In today's rapidly changing work landscape, remote work has become the norm for a significant portion of the workforce. Transitioning from the traditional office setting to a remote or hybrid work environment has presented various challenges. However, HR professionals and managers need to ensure that employees remain connected, engaged, and supported.

In this blog post, we'll explore some of the best HR practices to navigate the challenges of remote work successfully.

Fostering Human Connection

One of the significant challenges in a remote work setup is maintaining genuine human connection among team members. If the days of catching up over coffee by the office lounge are gone, are at least scarce, what can HR professionals do to foster that vital sense of camaraderie and connection in the virtual realm?

Let’s consider implementing the following strategies:

Icebreaker Questions:

Start team meetings with thought-provoking questions that delve deeper than surface-level small talk, questions such as:

• What's the last book you read? 

• What do you like to do for fun? 

• What was the last thing you did that brought you joy?

• What made you smile today? 

• What are you most looking forward to for this summer? 

• What was your favorite or most memorable gift?

These questions aim to foster personal connections beyond work-related discussions, ultimately allowing individuals to be seen and understood within the team.

Scavenger Hunts: 

Organize virtual scavenger hunts during team calls to infuse fun and interaction into your remote work routine. Imagine the thrill as your colleagues search around their homes, scouring their surroundings for quirky and unexpected items. The challenge could be as imaginative as you want to make it, from finding the most unusual book title to sharing an item with the craziest backstory. 

These virtual scavenger hunts not only add a playful atmosphere to your remote meetings but also encourage participants to engage with their physical surroundings and share personal stories, all of which foster a stronger sense of community among your team members.

Making Work Fun and Engaging

Who said remote work had to be dull and that team meetings had to be business formal? Here’s how you can add fun and engagement into the workday:

Laughter and Play: 

Encourage team members to laugh, be silly, and even take short dance or chair yoga breaks during virtual meetings. Simply load up a 5-minute YouTube video and screen share. Remember, it's possible to have fun on Zoom too!

Self-Care Breaks: 

One of the things we do at HR TailorMade is schedule regular self-care breaks. During these breaks, employees take 30 minutes to focus on themselves. We’ve had team members say “You know what, I’m going to paint my nails right now.” Others have gone on walks, enjoyed eating their lunch, listened to a podcast episode, etc. Then, we all go off-camera and we do the thing we said we’d do. When we come back, we report what happened. Nobody is obligated to come but it’s an opportunity for the team to pause together and make sure we’re all focused on our self-care.

Enhancing Communication and Support

Effective communication is crucial in a remote work environment. That’s why scheduling opportunities for people to connect with you as the boss or manager is important. Here are some ideas and practices to ensure everyone stays connected and supported:

Scheduled Support Time: 

Block specific hours on your calendar each week or month for open support sessions. Encourage employees to pop in to ask questions, provide updates, or seek assistance with challenges they may be facing.

Touch Base Meetings: 

Conduct brief, 5-10 minute touch base meetings with individual team members every other week. Before the meetings, have your team members be responsible for 5 questions that they need to go through and answer, then during the call, provide them with feedback. This allows for quick updates and feedback on progress.

Centralized Communication: 

One of the struggles with remote work is the amount of websites, portals, and channels team members have to manage on a daily. To combat this, try streamlining your communication by creating a dedicated chat group that’s centralized to your team’s other methods of communication. For example, if your team uses Google to send emails, use Google Chat as your communication channel as opposed to Slack for instance. If your team uses Outlook, use Teams as your communication channel. The goal here is to keep conversations as organized and accessible as possible.  

Ensuring that your project management system enables team members to stay informed about project progress and encourages timely and accurate updates is also crucial. Utilizing software such as Monday.com or Asana can greatly facilitate this process.

Flexibility and Compassion

Lastly, it's essential to maintain flexibility and compassion in a remote work setting, just as you would in an office environment. 

Handling Unexpected Events: 

Recognize that unforeseen circumstances can disrupt work, even when employees are at home, like the time Tiffany discovered a small puddle in her kitchen when her dishwasher decided not to cooperate. At that point, it’s your responsibility as HR to extend understanding, offer support, and ensure that employees feel valued and cared for, regardless of their work location.

Encourage Social Interaction: 

Recognize that each team member is unique, and what works effectively for one may not be the best fit for another. Therefore, it's crucial to provide diverse opportunities for employees to engage with their colleagues. Consider offering co-working memberships or arranging virtual coffee shop workdays to recreate the office environment, but keep in mind that these options may not resonate with everyone.

In a remote work landscape, some individuals thrive in solitude, while others crave social interaction. By offering a range of opportunities for engagement, you can accommodate varying preferences and create a more inclusive and adaptable remote work culture.

In Conclusion

Incorporating these HR practices will enable your remote team to remain connected, engaged, and well-supported along their journey through the challenges of remote work. Now, consider this: How can you further tailor these practices to suit the unique needs and preferences of your remote workforce?