You're navigating remote work dynamics. How do you ensure team members are part of decision-making processes?

Regular virtual meetings are scheduled to gather diverse perspectives and insights, ensuring decisions are well-rounded and reflective of our team's collective expertise.

Schedule regular one-on-one and team meetings to discuss ongoing projects and gather input. Use communication platforms like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom to keep channels open for spontaneous discussions. Utilize collaboration tools like Google Workspace, Trello, or Asana to facilitate shared work and decision-making. Use tools like SurveyMonkey or Doodle to gather opinions and votes on decisions from all team members.

Organize virtual team-building activities to strengthen relationships and trust among team members. Acknowledge and celebrate contributions from remote team members to reinforce the value of their input. Keep the team informed about the status of decisions and the rationale behind them. Maintain a shared document or dashboard where decisions are logged and accessible to all team members.

While I firmly believe there is no substitute for face-to-face meetings, regular visits with remote employees are crucial for several reasons: •Frequent communication ensures that remote employees are clear about their roles, responsibilities, and the company’s expectations. •Regular checks-ins provide opportunities to reduce isolation, and to build and maintain relationships between employees, their managers, and their team members. •Those connections allow managers to identify and address any challenges or concerns remote employees may face, whether work-related or personal. Regular check-ins can create a supportive and cohesive remote work environment where employees feel valued and connected.

It’s critical to have a leadership culture that embraces virtual collaboration. I’ve led a team of a dozen direct and about two dozen indirect reports across three locations and we didn’t miss a beat. I’ve also been part of a culture so focused on in-person collaboration that e-communication was generally ignored and overlooked, and even considered a nuisance within the culture, stymying successes.

Helps to know or be able to find out the average response time of your team members, and despite potential negative connotations of the first word in what i'm about to type/say, false deadlines will be indispensable, especially if the team collaborates across time zones, International borders and (work) cultures