When we talk about remote work, we throw the word “team” around a lot. But do you have a real team, or just a bunch of people who all report to the same manager? The difference can matter a lot. A recent study on employee engagement by ADP and done by Marcus Buckingham among others, made the claim that those workers, virtual or not, who are part of a team are more engaged … [Read more...]
Treating Remote Workers Equally Doesn’t Mean Treating Them the Same
If you have a hybrid team—one where some of your folks work in a central location and some are teleworking or off-site—you have probably heard your share of whining that you’re treating one part of the team differently than the other. It might sound something like this: “The people who work from home, have it made. They don’t have to commute, can wear what they want, and don’t … [Read more...]
Proactivity: The Secret to Successful Remote Teamwork
What makes a successful long-distance team member? The answer might surprise you. As part of our ongoing effort to survey long-distance leaders and the people who work for them, we’ve been asking a lot of questions. Whether it’s the managers or the individual workers, one word popped up again and again: Proactivity. Definitions.net has this to say about proactivity (and you … [Read more...]
Building a Culture of Trust
by Chuck Chapman, Content Strategy Coordinator Kevin and Wayne spend an entire chapter (chapter 11 if you want to reference) in The Long-Distance Leader talking about the importance of trust with remote teams and unpacking their model (see below). Trust is one of those "squishy" concepts, however, that can make some leaders uneasy. While it's usually pretty apparent when … [Read more...]
What Does Professionalism Mean to Remote Workers?
Is there a different standard for professionalism for remote workers compared to those who go into an office everyday? This question gets asked a lot these days, and while I don’t claim to have definitive answers, I’ve gotten really good at asking some of the questions that are part of this important discussion. You don’t have to ask teleworkers why they choose to work … [Read more...]