to build your remote team up in healthier, more empowering ways, we got you.

Marketing Strategist & Career Coaching Content Writer

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